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Domino's has built an autonomous pizza delivery robot
For a pizza chain, Domino's actually has a pretty rich history of innovation. It's embraced social media, created a one-click Easy Order button and even built a delivery car that has its own pizza oven. Now it's looking at robots. More specifically: delivery robots. What you see here is DRU (Domino's Robotic Unit), an autonomous delivery vehicle built in collaboration with Australian technology startup Marathon Targets that Domino's says is the first of its kind. It's filled with thousands of dollars worth of military robotics tech, but its covert mission has been to deliver fresh pizza to the residents of Queensland.
That time Twitch jumped the shark
Twitch made its debut in 2011. Since then, the service has evolved from a gaming-only subset of Justin.tv into a popular, culture-shaping phenomenon pioneering the world of live online broadcasting. Justin.tv was quickly swallowed whole by Twitch's immense success, and in 2014 Amazon acquired the entire company for nearly $1 billion. The service has launched careers, beaten YouTube to the punch, attracted celebrities, dominated the streaming eSports market and even spawned its own icon-based language. And it's done all of this in less than five years.
Domino's Pizza brings one-tap ordering to Apple Watch
If you're a Domino's Pizza addict, there's now a faster way to get some fresh slices hurtling towards your front door. The company has updated its Apple Watch app with "Easy Order," a feature that lets you set up a specific basket and then, when hunger strikes, order it again with a single tap. In the past that's been facilitated through the Domino's phone app and a physical button, but now it's available on the wrist too. If you're new to the whole experience, you'll need to visit the website first to set up your order. Once that's done, however, you should never have to do it again, unless you want to change your preferred pizzas or delivery address.As before, you can also use the Domino's Apple Watch app to track the status of your order. Useful if you're nursing a hangover and can't remember where you left your iPhone the night before.
Domino's makes ordering pizza dangerous with 'Easy Order' button
With more than half of its customers now ordering via its mobile apps, it's fair to say that Domino's has pizza delivery down to a fine art. But in this modern age, there's always room to shave a couple of seconds off the purchasing process. That's where "The Easy Order" comes in. Domino's has brought one-click pizza ordering to the UK, letting you hit a physical button to get your favourite pizza delivered to your doorstep.
Domino's built a pizza delivery car with its own oven
You have to sympathize with pizza delivery drivers. They're rarely driving more than an everyday car (often their own), which won't do much to help them get a pizza to your door on time. Clearly, Domino's Pizza feels their pain. The food giant has unveiled the DXP (Delivery ExPert), a heavily modified Chevy Spark that's focused on pie transport. The star attraction is an outward-facing oven in the back -- drivers can grab your piping-hot pizza without skipping a beat. There's also storage space for a whopping 80 pizzas (office party, anyone?), an out-for-delivery light and a puddle light to prevent any rude surprises when stepping outside.
This pizza box doubles as a movie projector
Movie-and-pizza night usually means having to retreat to the TV in the living room, but not if you live in Hong Kong. Ad firm Ogilvy & Mather HK has built the Pizza Hut Blockbuster Box, a pizza box that turns into a projector at the drop of a hat. All you do is pluck a lens out of the protective stand, mount it in the side of the box and use your smartphone (conveniently perched on the stand) as the video source -- any video that plays on your phone suddenly becomes room-sized. There's no mention of whether or not this cardboard theater will reach other countries, but it's hard to imagine this concept being limited to one city for very long.
Tweet a pizza emoji and Domino's will send you a real one
Ordering your go-to Domino's pizza just got a little easier -- yes, even more so than using your XBox One or Pebble smartwatch. The restaurant chain announced Tuesday that its customers will soon be able to order their preferred pie with nary more than a tweet and an emoji. No, seriously. First you'll need to have an online Domino's Pizza Profile and designate an "Easy Order" pizza. Next, add your Twitter handle to your account and simply tweet #EasyOrder to @Dominos. Or, if that's too many keystrokes for you liking, simply insert the pizza emoji into your tweet instead. Either way, you'll soon get a direct message confirming the order and a piping-hot pizza shortly thereafter. You can give #EasyOrder a whirl today, though unfortunately the emoji method won't to be available until next Wednesday, May 20th.
RuneScape player raises over $1200 for a pizza delivery tip
Charlie McCormick wasn't having a particularly good holiday season. For starters, he was a pizza delivery driver, which isn't a grand ball of fun at any point of the year. His mother had also recently passed away after a prolonged illness, meaning that even if he had somehow felt festive, there wasn't money to be festive with. At least, not until he made a delivery to Joey DeGrandis and was given a $1,230 tip for his service. DeGrandis is an avid RuneScape streamer who wanted to do something nice for a deserving delivery driver, as he feels the job isn't particularly respected for its hard work. Over the course of an 18-hour streaming marathon, his viewers raised the money for McCormick's tip while DeGrandis played, with more donations coming in even after McCormick got his initial tip. Sure, it plays into the stereotype that MMO players all sit at home and eat delivered pizza constantly, but if that stereotype includes being exceptionally charitable tippers, we can probably live with it.
Pizza Hut's eye-tracking menu knows what you want before you do
When scanning a menu, are you justifying that Dame Blanche sundae in your mind rather than actually choosing a dessert? Pizza Hut wants to help you skip your super-ego middleman and just let your id order that triple-cheese bacon pepperoni pie directly. It's "Subconscious Menu" uses Tobii's eye-tracking tech to figure out which of 20 different ingredients you're looking at on a screen (see the video below). It then takes all of three seconds to identify the pizza you really want based on which you looked at the longest. Pizza Hut says its Subconscious Menu is still in trials, but after testing to a 98 percent success rate, it may eventually appear in restaurants.
You can now order a Domino's pizza on your Xbox One
Is the buggy matchmaking in Halo: The Master Chief Collection getting you down? Why not wipe away those tears with a slice of pizza? With the new Domino's Pizza app for Xbox One (only available in the UK, sadly) you can button-press, wave or literally bark orders at your Kinect to get some fresh slices heading for your front door. Perhaps its best feature is the integrated pizza tracker, which can run in Snap mode so even when you're busy Running Riot, you can still keep up to date with your Texas BBQ's whereabouts.
Track your Domino's order via a Pebble smartwatch
A Pebble smartwatch is handy for a number of things, and now you can use it to keep tabs on your pizza order. Thanks to Domino's app for said gadget, you can monitor the status of your Wisconsin 6 Cheese pie, Crispy Bacon & Tomato Specialty Chicken and Stuffed Cheesy Bread with a glance at your wrist. The app shows updates when food is being made, baking, undergoing a "quality check" and either ready for pickup or on its way to your door. Don't have a Pebble? There are options for ordering via iPad, TV and more, because of course.
Scientists discover why mozzarella is the ideal pizza cheese
Pizza is essentially the perfect food. Well, so long as you aren't lactose intolerant or have problems with gluten. We realize that those are pretty big caveats, but stay with us for a second -- it'll be worth it: NPR spotted a study of why different cheeses diverge in looks and taste when baked. Seriously. In a paper called "Quantification of Pizza Baking Properties of Different Cheeses, and Their Correlation with Cheese Functionality," researchers found that, among other things, the reason why mozzarella is so unique of a topping has to do with the way it's prepared. The cheese bubbles and browns because of its inherent elasticity due to stretching. In contrast, cheddar isn't as ideal because it isn't very elastic, thus it doesn't bubble as well. The same apparently goes for Edam and Gruyere, too.
Oculus Rift is coming to... Chuck E. Cheese's?
Sure, a spin in the ol' ticket grabber machine on your birthday can be fun, but trying to capture the small pieces of paper as they whiz by your head? That's a lot of work. Luckily, Chuck E. Cheese's is offering a new, less physical way to reach prize station glory using Oculus Rift. The pizza party giant is offering a "Virtual Ticket Blaster Experience" at parties for the guest of honor that uses the VR headset to simulate the high-speed grabbing experience.
You can now pay for your Domino's Pizza with Google Wallet
Domino's has already made it pretty easy to order your favorite pizza using your smartphone, but today things are getting even simpler for US Android device owners. Today the company confirmed that it's added Google Wallet to the list of supported payment types in its Android app, allowing you to complete an order using the same details you'd typically download apps or rent movies with. If app-based ordering wasn't already affecting your impulse spending, dispatching a deep dish with even fewer screen presses might be a blessing or a curse.
You can eat the face of Steve Jobs, if that's your thing
In the years since the passing of Steve Jobs we've seen countless tributes in virtually all forms, but the edible work of chef -- nay, artist -- Wilhelm Rodriguez is particularly amazing. Using your standard pizza ingredients, Rodriguez, who currently works at Papa's Pizza in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico, can whip up some stunning pies, but his most impressive creation to date may very well be the Apple-shaped Jobs pizza you see above. Rodriguez's other work includes horror movie villains, cartoon characters, and even everyday customers who wander into the popular pizza portal. If you're ever in the neighborhood, ask for an Apple pizza with actual apples, just for kicks. [via Neatorama]
Pizza Hut's concept touch table lets you swipe your way to a perfect pie (video)
With hundreds of mom and pop shops in the New York area, it's been upwards of a decade since I've stepped foot in a Pizza Hut. But the fast food giant's latest dining concept may just have me reconsidering that self-imposed chain pizzeria embargo. The interactive table, created in partnership with Chaotic Moon Studios, lets you visualize your order as you construct it. Pick your crust, select your sauce and cheese (half or whole), then add toppings like chicken, mushrooms and peppers to your liking. You can even double down on calories by rounding out your meal with a serving of cheese sticks, Spicy Asian wings or Hershey's Chocolate Dunkers. Just keep in mind that after all that touching, your fingers will be coated in varying levels of greasy stranger danger -- be sure to wash your hands before your pie arrives!
Buy Thief at Newegg, get free Domino's (because, pizza)
Pizza is great. Everyone loves pizza, even thieves-for-hire. In fact, a well-known byproduct of being a kleptomaniac is an insatiable craving for carbohydrates. A Thief promotion at Newegg capitalizes on this by granting all who pick up a PC copy with a $10 coupon for Domino's Pizza. Enter the promo code SENTFPO during checkpoint for an additional ten percent off. Thankfully, Newegg has extended some sales love to Thief's other platforms too. Grabbing a copy of Thief on PS4, Xbox One, PS3 or Xbox 360 before March 3 nets a gift card good for $5. Thief, which launched this week, is a game our review said is "best when it sticks to the involving, slow-paced stealth that made its ancestor such a tense affair." Our review adds, "Thief succeeds when it's quiet, fingers reaching out and almost – almost – touching an irresistible spread of glittering prizes." [Image: Eidos Montreal]
This three-year-old pizza won't kill you
It's the zombie apocalypse, and the only items on the menu are a year-old pizza and cockroach sashimi -- which would you choose? Well, if that pepperoni-smattered pie came from the US Army's Natick Labs, you've hit the jackpot. A team of food scientists at the facility are apparently hard at work developing pizza that can stay good for up to three years, specifically for deployed soldiers' pre-packaged meals. In fact, they just finished making a prototype this February. It took the team two years to perfect the current recipe, because you can't just dip slices in vats of preservatives and hope for the best. They used humectants (ingredients like sugars, salts and syrups) to keep the crust from being soggy and changed the acidity of the sauce, dough and cheese to prevent bacterial growth. While the prototype's nowhere near ready for distribution, the munchie experts' taste testers claim it's as good as something you'd "get from a pizza parlor." They didn't mention if it's more of a Papa John's or a Little Caesar's, but hey, at least it's not made out of pulverized insects. [Image credit: AP Photo/Steven Senne]
Seen@TGS 2013: Domino's (feat. Hatsune Miku)
While there was literally no indication of this whatsoever, we're holding out that this cross-promotion between Domino's and Sega is secretly paving the way for Hatsune Miku: Pizza Diva F.
Pizza Hut app comes to Xbox 360, unstoppable force meets immovable gamer
Let's be frank: many dedicated console gamers among us have at least briefly dreamed of ordering food without having to lift our hands from the controller. That's about to be more than a fleeting fantasy for Xbox 360 owners, as Microsoft is launching a Pizza Hut app today for those permanently lodged in the living room. The release puts all of the delivery menu a quick hop away on the Dashboard, including custom orders. Buyers can tempt their friends through Facebook, and there's even Kinect support for greasy-handed customers who'd rather not touch the gamepad (or a napkin, apparently) when requesting a second serving. Microsoft stresses that the Pizza Hut partnership isn't the start of a broad trend toward ordering real products through an Xbox, which is just as well -- our arteries can only take so much inactivity at once.
