SnailMail
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Outbox seeks to bring postal mail to your iPad, iPhone and desktop
Starting today, people living in San Francisco have an opportunity to never handle another piece of "real" mail again. Outbox is an Austin, Texas-based company that has figured out a way to digitize all of that snail mail and present it to you in a virtual mailbox on your computer, iPad, or iPhone (free app). The service, which is provided for US$4.99 per month (first month is free), collects your physical mail three times a week, then scans it in a secured warehouse. You're notified that you have new mail in your mailbox, at which time you use the app or website to go through those new items. If it's junk mail, you can simply tap a "toss" icon to have the item recycled. Want to read it online? Just tap a read icon and scroll through it with a click or swipe. You can put your snail mail into folders, assign the letters to a "to-do list", email it to someone, or even request that it be physically delivered to you. The company started off with 500 alpha customers, and is now launching the service in San Francisco based on zip code. Depending on how the service scales, the company has ambitious expansion plans. I, for one, would gladly pay $4.99 a month if I didn't have to slog through snow in the winter to gather junk mail from our common neighborhood mailbox and could instead just check it out on my iPad. How about you? Let's see your comments.
Snail Mail My Email outsources your emotions to foreign hands
We bet the Britney Spears' classic Email My Heart would take great offense (and potential intellectual property beef) to Ivan Cash's startup, Snail Mail My Email. The 25-year old entrepreneur and lover of the quaint, soon-to-be anachronistic form of communication quit his advertising day job in favor of an out-of-pocket, handwritten transcription service. That's right, Cash and his global network of volunteers painstakingly re-create your digital salvos with the flourish of awkward and potentially illegible penmanship for free. Before you rush to overwhelm his servers with epic, misspelled ravings, pay close attention to that 100 word limit -- do-gooders' hands get tired, ya know. It's a quirky approach to letting that special someone know you care, and a great way to say, "I hope while you're reading this you're no longer drooling or pooping in your pants." (Their words, we swear!)
Real-life mailbox mod tells your iPhone when you've got snail mail (video)
Do you spend your days desperately awaiting credit card bills, coupons to Pizza Hut, and reminders from your dentist's office that it's time for another cleaning? We've pared down our dependence on USPS, but for those who still get physical communications of note, Make has developed an Arduino-based mailbox mod that sends push notifications when the post is in. Back in 2005, we saw a clunky device called POSTIN that did much the same thing. Thankfully, this system doesn't require an extra gadget, instead it sends messages straight to your iPhone. The postal alert system uses a snap-action switch, connected to an Arduino sensor, to signal when your mailbox is opened. A piece of code waits for the signal and then requests a URL from a PHP-enabled server, pushing an alert to your cellphone using the Prowl iPhone app. Die-hard USPS fans can check out the instructional video after the jump.
GameFly opens first 'G-Box' game rental kiosk
GameFly has expanded its reach to rental kiosks, the first having been spotted on campus at Texas Tech University. The Daily Toreader, reports the 'G-Box' kiosk allows gamers access to hundreds of Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii titles for a daily rental fee.Rentals range from $2.49 (Xbox 360/PS3) to $1.99 (Wii), appealing to those looking to try a new title for a short period of time and are without access to a local rental store. However, extended rentals from the kiosk may put a strain on students' wallets in comparison to GameFly's own monthly rates.GameFly plans to launch the 'G-Box' throughout the United States, allowing consumers to rent using a credit card.Recently, rental giant Blockbuster has extended its Total Access service to video games. With GameFly now tapping the physical market, it seems the battle for rental superiority is going to get ugly.[Via 1UP]
Have Mario send your mail (via stamps from Japan)
Sure, old Mario has been known to paint, play professional sports, and even do some actual plumbing work on occasion, but he'll soon be able to power your mail through the postal service in the Far East.10-stamp sheets of 80 Yen stamps are now available for pre-order in Japan, where gaming otakus will soon be able to adorn their snail mail with the likes of goombas, magic mushrooms, and mustachioed men. The set will be out next month.Has the government of a country like the US ever done anything this official to honor one of the icons of gaming? Perhaps when we have avid gaming advocates in Congress -- or even, dare we say, in the White House -- things will look a little different with game legislation proposals and the postage of unwanted junk mail.[Via GameBrink]See also: French stamps to feature video game icons (Super) Mario Bros. question mark and POW block speakers
