Amazon’s Worst Good Idea

[ThomasLe]

I worked for an escape room and hacked these buttons that were $5 but then were given a $5 amazon credit, so they were free. I took off the branding and got the MAC Address from wifi and was able to detect when they were pressed so I used it for a hint button in the rooms when the players were stuck. Unfortunately the battery was not replaceable and it was not 100% reliable so after ~6 months or so I had to design a new way to do it using raspberry pis instead.

[casterporter]

I’d rather have the physical button tbh.

[le_th_]

2-year-old: "Alexa, play gummy bear"
Alexa: "5 lbs gummy bears added to cart"

This is my friend's toddler trying to play the kids song "gummy bear" lol

[Crawsome_Crustacean]

Had these all over the place because of the half-price deal

[TasinHannan]

I can see this useful in small restaurants and businesses. Just label the buttons and if your low on supplies, just hit a button

Edit: I'm an idiot

[crashunderride]

As the dad of an autistic three-year old, the instant he said button, I was like "oh no". Lol

[TheStickCollector]

It's crazy i remember these when they were a thing. How time flies.

Wish they did more physical things besides tablets and smart devices

[NecroDeMortem]

They were also made illegal here in Germany since you always just ordered this one product without knowing how much it will cost, if there's a cheaper alternative etc

[grodriguez]

These were a game changer for our Airbnb. We kept them in the housekeeper supply closet. I wish they still had them, so convenient

[WREDog]

It was originally an April Fools joke, but people loved it so much Amazon decided to actually do it.

[SwedePotato]

We had one these years ago. My husband thought it was entertaining and didnt realize it had been set up already because it didnt have any feedback to let you know it had been ordered. I was at work so i didnt hear my 100 Amazon notifications until it was too late. We're still ysing and giving away laundry detergent to this day.

[JustWatching]

I remember button mashing these once when I didn't know what they were. I pissed my dad off so bad

[Blissfullstar]

The thing I was hesitant about was the fact that Amazon changes prices. So there would be a chance of getting something that ended up costing more

[zues]

I still hsve some stuck on my wall, just cuz i like having them there. The good thing is that the battery still works as it turns red when you press them.

[wesleythomas]

"Hey megacorp listening device! Order me some more dish soap."
"Your account has been banned for racism."

[SuperLuminalMan]

Had one next to my Xbox back in the day. 8 pack of AA batts on the push of a button and 2 days was so convenient

[TheTacoMan]

Simple keep them somewhere the kids can’t get to, like a shelf or a locked cabinet

[lowercase.]

lest we forget the person who had one set up to buy them a Kia Sorento and they accidentally pressed it

[kienanvella]

The dash buttons were also fantastic for use in home automation setups, because you could intercept their traffic and use them as triggers for events.

Doorbells, garage door buttons, light toggles, etc.

[LewisMoten]

They were sending them free or very cheap - and many developers would reprogram them to do custom tasks. Essentially they were handing out Free WiFi microcontrollers.