KFC Turned Its Placemats Into Bluetooth Keyboards to Save Your Phone Screen From Finger Grease
KFC knows that texting on your iPhone with greasy fingers is one of the truly great burdens of modern society.
And so to save us from this tragedy of tragedies, the Verge reports, the chain has introduced a Bluetooth-powered tray mat with a built-in keyboard that lets you type on your phone without covering its display in the glistening grease from a $5 Fill Up box.
It’s another stunning innovation from the chain that came up with replacing sandwich buns with pieces of fried chicken. Part of an advertising campaign for KFC’s German locations, the KFC Tray Typer was so popular among the chain’s clientele that every single one was taken.
Despite the fact that the Tray Typer was made available in KFC stores, it’s actually an impressive piece of technology. The tray cover measures just 4 millimeters thick, is both durable and water-resistant, can be recharged, and packs a relatively large keyboard.
The Tray Typer is by no means the first kind of tech to make its way into the fast-food industry. Companies like McDonald’s and Burger King have their own smartphone apps that let you do everything from check out their menus to order food on the go and even get directions to their nearest locations.
Heck, McDonald’s was one of the first major restaurant chains in the country to accept Apple’s Apple Pay mobile payment technology.
But the KFC Tray Typer takes things to a whole new level.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem likely that American KFC restaurants will get to experience the Tray Typer. That’s too bad, because I’d love to be able to eat a Doublicious and email my cardiologist at the same time.
Email Daniel at dhowley@yahoo-inc.com; follow him on Twitter at @DanielHowley or on Google+.
