"cell phone" news and stories

How many young men and women do you know who clip coupons? Though there are certainly some out there who do, I imagine the general answer is probably not too many. Fast food restaurants have realized this, and in an effort to better reach their target market and entice them to eat at their establishment, many will be offering coupons that can be downloaded directly to a cell phone. Once on the phone, the consumer only has to show the screen to the cashier to receive the discounted price.

One company offering the free service, Cellfire, currently has downloadable coupons available for items such as either a free appetizer or $5 off a $15 purchase at T.G.I. Fridays, as well as various pizza and fast food deals. Hardee's in Indianapolis and St. Louis began using the service a few weeks ago to test their market, and if it proves to be successful they may expand it nationally.

Granted, this technology isn't exactly new, so some of you may already use this service, but it seems as though more and more restaurants and other businesses are getting onboard with the program.

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In Japan, McDonald's is proving that they have nothing to hide nutritionally by putting nutritional information right on their wrappers. You need a cellphone to read that information, however. The QR codes are basically tiny bar codes that were originally developed to track parts in factories, but because they can be scanned with a camera phone, they can be used for just about anything. In this case, once the wrapper is scanned, you will be directed to a website (intended for mobile phone access only) where the code can be translated into fat and calories.

This technology doesn't seem likely to hit the US, or many other countries, yet, since the cell phone technology needed to it to be effective is not used as widely as it is in Japan. The rest of use will have to stick to old fashioned labels and ordinary websites for our nutritional information.

[via Calorie Lab]

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• The NYT tracks the much-hyped recipe for cooking an egg between two cellular phones.
• Julia Moskin explores the inner workings of Trader Joe's.
  
• A profile of the Dames du Boeuf, a group of ladies with a passion for the old-school dining experience.
• Kim Severson talks to New Orleans chef and cookbook collector Ken Smith.
• Mark Bittman slow-cooks  spareribs.
  
• The Greek feta cheese battle, with recipes.
• Eric Asimov tastes Irish whiskies.
• Marian Burros reports on a new study about grass-fed beef.