What is it?

BakerTweet is a way for busy bakers to tell the world that something hot and fresh has just come out of the oven. It's as simple as turning the dial and hitting the button. All of the baker's followers get a Twitter alert to tell them that it's bun-time. Or bread time. Or whatever.

The first BakerTweet device has been installed at the Albion Cafe on Boundary Street in Shoreditch, London. To find out what's cooking follow @albionsoven on Twitter .

BakerTweet allows businesses to use Twitter to communicate in real-time about offers, pricing and stock from a device that can withstand kitchen peril and is much simpler to operate than a laptop or a mobile.

It was made by Poke . We're a digital creative agency based across the road from the Albion and, perhaps selfishly, we wanted a way to get the freshest baked stuff first. Then we realised it could be a great tool for bakers everywhere.

How does it work? (the simple version)

In simple terms it's a bakery-proof box that sends messages wirelessly to Twitter. The clever bit is that the baker can update their messages and things they're selling using a simple web interface. Obviously not something that you'd do mid-bake but it's an important feature for future-proofing the device.

How does it work? (the gory details)

The BakerTweet prototype is made up of an Arduino Duemilanove , Arduino Ethernet Shield , Ladyada Proto Shield , a Linksys wifi adapter, and a whole bunch of little parts that make up the rest of what you see. We went through a couple of weeks of prototyping until the we settled on all the final components and wiring.

One of the highlights of BakerTweet is that it interfaces with a Django CMS for all it's information. This means that an owner can sign into their account on bakertweet.com and edit the number of items, how they want them labelled on the device, and the body of the Tweet is sent out for each. To update the device with the latest information, the owner simply spins the dial "Update Items List," hits the button, and the box grabs the latest list of items. Simple.

Want One?

Drop us a line for more info, or any inquires. iwantone@bakertweet.com

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