Gear

CES Notes: Pump Up the Volume

Fuel dispenser manufacturer Dresser Wayne calls it the Ovation iX. We just call it "alt fuel." But whatever you call it, it’s one of the few auto-centric devices at CES to earn a double-take — an Internet-ready WiFi-capable gas pump (complete with 15-inch touchscreen and speakers) that lets customers update their playlists as they fill […]

Pump

Fuel dispenser manufacturer Dresser Wayne calls it the Ovation iX. We just call it "alt fuel." But whatever you call it, it's one of the few auto-centric devices at CES to earn a double-take — an Internet-ready WiFi-capable gas pump (complete with 15-inch touchscreen and speakers) that lets customers update their playlists as they fill up their tanks.

The CES demo entailed buying audio files from the Dresser Wayne fuel pump, downloading them to an Alpine Electronics IVA-W200 stereo and navigation system in a Lincoln Navigator, and (we assume) blasting them mercilessly à la Operation Just Cause before the awe-struck conference-goers. (If it wasn't Public Enemy, it should have been.) The whole thing is the product of a partnership between Dresser Wayne and the Microsoft Automotive Business Unit, which is apparently not content to Sync your Ford.

But wait! There's more!

As GizMag (via BusinessWeek) breathlessly reports:

In addition to offering real-time Internet news headlines, traffic information and weather reports on its VGA screen, the fuel dispenser also provides customers with customized, full-motion video promotions and specials while they fill up. Consumers even have the option to print coupons for special offers, such as for a discount on a cup of coffee or even a much needed oil change.

"Customized, full-motion video promotions and specials!" Finally, a way to fill that existentially challenging interval between the insertion of the nozzle and the "click" of plenitude. Dresser Wayne claims that "consumers can now be more productive" thanks to this "new world of interactive fueling." How can you doubt it?

Available now for petroleum retailers in North America. Soon to be available worldwide. Be the first on your block.