I guess it was inevitable with the march of progress and the incessant convergence of technologies. The “Scan Toaster” puts everything you need with breakfast onto a slice of bread, that is, if your typical breakfast consists of bread and a quick look at current events from your favorite broadsheet.

                                           This isn't even close to being a "fancy piece of toast".

“Broadsheet” is applied loosely in this case, however. With the typical piece of toast coming in at 1/18th the size of a single newspaper page, this is literally a case of “quick news bites” – but don’t bite until you read your toast. That’s right, this finalist in an Electrolux design competition is able to “print” (more accurately, burn) your chosen content onto your fragrant, somewhat burnt-smelling piece of breakfast nourishment. Not only that, this nifty little device can connect to a PC over USB and download information you deem relevant for your morning meal. Alternatively, it can “print” onto the loaves different designs of your choice – say, cartoon characters to keep your young ‘uns amused. (C'mon dearie, eat your Micky Mouse-Marked Marmalade Toast).

Of course, other than the news and a piece of toast, this toaster can’t manage to put much more of anything onto your bread, so it’s up to you to get the marmalade, the jam, or the bacon. Come to think of it, most people need to get the bacon after they finish with breakfast, so this inability by the Scan Toaster is no big loss. Starting off the day with some edible news and burnt bread-art will surely put the businessman who indulges up on his toes.

The Scan Toaster works by using “modules” or what seem to be tiny heating elements – to burn the programmed content onto the bread. Each module can pivot 30% up and down, descending onto the waiting edible fluffy white to turn it into hard and toasty brown. So now instead of having separate categories for office and kitchen appliances, we have here the first baby steps of the grand appliance technology convergence for the increasingly bored geek.
Then again, this is not such a grand gesture as described above, but it definitely does tickle the fancy, convergence or no. This wonderful application of design and technology will hopefully be available for general purchase soon – just don’t plan on replacing your hard-bound books anytime soon, or even try to replicate the whole funnies section. But I’ll settle for a single strip, preferably “The Far Side”.

                                              "Here honey, read this instead of that paper."