Smell-o-vision

May 16, 2000 6:26 AM

Smell-o-vision may not be that far off, if the Digiscents.com people have their way.
posted by cCranium (10 comments total)

"The Snortal (www.snortal.com) the world's first scented Web site, launching this summer!"

They really need some naming guys. I signed up for their developer stuff anyway, maybe they'll send me a smell-box-thing.
posted by endquote at 6:54 AM on May 16, 2000

I don't know if it's in spite of or because of all the "This is for real" stuff plastered all over their site, but I just have this feeling it's a joke.

I hope not though.
posted by cCranium at 7:19 AM on May 16, 2000

The sad thing is that I've been watching enough Food Network lately that I can actually see uses for this gizmo.
posted by harmful at 7:39 AM on May 16, 2000

Wow, that'll put a whole new spin on Iron Chef!
posted by cCranium at 8:52 AM on May 16, 2000

A related, much older page about the same thing
Webodor includes the OTP (olfactory transport protocol) RFC and announces Real Networks' RealOdor.
posted by flestrin at 9:47 AM on May 16, 2000

well, Proctor & Gamble doesn't have anything listed in their press kit, but eCandy seems to be collaborating with Digiscents (can't link directly to the article, it's buried in frames and I'm too lazy to get it myself).

eCandy even provides a link to a National Post article about their merger.

Not to mention the abundance of news coverage they've given themselves, most of it not revolving around April First, whereas Webodor (linked by flestrin) is an obvious gag.

They look serious, and the majority of the news links do too. Hrm. The plot thickens.

Of course, this LA Time article compares the iSmell to products presented in the Webodor link. Either some seriously misinformed journalism is afoot there (which wouldn't completely suprise me) or the gag is spreading.

Intriguing.
posted by cCranium at 10:18 AM on May 16, 2000

It's definitely real, I'm a member of their developers group (I don't know what to call it, they just refer to it as a developers group, so there you go. But I'm not employed by them nor am I contributing to their final product). I like the idea, but they've been really dragging their feet it seems. I first heard about them over a year ago, and their product was supposed to have launched by now. But I think as an artistic tool it might be interesting, and I just really like the concept. It at least brings attention to probably the most ignored of the five senses.


posted by annathea at 1:52 PM on May 16, 2000

That's excellent news. I applied to the development group today, and am hoping for some good news. It's a brilliant idea, and I personally can't wait to (to steal an example from their website) be sitting at work with an aromatherapy page/app/whatever open pumping relaxing, brain stimulating aromas through my screen.

Or being able to smell freshly-cut grass in the middle of February. That alone would be worth the $50-$200 (USD) for the device.
posted by cCranium at 1:55 PM on May 16, 2000

So it's not the same as this web scent technology then?
posted by Markb at 9:24 AM on May 17, 2000

It's going to pave the road for the Smell-o-scope. Frye would be proud.
posted by jay at 12:29 PM on May 17, 2000