Hong Kong Tech: Beer Pong Apps, Alien Hair Driers, Drone Beer Delivery

BPConnect: Making Beer Pong Fun?

There are two philosophies when it comes to drinking alcohol that can be broadly divided into the “American” and “British” approaches. The American Approach is to gamify the whole thing, introducing frivolity into the process via games of flip cup, beer pong and the like. You can lump Hong Kong’s own dice games into this category. The British Approach, meanwhile, is Just. To. Drink.

I lean towards the latter, but sometimes something comes along to pull me in the other direction, like BPConnect, which is billed as “the world’s first interactive beer pong game system.” Essentially, it all works via an interactive table, which allows it to deliver automatic scorekeeping (which is difficult to do manually the more you drink) as well as customizable sound effects, lighting and animations. You can even download an app to your own phone so you’re always hooked in to your next game—and to a worldwide leaderboard. For a chance to become the NUMBER ONE IN THE WORLD at beer pong? 
I might start taking an interest. BP Connect available at Pong, 1/F, 38 Yiu Wa St., Causeway Bay, 3956-5201; and at M1 Bar, 17-19 Prat Avenue, Tsim Sha Tsui, 2311-7212. bpconnect.com.hk

Coravin Ends your Wine Whines

Most of us can agree on the fact that wine is pretty great. But you don’t always want to crack a good bottle of red at the end of a hard day, because over a couple of days the wine will oxidize and spoil. Enter Coravin, which makes it possible to pour yourself a glass of wine—without having to open the bottle at all. The Coravin is a complex-looking contraption that essentially pushes a needle down through the cork and allows you to pour off wine as usual. The system pumps in non-reactive argon gas in place of the wine, and when the needle withdraws the cork seals up again—which means that the wine won’t oxidize and will stay fresh for years, they claim. Part of the draw is that you can broaden your wine tasting experience by dipping into different vintages without having to blast through the whole bottle—and nor do you have to stick to white in company when you’d rather be on the red. 

Staffer Evelyn Lok went to check it out and to meet the inventor, Greg Lambrecht. Her verdict? It does take a few tries to get the hang of the contraption, but it’s essentially as easy to use as any regular wine opener, and a lot more tolerant to brute force than it looks. Bear in mind that it doesn’t work on sparkling wines yet and only fits natural corks—so you’re still going to have to drink that $89 screwcap bottle of merlot in one sitting. $2,800 from major wine retailers city-wide, coravin.com

Dyson Supersonic: Just Blow Me

All new in Hong Kong from Dyson, who invented those alien-looking-but-eerily-effective vacuum cleaners, those alien-looking-but-eerily-effective fans and those alien-looking-but-eerily-effective hand driers: an alien-looking-but-eerily-effective hair dryer! The Dyson Supersonic looks like an old-timey microphone but it claims to have a super-quiet motor that’s eight times faster than other hair dryers—and a smart heat control that will get your hair dry without burning it. It’s just possible that Dyson have done for wet hair what they did for damp hands and dirty floors. Normally I just run a towel through my hair until it’s no longer actively dripping, but I could be persuaded. The only catch? It’ll cost you a hefty $3,380 when it launches in July. Maybe I won’t throw away that towel just yet. dyson.com

The Park & Dine App Does What it Says

If you drive in Hong Kong, you have my sympathies. But you also have a good thing coming to you with Link Asset Management’s Park & Dine mobile app. On top of directing you to the nearest carpark, it also gets you electronic queuing at 15 restaurants across the city and real-time updates on your progress: meaning you can bid farewell to taking a number and hanging around like a useless lump until you’re called. Free on iTunes store and Google Play.

Drone Bros, Unite!

Check out this video of a guy who used a drone to deliver a can of Asahi to a thirsty compatriot on a Mid-Levels rooftop. The comments section is divided between admiration and fear… we’re just happy to see an example of the future, here today.