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posted by LaminatorX on Monday February 02 2015, @07:09AM   Printer-friendly
from the cafe-libre dept.

Well, that didn't take long!

Last year, after Coke took 10% stake in the company, Keurig started shipping a new version of their instant coffee machines. The primary 'improvement' was the addition of DRM designed to exclude any coffee not approved by Keurig. It is a scheme very much like the ink cartridge DRM of IBM/Lexmark.

One coffee maker has decided to crack that Keurig's DRM and are now shipping a device you insert into the maker that lets you spoof it into thinking any coffee is 'authorized.' They are capitalizing on their new Freedom Clip by giving it away along with free samples of their coffee.

 
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  • (Score: 3, Informative) by Foobar Bazbot on Monday February 02 2015, @06:22PM

    by Foobar Bazbot (37) on Monday February 02 2015, @06:22PM (#140358) Journal

    AIUI, there's no circuit being thrown away -- the "DRM" consists of a symbol printed in fluorescent ink on the lid of the cartridge. I think there's also a bar-code involved (to specify temperature and/or time parameters for brewing that particular coffee), but it's not recognized without the special fluorescent ink. (It's been a while since I read about this, sorry)

    But yeah, circuit or not, don't pay the rent-seeking Danes. (OTOH, suppose the machine is being sold at or near cost, in order to make the real money off the overpriced coffee -- then buying the Keurig machine and buying unlicensed coffee cartridges from a third party and/or buying refillable cartridges and filling them with your own ground coffee could be a win. Even better if they're selling them below cost, though that's unlikely.)

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  • (Score: 4, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Monday February 02 2015, @06:35PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday February 02 2015, @06:35PM (#140361)

    (OTOH, suppose the machine is being sold at or near cost, in order to make the real money off the overpriced coffee -- then buying the Keurig machine and buying unlicensed coffee cartridges from a third party and/or buying refillable cartridges and filling them with your own ground coffee could be a win. Even better if they're selling them below cost, though that's unlikely.)

    And on the other other hand.. Suppose the machine is being sold at a profit, but they are relying on morons who imagine that everything is sold below cost, Cos inkjets.. Then buying one instead of a proper coffee maker, and learning how to make a bloody cup of coffee still rewards the DRM using bastards. And makes money for a company who live off DRM just as much. And voids your warranty. should any modification be detected. You can not game DRM. If you play, you lose. You can not circumvent DRM and win indefinitely, because more DRM will be implemented, and eventually, it will be so much more work to circumvent that nobody will bother. The "but it might be subsidised, so if I get the crippled one, I'll win" argument is not a good one. The only way to win is to not participate. Buy a proper coffee machine and real coffee, drink instant, or drink something else. But please don't lie to yourself. The only thing you are sticking to "da man" is your money.

    • (Score: 4, Insightful) by Joe Desertrat on Monday February 02 2015, @08:11PM

      by Joe Desertrat (2454) on Monday February 02 2015, @08:11PM (#140390)

      Get a stainless steel coffee pot that you perk on the stove. You can take that camping with you too, it works fine over coals or a camp stove. Better tasting, hotter coffee too.

      • (Score: 3, Interesting) by hemocyanin on Tuesday February 03 2015, @09:35AM

        by hemocyanin (186) on Tuesday February 03 2015, @09:35AM (#140623) Journal

        I've had my stove top percolator since 1992 although I did have to invest $3 in replacing the bubble. It takes some practice to learn how to make great coffee in a percolator, but once you get it down, percolated coffee fresh of the stove is wonderful. In my personal ranking, I'd put it in a cluster with my other favorites: espresso (either as americano or latte) and Bialetti brewed coffee. Percolated coffee is thinner than either of these other two and seems so right around dawn. The others I like later in the day.

  • (Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Monday February 02 2015, @07:21PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday February 02 2015, @07:21PM (#140375)

    the "DRM" consists of a symbol printed in fluorescent ink on the lid of the cartridge

    Wow. Invisible ink is now DRM? The mind boggles how stupid one has to be to believe that would hold up. Sounds like MBAs.

  • (Score: 2) by M. Baranczak on Tuesday February 03 2015, @01:05AM

    by M. Baranczak (1673) on Tuesday February 03 2015, @01:05AM (#140512)

    "Overpriced coffee"? That shit would be overpriced if they gave it away.