Yes. If grinding beans or measuring out coffee grounds or inserting a filter inside of your Mr. Coffee brewer has become far too arduous of a task within your morning routine, you can now invest your coffee enjoyment into a new machine called TopBrewer. Manufactured by Denmark-based company Scanomat, the suped-up coffee brewer can be easily controlled from your iPhone or iPad. All you have to do is put in your order using the app (yes, you must treat this coffee-making machine like it’s your personal barista and “put in an order”). The app gives you a pretty staggering array of control over what kind of drink you want, ranging from what temperature you want your drink to selecting which type of espresso drink you’d like to have.

For a full scope of what the TopBrewer can do, engorge your eyes in the espresso-porn video provided by Scanomat:

The app is alleged to be available already in Apple’s iTunes Store but I couldn’t find it. Luckily, an iOS device isn’t explicitly required since you can still control TopBrewer through the archaic method of pressing buttons on the actual device. Despite my previous ravings above about the TopBrewer, it is a very pretty piece of equipment and actually does you one better by cleaning itself (the world’s first house-broken coffee brewer!). Scanomatic also boasts that the TopBrewer contains “the smallest milk foamer in the world,” which they patented, and can be built to fit into any countertop.

In addition to the sleek, IKEA showroom-ready design and completely silent brewing process, it also claims to filter brew a cup of coffee in ridiculously fast 15 seconds. In a mere 25 seconds, you can have a cup of “perfectly brewed” espresso. I don’t even get out of bed that quickly in the morning, but at least the coffee would be ready for me by the time I peeled myself out of grogginess.

Scanomat’s website doesn’t even list a price for the TopBrewer, which only leads me to assume that the cost of this device would probably be enough to pay off my student loans (and my student loans are steep). Still. This is Future Coffee with brand new Future Taste; like something George Jetson would have designed except for the fact that TopBrewer actually functions correctly. So supposing that the money you’d put into this device wasn’t also enough to offset the national debt, would you ever consider getting one of these machines? Please comment below if you would (or why you wouldn’t). I’m really curious what people think about this.

McDonald’s, in case you haven’t heard, intends to match Starbucks by offering similarly complicated and expensive drinks.  But no one’s sure how many people will want to sit and drink them while a bunch of kids scream in a nearby ball pit.

Bill Tancer, the general manager of global research at Hitwise, writes, "The prediction, Starbucks won’t lose customers to McDonald’s, but McDonald’s will be able to upsell their existing customers on the McCafe concept."

Tancer came to this conclusion after seeing (and showing) that visitors to the McDonald’s site tend to be younger than those loyal to Starbucks.  Yet the Starbucks crowd tends to own thicker wallets.  And both of these traffic trends seem to align with real-world stats.

It should be interesting, then, to see if Tancer’s prediction holds up.  Your humble author, who doesn’t drink coffee, will report from the sidelines.

EBay Creates Social Networking Neighborhoods

EBay was recommended the following neighborhoods on its eBay Neighborhoods portal page:

Google Analytics ‘Coffee Table Book’ Debuts

The word "abnormal," for instance, is a mutant, a fact I learned from my beloved dictionary I keep on my coffee table; if it had developed according to proper Latin structures, we should be saying anormal, which makes the word "abnormal" abnormal, and that makes me laugh.

And whose brain would have been transferred into Young Frankenstein’s monster’s skull? 

Ahem. As I was saying, the downloadable 85-page e-book Google Analytics Shortcut written by Google-trusted Justin Cutroni and published by O’Reilly Media is available to anybody with an extra ten bucks and a coffee table not too cluttered with PS3 controllers, Starbucks cups, and Sergey Brin action figures.

Cutroni is a Google Analytics Authorized Consultant with Epikone, who Google Analytics Sr. Manager Brett Crosby says "always impresses me with his industry knowledge and how many subtle details he knows about Google Analytics."

Crosby’s also the one that called it "a coffee table book."

Seeing as chapter one is entitled "Getting Setup Correct," maybe one day Cutroni will also show a mastery of the adverb. That might be unfair. "Setup" could be a noun and not an adjective, depending on the context, in which case it’s all good, and I’ll go back to my dictionary in relative peace, sniffing indignantly.

The point of it was, in case you missed it, a Googler is endorsing a book about Google Analytics, which is probably a pretty good case for getting it if you want to learn about more.

We imagine nobody told Pierre that might be a bit deep first thing in the morning before the caffeine has had a chance to set in. But it’s interesting nonetheless – and apropos that the founder is that enamored with his own creation. 

Here are some of the highlights from the conference:

PayPal Certification Program

While setting up an online store is cheaper, and arguably easier, than running a brick-and-mortar store, there is still a laundry list of technical issues that can surpass the average businessperson’s expertise. Application development is one of them.

At the eBay Developers Conference in Boston, Damon Williams, program manager for PayPal’s Developer Network, plugs PayPal’s Developer Certification Program, through which a network of developers are tested and verified as experts.

And you can hire them. With a million developers to choose from. Developers in the network, who are tested to get the PayPal "seal of approval," are qualified to build third-party applications for eBay’s payment services, including Payments Pro and Express Checkout.

Damon also lets us know that PayPal has indeed gone mobile.

EBay Research Tools

WebProNews Video’s Abby Prince chatted with Anthony Sukow, CEO and president of Terapeak, a company that specializes in applications for eBay research.

Sukow announced at the conference the availability of a free research plug-in that allows eBayers to research auction trending, pricing, when to sell, and best features to highlight.

If you want the scoop on the competition, though, you’ll have to pull out your wallet. Competitor research is "something they should pay for," said Sukow.

Ebay on the Desktop

EBay product manager Alan Lewis fills us in on the "San Demas" project, a code name for eBay’s desktop application now in invitation-only beta.

Lewis says that when the desktop app will allow eBayers to do everything they do on eBay’s website outside of the web browser – managing, bidding, taking payments, et cetera.

Continuing Coverage…

WebProNews will be in Boston for the rest of the week covering the event to follow the Developers Conference, which is called eBay Live.

Some familiar names will be there, including Andy Sernovitz, Seth Godin, and John Gardner, who plan to address some of the "secrets of building buzz, boosting your success on eBay, and thinking like an entrepreneur."

So stay tuned to the WebProNews site and the WebProNews Video blog for ongoing, comprehensive coverage.

Takeaway? Adobe is indeed coming after developers. It’s interesting to hear their positioning vs. Microsoft. My post last week pretty much nailed it. Adobe’s Kevin Lynch says they try to extend the Web where Microsoft looks, he says, to extend Windows.

Adobe’s weaknesses? Corporate developers are safely in Microsoft’s camp because Adobe’s Apollo system (which lets developers build Windows, Mac, or Linux applications) can’t get to the Windows API (or the Mac API, or Linux’ API).

The other real loser here? Java. Apollo delivers real cross-platform apps that look a lot like what Microsoft always demonstrated with .NET 3.0 (great looking UIs and rich interaction).

But, clearly, Lynch wanted to position Apollo against Microsoft’s WPF/E, not Java.

Anyway, more later, we’re sitting through a ton of third-party demos now.

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Manufactured by Salton Inc., a leading domestic designer, marketer and distributor of a broad range of branded, high-quality small appliances, this new coffee maker automatically detects current weather conditions, the day’s forecast, probability for precipitation, and sunrise and sunset times, without the need for outdoor sensors, through MSN Direct.* And it brews a great cup of coffee from either whole beans or ground coffee.

As with all MSN Direct prices, if you wait and time your purchase right, you can get it for 80% off in about a year. Yes, as a geek, if I had a coffeemaker, I’d want it to be this one. So, if you are a rich friend feel free to buy one, but I won’t be buying it myself.

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Nathan Weinberg writes the popular InsideGoogle blog, offering the latest news and insights about Google and search engines.

Visit the InsideGoogle blog.

In some ways, they are not even popular because of coffee. After all, you can get a Cup of Joe at 7-11, Dunkin Donuts, a local Deli, or any number of other locations. The defining draw of the Coffee Shop is the environment it offers – an escape from the real world, the secluding corner to read a newspaper, or the “private” area to talk with friends.

Coffee Shops are very much a place for discussion. Just visit a Starbucks or a Panera Bread. It’s humming with caffeine and conversation. While some business execs do visit these joints and hold an afternoon meeting to get a kick-start, most people visit them for friendly chats. They are there to do something they enjoy – like read a book or to perhaps meet someone for the first time.

Visiting a Coffee Shop is a low pressure outingit’s a way to get know someone better and have meaningful conversation. And that’s exactly what your blog should be. Your blog is (or should be) a Coffee Shop. It should be a low pressure way for someone to get to know you, your interests, or passions better. It’s not your Office. Other parts of your site or perhaps a different site all together should be considered the place where people can learn more about your business.

If you are using your blog for business purposes, I’d encourage you to begin to think about it in these terms. Utilize your blog to allow potential customers to get to know more about your company and its business. Allow your blog to be a Coffee Shop, a place where potential customers are dialoguing with you. If they like what they hear, they can swing by the Office (i.e., your website). But don’t try to pitch them over a Caramel Macchiatothat’s just bad manners.

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Ken Yarmosh is a consultant who helps organizations get the most out of their technology investments. He works with technology users and creators across various industries, focusing on technology education and strategy. With over 7 years IT experience, Ken has worked with small businesses, non-profits, federal agencies, and multi-million dollar companies.

His online efforts include acting as the Editor for the Corante Technology Hub and authoring the TECHNOSIGHT blog.

Internet marketing guru Andy Beal jokingly hinted that Google would respond with a Krispy Kreme donut promotion. Too bad, since Krispy Kreme is doing its neat-looking football donuts this month.

As an AP report suggested, Yahoo may be feeling some brand erosion when it comes to search. Google has become so synonymous with online searching that Merriam-Webster declared Google a transitive verb. Yahoo and other search engines substantially lag behind Google in US search market share.

Yahoo will advertise on TV and radio, and place ads in movie theaters to let people know about changes the company has made to its home page, email service, and Yahoo! Answers. The latter service has become enormously popular and Yahoo has been aggressively driving more traffic to it.

The search advertising market has swung heavily in Google’s favor. While Google has enjoyed multi-billion dollar revenues and a high-flying stock price, Yahoo’s stock price has not been performing robustly. Trailing in paid search has not helped matters:

Yahoo noted in a statement how their campaign would take a tongue-in-cheek look at life with and without the company in users’ lives. The new ads examine life’s pitfalls, from dealing with the school bully to weeds in the garden. Each spot exaggerates a bad scenario with a character who doesn’t use Yahoo!, and then humorously plays out the same scenario again to show how good life is with Yahoo!

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David Utter is a staff writer for WebProNews covering technology and business.

Malcom Gladwell is delivering the keynote on Tuesday morning. I hope to arrive in time for that.

The session grid has some interesting stuff on it. I’ll try to avoid getting too sucked into my email backlog so that I can enjoy the conference.

On Wednesday morning, I’ll be on a panel called Morning Coffee Session with The Super Bloggers Of Search with Robert Scoble and Matt Cutts. I’m not sure why the three of us (all probably still on Pacific Time) seem to be ending up doing the early morning session like this, but I’ll do my best to remain somewhat coherent.

Leave a comment here if you’re going to be at the conference. I’m always looking to meet folks who drop by my blog once in a while.

I’ll be wearing my “I’m Not Matt Cutts” t-shirt.

If I can’t sleep on the plane ride out, I’ll try to write a report of my flights to ferry the Citabria from Texas the California. We made it–most of the way.

Oh, I almost forgot. Drop by and see the YPN folks too.

Jeremy Zawodny is the author of the popular Jeremy Zawodny’s blog. Jeremy is part of the Yahoo search team and frequently posts in the Yahoo! Search blog as well.

Visit Jeremy’s blog: Jeremy Zawodny’s blog.