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Starbucks and Coinstar Inc. have teamed up to test an automated coffee machine under the Starbucks Seattle's Best Coffee label, according to a report by Merriman Curhan Ford, a financial services holding company that provides investment research, capital markets services, corporate and venture services. The report includes pictures of such a machine located near an Albertson's store in Bellevue, Wash.

Based on a picture included in this report, the automated kiosk is designed for an in-store application. It includes cups, stirrers and condiments which would be pilfered in a completely unattended environment.

The brewer accepts cash and credit and debit cards. There is a toll free phone number to Coinstar posted for technical problems.

To receive a copy of this report, email a request to vendingmarketwatch.com.

Editor's Insight: The report includes pictures of the kiosk, which consists of a push-button automated coffee brewer in a traditional kiosk that one might find at an airport, except this kiosk is fully automated.

Manual coffee kiosks are commonplace throughout the Pacific Northwest and have been expanding to other geographic regions. It was only a matter of time before automated kiosks emerge.

Coinstar certainly has the means to develop this system nationwide. Coinstar has already taken a lead in automated retailing through its partnership with redbox, the full automated DVD rental system. 12-17-07 by Elliot Maras