At the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Samsung’s 3G-enabled uVending Machine caused quite a stir.

Unlike conventional dispensers, this prototype has a massive touchscreen. Not only does it spit out Coca-Cola and Sprite, the machine also carries handsets, music and videos. There’s embedded 3G connectivity which allows vendors to revise product prices without having to be there physically as well as receive alerts whenever the supply gets low.

Extending the concept of a connected life is the media player/tablet device that “talks” to the vending machine. What this means is you can “push” content from your handheld to the vending machine and make use of the huge display of the latter. For example, if you are a video online store, you can swipe your finger across the screen on your handheld in the direction of the vending machine.

The gesture essentially “sends” information such as the video description to the vending machine so it’s easier on your eyes if you’re reading chunks of text. How this is achieved is by infrared which is used to detect when a device is near the vending machine. The data is then transferred via Wi-Fi.

Of course, you’ll still have to pay for the goods, although it won’t be at the time of purchase. Instead, this will be charged to your monthly mobile phone bill.