Article: What's Online

LITERALLY VIRTUAL SHOPPING: In a multilayered bit of bad grammar, a young woman in a television commercial tells viewers, "So I go on vehix.com and you can literally take a test drive."

Neither she nor you, of course, can drive a car at vehix.com. Not literally, anyway. Vehix is one of many websites that purport to replicate real-world experiences online. The latest site to do so, StarbucksCoffeeAtHome.com, claims to help coffee drinkers figure out what they'd enjoy most. It is, according to AdAge.com, a "kind of virtual barista who helps demystify the chain's myriad blends."

How can a website do this without allowing consumers to taste or smell the coffee? It takes users through a series of ...

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