Smart appliances mai 11, 2006
Posted by Postmaster in Devices, Home of the Future, Kitchen of the Future.add a comment
Smart appliances (or Net/Web/information appliances) are machines which accomplish domestic tasks, such as cooking, food preservation or cleaning, and which are connected to the Web.
Although the LG Digital Fridge or the Electrolux Screenfridge were much talked about when they came on the market (2002-2003), they are not sold anymore. It seems that as yet consumers do not want Internet access or automatic stock management with their fridge, such as this column or that article suggest. On the other hand, the outcome of this real-world test of a connected kitchen solution was that half of the participants would “definitely consider” purchasing something like the proposed solution if cost was not an issue (reminder: the LG Digital Fridge was priced at around $ 8'000).
Although they are not successful so far, new smart appliances still appear on the market: the Samsung Smart Zipel, a fridge with a Tablet PC, TMIO's refrigerated oven controlled by Internet or phone, the connected Microwave, Coffee maker and bread maker by Salton, and so on. Under the label of "Feminity" and in Japan only, Toshiba commercializes a series of connected appliances which support recipe transfer and food management amongst other tasks (laundry, heating/cooling, lighting).
