The fridge has always been such a plain, functional object – whether it’s a basic under-counter chiller or an overblown American side-by-side, apart from pulling the occasion trick of pumping out ice cubes or keeping a lettuce crisper for longer than deemed humanly natural, the bottom line with the fridge is that it just keeps stuff cold. And for a long time most people have been happy with an appliance that does nothing more that realise its raison d’être; until now.
This is the T9000 – not the latest relentless robotic killer from Cyberdyne Systems, but an Android powered ice-box from Samsung, designed to revolutionise the world of food management using apps. Featuring a 10-inch tablet in the door, the ‘smart fridge’ can be used to access recipes, manage expiration dates of the food inside and create shopping lists which, we presume, will eventually work in conjunction with supermarket sites to make the weekly shop a simple matter of checking and submitting a list over the magic of the internet.
Add to this Evernote and countless calendar apps, plus the likes of the news, weather, YouTube and iPlayer and suddenly your kitchen is the cornerstone of your domestic domain.
“The fridge, because it’s the hub of the family and the kitchen, is now another access point without having to drag around your tablet or have your phone with you in the vicinity of where you’re cooking or entertaining,” said Warner Doell, a VP in the home appliance division at Samsung Canada.
Available worldwide this spring for a suggested retail price of US $3999, is the world ready for Android ice-makers, or does the idea leave you cold? Your esteemed thoughts below, please!
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…and while you’re at it, allow me to set/reset my house alarm, control the thermostat on the fridge and house and water heater, turn lights on and off and set timers on the lights, start my car, run energy usage diagnostics on the while house, leave a note for my wife…
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Hogwash. Who wants to stands at the fridge any longer than it takes to get something in or out? Or to have to keep going back and forth from the counter to the fridge to check a recipe while in the middle of preparing a dish? Now, make the fridge a dock station for the device so I can set it on the counter or sit down at the table and use it… I’d be mildly more interested. Meh. Add a bar code reader to make it easier to put together a grocery list, now you moving in the right direction for the $4K price tag. Make it instantly synch the list over the cloud with mine and my wife’s Droid phones, and tell us which stores nearby are having sales on those items, AND suggest recipes and meal plans based on what we have in stock and what we have on the list and our dietary preferences and our current weight goals, now you’re really talking. Until then… Big deal.
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Hogwash? Is that what Tesco recommend you rinse their frozen horse burgers under before cooking?
We agree – and these seem to be the direction it’s going in. The chap from Samsung made reference to the future of home automation apps and scanning, synching and recommendations just as you said, so this is but a starter for rich types before the main course. God alone knows what we’re having for pudding, but I hear the cheese board is something to behold!
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Interesting but excessive price. Over 12 times normal fridge & 4-5 timed too of range fridge – least in terms of South African prices.
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