Samsung's smart home refrigerator Family Hub will receive an update this year that provides an overall "richer experience," according to the company, as well as more Bixby features and Family Board, an updated communal board that provides household members with a personalized experience. The updated offerings build upon the foundation Samsung set three years ago with the Family Hub's debut.
Instant Pot has announced Google Assistant support for its Instant Pot Smart WiFi pressure cooker. The model is a multi-feature cooking appliance that includes slow cooking and pressure cooking abilities. With this new support, users can control the device using voice commands and a Google Assistant devices, such as a Google Home smart speaker.
Though bread vending machines are a thing in some places, they still require some degree of human involvement. The Breadbot, a machine set to debut at CES 2019, is different: it is an autonomous gadget that functions as an all-in-one bakery. At first glance, Breadbot resembles an old train engine, but a second look reveals its container of bread loaves and baking contraption.
"Why are you talking to the microwave?" Being the spouse of an early-adopter has never been especially easy, but the arrival of the smart home - and voice-controlled systems like Amazon Alexa in particular - has certainly magnified the potential for confusion. How, then, to explain why the AmazonBasics Microwave powered by Alexa is really for your tech-tired partner's benefit, not yours?
A joint venture between Keurig and Anheuser-Busch called Drinkworks has launched a new pod machine that makes cocktails instead of coffee. The machine resembles existing Keurig K-cup coffeemakers, but utilizes special pods that nearly instantly produce mixed alcoholic beverages. The machine is a fun alternative to manually mixing drinks, but the resulting beverages aren't cheap.
Instant Pot saw massive success with its electric pressure cooker on Amazon, but now it's eyeing a different retailer: Walmart. The company has announced a new cooking blender product that it'll make available exclusively through the retailer, requiring brand fans to order one from the retailer's online shop. As with other cooking blenders, the Instant Pot Ace 60 can do more than just blend food.
Amazon plans to release a slew of devices with its personal assistant Alexa by the end of this year, at least according to a new report leaking the alleged plan. Amazon reportedly has a minimum of 8 Alexa-based hardware devices in the pipeline, all of them currently unannounced, that will potentially be available to purchase for the holidays.
Appliance brand Haier has taken the wraps off a new smart appliance called InstaSwitch, a freezer that can transform into a refrigerator when necessary. The company showcased its new offering at IFA 2018 this week, introducing a single-door freezer model with multiple divided storage compartments that can be individually controlled based on need.
Breakfast is often the meal that gets thrown out the windows in the name of productivity. And if it’s taken at all, it’s often in a rush. That’s a trend anywhere in the world that even Japan has a trope for rushing off to school or work with a toast hanging off one’s mouth. When it comes to rushing off, however, no one’s better than Sonic the Hedgehog. That’s why SEGA of America came up with the perfect device to remind you to take breakfast even when you’re in a hurry. Introducing the Sonic Toaster.
In early 2017, word surfaced that Samsung and LG were both looking into opening manufacturing facilities in the US over concerns about potential steep import taxes threatened by the Trump administration. Samsung eventually confirmed plans to open a facility in South Carolina, and more recently the Trump administration announced those feared steep tariffs against both imported solar panels and washing machines. Now price increases are coming.
Many homes contain only two people, making the typical dishwasher you find at appliance stores unnecessarily large. Rather than having a large dishwasher that takes up a bunch of space, Heatworks presents Tetra as a compact solution; it sits on a countertop and plugs into a regular wall outlet, no plumbing necessary. Tetra doesn't just wash dishes, though, also being adequate for sanitizing certain products and even cooking seafood.
Samsung wants to make everything smart and, in doing so, pull everyone into its ecosystem. From smartphones to smart TVs to smart refrigerators, Samsung is putting the Internet and, now, even artificial intelligence into previously “dumb” home appliances. At CES 2018, Samsung is showing off the next gen Family Hub that will now integrate one of Samsung’s most controversial new feature: the Bixby smart personal assistant. Fortunately, that’s not the only thing going for the smart refrigerator.