Posted by Guest.Blogger
Thursday, 27 Oct 2011
Do you ever find yourself thinking about what the next major technological advancement will be? I certainly do. Recently, the iPhone 4 S, the iPad 2 and 3D TV have all been introduced into our lives (for better or worse...) and now it is the time for a radical change in the world of kitchen appliances! Now, you can control your appliances from outside the home using your smart phone.
LG; the global leader and technology innovator in home appliances, has been very busy developing its own range of innovative appliances. At the forefront of the line-up is LG’s innovative smart technology LG THINQ™.
It includes Smart Grid, Smart Diagnosis, Smart Access, Smart Adapt and Smart Manager features alongside its industry-leading core technologies. The full range of home appliances includes refrigerators, ovens, washing machines and robotic vacuum cleaners (due for release in the next few years). This could bring greater connectivity and allow owners to control their appliances from outside the home - reducing energy, water usage, customers’ time and energy.
Sounds great...but what does all this mean for YOU?
- Smart Access will enable remote access and control to your appliances via Smartphone or tablet PC so that you can always be connected to your appliances. Ever wish that you could turn on your washing machine from the office? or change the temperature of your fridge? No problem...Smart Access will let you do this! More impressively, the Smart Access feature will let you instruct your smart robot vacuum to tidy your home and monitor how the cleaning progresses remotely via your smart phone – saving time on chores.
The Smart Grid feature will ensure that your appliance uses the minimum amount of energy at the cheapest price without any input from you.
The Smart Diagnosis™ feature will allow information to be sent to service personnel when anything goes wrong, allowing them to quickly and efficiently troubleshoot mechanical issues with their expert knowledge. For you this will mean no more hassle or repeat visits from an engineer! This feature is available in most of LG’s laundry products and will be available in ALL our laundry products from 2012.
Through the Smart Adapt feature appliances will be able to update themselves, allowing you to grab quick updates for the appliances via Wi-Fi. The appliances will even be able to recommend cooking instructions and wash cycles tailored to your needs.
The Smart Manager feature will transform your appliance into a complete food management system letting you drag food icons on the fridge’s LCD display and use voice recognition to find out what’s in the fridge, where those items are located and when they go out-of-date.
The reaction
Although smart home appliances have been around for some time, I think that LG is successfully differentiating itself from the competition – it is clearly going further to offer more; especially in terms of information, convenience and connectivity for you. LG is continuing to respond to your changing needs - offering previously unimagined levels of convenience and energy efficiency and well-engineered, stylishly designed digital appliances, to enable you to enjoy smarter lifestyles.
However, as with any new product innovation, there are some concerns. From the feedback that I received on a food forum it is clear that some people will always be weary and a little scared of such new technology and as one reader expressed... Yes you will unfortunately still have to do your own cooking and laundry! (LG has not quite developed the technology to solve that problem yet...)
Verdict
Personally, I am very excited about the release of this exciting technology over the next few years. I think that these smart products will really improve consumers’ daily lives and be a real game-changer in the industry. I am particularly looking forward to seeing how LG’s competitors react to the introduction of these products and what the future holds for home appliances.
Anyway, enough from me...What do YOU think?
- Is LG’s product innovation in line with your hopes and expectations?
- Would you consider investing in this new product range?
- Do you think that this new range could actually improve your life?