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internet fridges
This page considers the internet refrigerator.
It
covers -
introduction
The 'internet fridge' – a device that both stores
your food and serves as an online multimedia centre –
offers an anchor for considering questions about usability,
markets, the shaping of technology and media hype.
It is at once a manifestation of technological determinism
("we can build it = they will want it = they will
buy it = they will use it") and an embodiment of
a range of values that include
- an
emphasis on newness and progress (the fridge as "white-hot
edge of technology"),
- conspicuous
consumption (a trophy item to be showcased alongside
the Aga and the Alessi juicer)
-
insecurities (antiseptically clean, stocked with healthy
food, that hasn't reached a use-by date) and
- reassurance
(saving money for the owner, a gathering place for family,
allowing children to watch educational tv or email their
homework while munching on delicious free-range vegies).
LG
Electronics promo
in 2002 for example burbled that
Combining
the family's refrigeration, communication and information
needs in one unit, the LG Internet Fridge reinforces
the kitchen's place as the heart of the home. ... you
can watch TV, surf and download from the internet, send
and receive emails and listen to music on the radio
or the built-in MP3 player.
It's bad news for fridge magnets - notes, reminders
and text messages can now be exchanged onscreen. There
will also be no more excuses for missed diary dates
and appointments, as the electronic calendar will remind
you of birthdays, anniversaries and important appointments.
Its built in digital camera can take quick snap-shots
that can be displayed on the screen and emailed to family
and friends.
The fridge keeps track of food stored and can also provide
nutritional information to help achieve a balanced and
healthy diet. For those who find cooking daunting, the
fridge provides recipes and step-by-step cooking information
for a whole host of dishes. It shows when stocks are
running low to remind you to go online and re-order
and tells you how long food or drink has been stored.
While waiting for the kettle to boil you can flick on
the TV or radio, catch up on some internet banking or
email a friend a quick note and the latest family photograph.
In reality, despite forecasts from enthusiasts such as
Nicholas Negroponte, the internet fridge has been more
photographed and written about than purchased …
and more purchased than fully used.
Other household devices such the internet toaster (burning
the day's weather-map or temperature or merely a cloud
symbol onto your breakfast toast) haven't got out
of academic laboratories and hobbyist workshops or moved
beyond curiosity status (eg the Japanese online toilet)
into adoption by global markets.
features
What does the fridge look like?
Typically it is an enhanced version of the standard plastic
& metal box, with an inbuilt modem, a personal computer
and a monitor.
We
are not aware of net fridges with a wireless connection
but wifi/wimax connectivity is conceivable. Some models
have a USB port inconveniently located at the back of
the device.
Some feature a digital video camera, touted as a mechanism
for sending happy snaps while the family eats its breakfast.
Some can be used as television monitors through a network
to a VCR, cable, satellite or a DVD player. Some accommodate
a barcode reader or - in principle - an RFID
reader.
Most apparently do not feature CD or DVD players and speakers,
so the consumer would need to network or buy extra equipment
for "the full multimedia experience".
The internet fridge does not feature a keyboard and its
proponents have exercised admirable restraint in not hyping
voice recognition. Information thus has to be entered
using a touch screen feature on the monitor. As we note
below, the clumsiness of touch screen entry and positioning
of the monitor - not adjustable - has inhibited regular
use by those people who have been lent a fridge.
cost
How much would it cost to acquire and maintain?
The absence of a real market means that figures are problematical,
with the likelihood that prices would decline through
economies of scale if there was significant consumer adoption.
That appears unlikely at the moment, with Electrolux for
example foreshadowing that its Screenfridge would cost
around US$2,500 (with a monthly service fee of US$100)
and some competitors pricing their devices at upwards
of US$11,000.
functions
What was the fridge supposed to do, apart from serving
as an example of conspicuous consumption?
We can get some sense of expectations by considering marketing
hype.
One enthusiast claimed that
With
the Internet fridge you can download recipes and organize
them in a digital cookbook. You can find food and nutrition
tips and share them with friends. You can also use the
fridge to order your groceries on-line through an Internet
grocery delivery service.
And the fridge can keep track of the groceries you bought.
When you enter each food item into the computer, it
creates an inventory list including leftovers and expiration
dates. You'll never end up with tinfoil "mystery"
meals in your freezer. In the future, the fridge will
be equipped with a bar code reader, so you can scan
in the food items.
In
practice few people appear to have the time or need to
use the fridge for an electronic inventory.
It is claimed that
While
you're cooking up that gourmet meal, the Internet fridge
can be a great source of music. Tune into Internet radio
stations or download music videos when you need a little
entertainment in the kitchen. And don't forget, the
15-inch digital monitor can always be used as a TV.
...
The fridge's computer is also a PDA (personal digital
assistant). It can help manage your time by keeping
everyone informed and up-to-date with the family schedule.
Family members can check the fridge at home, or check
from any computer that's hooked up to the Internet.
And you no longer have to rely on sticky notes! You
can leave video messages for friends and family and
they can check them from anywhere.
That
vision elides the difficulty of transferring information
from individual PDAs to a family device. Perhaps more
importantly, it underestimates the likelihood of the fridge
being hacked.
Some inventory control systems involve the users waving
a bardcode reader over the yoghurt en-route to the table.
Others assume that all consumables will have a wireless
IP address (the crunch when you ate that free range lettuce
was a RFID chip, not a snail).
Fridges equipped with digital video cameras supposedly
mean that
you
can also take pictures of things like children's artwork
or party guests and have the computer scroll through
the images in your photo album. And because the fridge
is connected to the Internet, you can e-mail those pictures
and video messages to computers outside the home.
Advocates
for the Telstra Internet Fridge claimed that
as
well as looking impressive, the fridge's applications
provide a significant enhancement to the most basic
of kitchen routines. For instance, instead of leaving
messages to other household members by sticking them
on the fridge with a magnet, messages can be emailed
directly to the Internet Fridge's display from any email
account or WAP phone. Similarly, children's artwork
can be emailed straight to the fridge door and the latest
take-away menus and advertising offers can appear on
the fridge and then disappear when out-of-date ...
That
magical appearance and disappearance presumably wouldn't
be accompanied by spam or viruses. The latter is concern
given raptures that
the
most powerful aspect of the Internet Fridge is its integration
with other household appliances. Any of the lights in
your home can be turned on or off from an icon on the
display panel, while the air-conditioning, spa and alarm
system can all be controlled without leaving the kitchen.
next page (other
appliances)
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