The wizz-bang, high tech Whirlpool Internet fridge may be all charged up and ready to go to the US but its debut Down Under is still 18 months away, delayed by power discrepancies and incompatible hardware.
"Late in the first quarter of 2001, the Whirlpool Internet fridge will be launched to the consumer market in the States," Whirlpool Australia's manager of marketing and promotions, Stephen Hunter, told ZDNet.
However, the Australian requirement for a 240 volt Net fridge as opposed to the 110 volt US version, means different compressors and evaporators must be installed, which need to be rigorously tested, Hunter said.
There are 10 working prototypes of the fridge worldwide, one of which will arrive in Australia in January to be installed in the recently decked-out Internet home in Sydney's inner city suburb of Pyrmont.
There's an old saying "If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen" and this fridge will allow you to do just that. An Internet connected touchscreen Nokia tablet adorns the door. The wireless device can be carried around the home or out into the garden, allowing you to operate your kitchen appliances no matter where you are.
The next generation fridge will connect to other Internet-enabled appliances and will even be capable of downloading recipes.
Bar codes on goods inside the fridge will be automatically logged by the computer, which will re-order products when they run low through an online supermarket.
The fridge will also undergo a self-diagnosis for repairs.
"Imagine the convenience of being able to instruct your oven to start cooking dinner before you leave work and to monitor while it cooks," Whirlpool Australia and New Zealand MD, Mike O'Neill, said.
"The Internet fridge will even have the capacity to order day-to-day items such as milk and bread automatically before they run out."
Future features of the Internet fridge include a link to home security and home air conditioning systems.
"The physical size and location in the kitchen [of a fridge] positions it as the hub of the household," Hunter said. Therefore, it's logical that it becomes the key application for the operation of networked appliances within online homes, he added.
Pricing of the Whirlpool Internet fridge is yet to be determined.
If this is the future of technology God help us as they breed a bunch of lazy irresponsible incompetants incapable of shopping, cooking or leaving the house to arrange the basics of living.
WWhy not do away with people altogether.