Whirlpool unveiled a suite of new appliances earlier this month at the International Builders Show in Atlanta, Ga. The Whirlpool Polara Refrigerated Range will be
available in white, black or biscuit for $1,799, and stainless steel for $1,899,
at retail stores nationwide in July. Its programming function allows refrigeration
of food in the range up to 24 hours before automatically beginning the cooking
phase. If the concept catches on, packaging of refrigerated and frozen entrees
may convert back from microwave-only to dual-ovenable, suggests the Meatingplace.com.

Another Whirlpool innovation is a portable Web Tablet, which serves as a central
control station for a matched suite of Internet-enabled home appliances including
a refrigerator, an oven, a dishwasher and a microwave. The information on the
Tablet can be accessed through any Internet-connected PC outside the home via
a broadband connection.

Moderator Comment: How will technology shape the lives
of consumers in the near future and beyond?

“Smart homes” are nothing new. Companies within the electronic
security distribution industry in the U.S. were looking to ally themselves with
larger new home construction companies to bring products such as this to market
back in the eighties. Some spoke of automated homes as being imminent. It was
not and we cannot help but wonder if the same still holds true today. [George
Anderson – Moderator
]

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