Elliott
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Once again in the Central Hall of CES 2011, Korean electronics giant LG had a massive display booth, welcoming guests with models dishing out passive 3D glasses to passerbys as if you were walking into the world's largest Cineplex theatre. Except this space featured bright lit 3DTVs and a variety of LG's latest innovations, including a considerable amount of floorspace dedicated to appliances.
Much like fellow blogger and friend, Graham Williams, I too get excited over new innovations kitchen appliances. For those that know me really well, they'll recall my rants and raves of my kitchen reno completed two years ago in my downtown Toronto condo where I gutted it with a friend, then had another licensed contractor friend do the reno. The reno included me checking out truckloads of appliances at all price ranges - I settled with "non-renters" appliances in Kitchen Aid, Panasonic and Whirlpool Gold as my choices.
See, you can get me going on appliances.
Bringing it back to Las Vegas and LG's dedication to showcasing the latest upgrades to their major appliances...
InfraGrill technology
LG introduced a new broiling system for their dual-oven called InfraGrill technology. InfraGrill allows consumers to broil temperature faster, cutting cooking times by 30 per cent. It also cuts down on energy use by up to 23 per cent, so a win-win there.
The InfraGrill technology was showcased on a new LG electric double oven (model LDE3017ST, will be available for gas too) with the industry's highest upper oven at six inches. This is convenient as this allows consumers to bake or broil the main course or tall items without having to preheat the larger lower oven. You can also cook the main and bake the sides or chocolate chip cookies without using the same oven space. Sweet.
Linear compression fridge technology
LG has redesigned their refrigerator's compressor, the element that keeps the fridge cold and uses the most energy. Refrigerator compressors usually run at full capacity or turn off completely. LG refrigerators now can vary output depending on need, saving between eight and 17 per cent energy compared to prior models.
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Looking ahead, LG had elaborate displays of what's coming down the road in "smart" appliances and that category is emerging. We have a taste of it today with LG's Galaxy washer-dryer at Future Shop, where when you have an issue with the pair, you can use a wi-fi signal to send LG tech support the issue it's having before placing the phone call. This results in saving money of having a serviceperson make the initial trip to your home to diagnose what the problem(s) are.
Tomorrow's appliances will be even more impressive with features that allow consumers to download and upload recipes, grant access to social networking from them, provide notices of when supplies or food are low, or start/stop cycles by commands sent from a tablet, smart phone or computer. Amazing. The future of appliances is here.
