Filed under: Household, Peripherals

Though Whirlpool managed to pick up a few new partners to make gizmos that played nice with its life-simplifying centralpark connection system back in January, there still aren’t many options out there to make good use of it. Thankfully, the outfit has just lassoed in Mobility Electronics, which is all set to reveal its iGo charging station for centralpark refrigerators; the unit will enable users to juice up cellphones, DAPs, laptops and pretty much any other rechargeable gadget out there from the comfort of their own kitchen. The forthcoming device will obviously be compatible with every last iGo tip, theoretically allowing you to recharge “over 2,700 different gadgets with the simple switch of a tip.” No word on pricing / availability, however.

[Via CNET, thanks Yossi]

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Filed under: Household, Peripherals

Though Whirlpool managed to pick up a few new partners to make gizmos that played nice with its life-simplifying centralpark connection system back in January, there still aren’t many options out there to make good use of it. Thankfully, the outfit has just lassoed in Mobility Electronics, which is all set to reveal its iGo charging station for centralpark refrigerators; the unit will enable users to juice up cellphones, DAPs, laptops and pretty much any other rechargeable gadget out there from the comfort of their own kitchen. The forthcoming device will obviously be compatible with every last iGo tip, theoretically allowing you to recharge “over 2,700 different gadgets with the simple switch of a tip.” No word on pricing / availability, however.

[Via CNET, thanks Yossi]

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Filed under: Household

This whole “turning waste into fuel” idea has certainly gained a lot of traction lately, and it seems that Whirlpool is next in line to show off a concept that could purportedly hack down your energy bill (and give Mother Earth some love, too). Simply hailed as the green kitchen, this futuristic area would reportedly enable “60-percent of the water and heat generated from [kitchen gizmos to be] diverted to fuel other appliances.” For instance, the heat created from the refrigerator compressor could be used to heat water for the dishwasher, and while it’s hard to say how accurate it is, word on the street pegs energy savings from using said concept at around 24-percent. The real question, however, is will it come equipped with an integrated LCD TV?

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Filed under: CES, Household

At this point it’s fairly safe to say the whole concept of technology-integrated refrigerators hasn’t really caught on, but certainly not because people aren’t willing to drop coin on a nice new cooler. Really, it’s got more to do with the fact that you simply can’t upgrade anything once you’ve dropped that first chunk of change. Unfortunately for GE, since it was introduced last year, Whirlpool’s centralpark hasn’t been much more effective at tackling that problem, despite offering up a common — but not ubiquitous or open — interface for fridge devices. But there is that single, revealingly-named Whirlpool GD5VVAXT to connect this year’s centralpark devices to, including:

• Ceiva digital photo frame - 8-inch display, media reader, $250, looks a bit familiar.
• Brandmotion iPod dock - Guess what it does! Price not yet announced.
• Clio Vu - Dock and display mount for your Clio NXT, running Oh yeah, you don’t have a Clio NXT, because pretty much no one does.
• Quartet Qnote Message Center - Simple, boring glass note taker with dry-erase markers.

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Filed under: Household

Today’s “Adventure in Laziness” is brought to you by Whirlpool, which has just — rather cleverly, we must admit — announced an upcoming refrigerator with built-in espresso maker, saving you several precious steps during your rushed morning routine. No longer will you flutter between fridge and coffee machine like a caffeine-addicted idiot; instead, your milk, creamers, and sweeteners are just inches away from a freshly-brewed cup. Coming in January of next year for what will likely be significantly more than your standard icebox, the “20RI D4 Espresso” bodes well for future fridge-tech, and makes us yearn for the day when our Whirlpool sends us off to work with a warm cup of joe and welcomes us home at night with a frosty, self-brewed lager.

[Via The Appliancist]

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