By LAWRENCE TAN
Slovenian kitchen appliances maker Gorenje has signed a
license agreement with Apple that will incorporate the iPod’s technology in
future Gorenje appliances.
The first of these is the “Made for iPod” refrigerator,
which Gorenje unveiled at the IFA 2008 in Berlin. But lest you think it’s just
sticking an iPod dock and speakers on a glossy black fridge, this new
innovation does more than play music and charge your iPod.
Paired with a new application Gorenje developed, suitably
named iGorenje, that enables Internet connectivity via your home WiFi network.
This means you can download your favorite iTunes and movies into your iPod for
some entertainment or browse new recipes as you cook.
More significantly, the iGorenje will enable the wireless
remote control of household appliances via a home server on a single device
such as your PDA or iPhone. In addition to the fridge, Gorenje is currently
testing this application on an oven and washing machine, but is lining up other
electrical appliances to be added in future.
In the case of the oven, for example, iGorenje simplifies
the cooking procedures through a selection of preset programs displayed on an
easy-to-use graphical user interface.
All the user has to do is place the food in an oven, select
the type of food, approximate weight and recipe, press the ‘Start’ icon, and
the application does the rest. The same goes for the washing machine.
www.gorenjegroup.com