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Networked Refrigerated Microwave
shades6666 writes "BBC news is reporting that Tonight's Menu Intelligent Ovens has developed a refrigerated microwave that can be controlled over the net or by mobile phone. The prototype uses a Peltier cooling device.
It expects the appliances to be ready by the end of the year, costing around $2,000."
I think the idea here is that in the morning before you leave for work, you put your frozen dinner in the fridge-o-wave, and it keeps it cold. Then, when you're on your way home, you send the signal over the internet to start heating it up, so it's ready when you get home.
We don't have a state-run media we have a media-run state.
A Peltier junction that could effectively cool the space of an average microwave oven costs around $60 on the high side. Throw in adequate heatsinking and fans to the tune of another $20-30. An expensive microwave costs about $130. Embedded webserver and the associated hardware, maybe $300.
Does this device seem like an utter ripoff to anyone else? I understand "niche market" but come on... A top-of-the-line laptop costs LESS than two grand...
Of all the remote-controlled possibilities they had to choose from, this is what they picked?! Not remote control of the thermostat, or taping that TV program that you forgot to tape, or even feeding the cat... No, they're trying to appeal to that vast segment of the market who is willing to drop $2,000 so that they don't have to wait 5 or 10 minutes for their crappy microwaved entree when they get home! The people who can afford that kind of convenience can already call and tell the housekeeper to heat up the food.
Time saved using device 5 min /meal
Premium payed for device $1500
Probable lifetime of device 5 years
Times per week using device 2
Cost per heated meal = $1500/(5*52*2) ~= $3
Money per unit time saved $3/5 min = $60 / hour
Conclusion: device useful only for people with high hourly incomes, short on time, and frequent eaters of microwave food. Probably a small customer segment.
Tor
Rather a unit that could be preloaded with a roast or a lasagna or whatever and then remotely triggered via webphone or such would be much more useful, improve on my parent's 50 year old CookMaster with dual timers. I'd love to prep a main course the night before, or even a series of 'em over the weekend, put them into the combo unit in the am and start it all cooking 45 minutes or whatever before I expect to be home. Or if smoething comes up I just change my plans and not trigger the cook cycle, come home at midnight after a night out on the town to my meal still ready to be cooked the next day.
However as microwave ovens are usually used as quickie-cookers I don't see a 'net enabled one of them being a big hit; most of the long cooking action happens in a heat oven. Same with most other appliances there's not much advantage to remote operation. Blender, mixer, chopper, cooktop, toaster - I wanna be there for those to be on. The 'fridge & freezer? Well it'd be nice to get an alert if they suddenly start getting warm but beyond that who cares?
Inventory control? I could see some advantage to my pantry, 'fridge & freezer keeping track of what I have, hold old it is ("Time to replace the Paprika - it's just red dust now... The chicken needs to be used within 3 days, the milk is low, the lettuce on it's way out.") but really that's a local affair, no need to make it "Internet" just networkable. Indeed rather then entering all the information locally (never had any ambition to be a market clerk) I'd just as soon prefer my grocer email me a nicely formatted file every time I shop, dismiss with the long papertape version. That my kitchen app could use to make a good guess of what is going on in the larder and make suggestions, certainly a better investment then laser-scanners on every shelf and RF tags in the dairy goods.
I don't read ACs: If a post isn't worth so much as a nom de plume to its author then I wont bother either.
On the very first instance of network enabled appliances I have had exposure to, the humble VCR, the first thing it does is want to phone home to get permission to do anything.
I can only imagine having monthly bills arriving in my mailbox for every appliance I have.. washing machine, dryer, refrigerator, etc. And any attempt I make of divorcing them from the net would be considered criminal.
"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]
I was thinking the exact same thing... was about to post the idea until I saw your comment =)
I have wondered for some time why they haven't gone away from minutes on microwave oven directions to a numerical instruction similiar to the old VCR Plus codes, which would tell the microwave how to cook the food, and to which the microwave can apply it's own wattage into the formula.
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If every product were individually tagged so your kitchen and appliances always knew what was inside of them, then yes, internet appliances could be rather useful. Imagine if you could simply specify the foods you want to keep in stock, and your computer could automatically generate your grocery list. Or if you could get a pop-up window at 4pm that says, "That ground beef in the fridge is about to expire, you'd better make it tonight or freeze it." Or if your fridge beeped when you took bad milk out of it, so you didn't have to discover its rancid nature in the process of spitting it all over your friends and family.