Someone New Wants to Chat With You: Your Refrigerator Customers in South Korea can now purchase LG's smart fridges, ovens and washing machines equipped with a social messaging system called HomeChat.
By Nina Zipkin •
Who among us hasn't shouted at an ornery inanimate object in the privacy of our home? Well, thanks to LG, now some of those objects might just talk back.
The South Korea-based electronics giant announced today they are rolling out a new line of smart refrigerators, ovens and washing machines that promise to make consumers lives even more interconnected.
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The products are the first to utilize the company's HomeChat service. Through social messaging app Line, a popular WhatsApp and Viber competitor with some 400 million users, LG customers can remotely operate and get information from their appliances when they aren't at home.
The company likens connecting with the smart appliances to "chatting with a close friend," and while you wouldn't necessarily go that far, the smart refrigerator does feature an internal camera (that takes pictures in case you forget your shopping list) and a "freshness tracker" that tells you when something is expired, while the smart oven can recommend new recipes.
Related: Get This: A Smart Toilet That Aims to Correct Poor Posture, and Even Detect Pregnancy and Disease
Depending on your perspective, the prospect of a totally outfitted home may seem cool or creepy, but it is a bit concerning nonetheless, especially when as recently as January, smart refrigerators were part of the cause of sizable hack attack. With more connection comes the necessity for increased security.
But the "Internet of Things" marches on -- the LG appliances are currently only available for purchase in Korea, with the company aiming to expand to other markets like the U.S. at a later date.
Related: 8 Ways the 'Internet of Things' Will Impact Your Everyday Life
