Whirlpool brings Alexa to its next generation of appliances
“Alexa, is my refrigerator running?”
Alexa can already order a pizza and fire up your TV as you lazily bark commands at it, but appliances giant Whirlpool is about to put Amazon's personal assistant to work with some extra chores around the house. The two companies announced they've teamed up to connect Alexa with Whirlpool's next line of smart home appliances. The future where you can ask your fridge to set the temperature in the veggie drawer has finally arrived.
Amazon and Whirlpool already enjoy a cozy partnership with Amazon Dash's one-touch ordering, but the new Alexa skills add even more useful features to an integrated smart home. In the laundry room, Alexa will be able to tell you whether your washer or dryer is running and how much time is left on the cycle, plus a few other settings. In the kitchen, Alexa will let users set cooking modes and temperatures, check whether the oven is on, and set cooking timers using voice commands alone. Whirlpool's smart refrigerators will also be able to turn off the ice maker and "maximum cool" settings or check temperatures without having to crack open the fridge itself.
Whirlpool will be showing off the new integration in all of its new smart home appliances at this year's CES, but the Alexa skill is expected to roll out in "early 2017."
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