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LG's SMS-activated smart appliances are ready to wsh ur shrts
If you're rich and lonely, LG is now rolling out the SMS-controlled smart appliances it previewed earlier this year. You can send commands "much like chatting with a friend" to the Smart Refrigerator, Washing Machine and Lightwave Oven using the LINE messaging app and LG's WiFi-based HomeChat system. For example, text "what are you doing?" to the washing machine, and you'll get a real-time response on its progress (hopefully not "I'm flooding the basement"). The Smart Oven will provide recipe recommendations and set the temperature and cooking time for your chosen dish. Finally, the Smart Refrigerator's built-in wide-angle camera will track your food habits and generate shopping lists automatically, to name a few examples. They're now available in Korea, but will also arrive to the US and elsewhere soon. LG hasn't listed prices yet, but if you've never shopped for smart appliances before, brace yourself.
LG's HomeChat will let you command its latest smart appliances via SMS
LG really, really wants you to have a good chat with your washer/dryer and robotic vacuum cleaner. It just announced you'll soon be able to use the Line messaging app and a new service called HomeChat to give natural language commands to its 2014 Smart Appliance lineup. If you tell the system "I'm going on vacation," for instance, it'll put your refrigerator into power-savings mode and program the robotic vacuum cleaner. The app will also update you as to what's in the fridge, show a history of your robotic vacuum's cleaning trips and recommend recipes via the smart oven, to name a few other features. LG also announced NFC tagging and smart diagnoses for its upcoming smart appliance lineup, a scheme that'll help you avoid unnecessary repair visits, download new washing machine cycles and more. All of this will arrive in the flesh at CES 2014, but if you're interested, maybe avoid seeing Maximum Overdrive in the meantime.
