Whirlpool kicked off the International Builders’ Show in Orlando, Fla., this morning with a press breakfast that featured a refrigerator that makes it easy for homeowners to swap out digital features as they see fit.
Audrey Reed-Granger, Whirlpool’s director of marketing and public relations, said the idea is for homeowners to remove the clutter of photos, calendars, personal reminders, and shopping lists that fill most kitchens.
The unit is called the Whirlpool Gold with the centralpark Connection, a platform for running digital devices. The refrigerator’s list price is $1,999 for the base product and then homeowners can add on digital features.
Instead of posting photos on the refrigerator or around the kitchen, homeowners can use the Ceiva digital photo frame, a device that lets homeowners wirelessly upload family photos on the refrigerator. Reed-Granger said the Ceiva costs $249 at Best Buy and is available today.
Other features that will be available this fall are a Web Tablet that will let homeowners make up a grocery list and then send it to their cell phone for use at the store, and the GrandMotion iPod docking station, which lets homeowners play their iPods.
Whirlpool will also offer the Qnote later this year, a low-tech solution that offers homeowners a way to organize grocery lists and personal notes.
Except for the Ceiva, list prices are not yet available for the other add-ons.
