Usually, mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets dominate the annual Consumer Electronics Events.
But sometimes, major firms also unveil traditional appliances with a high-tech twist during this yearly happening.
One of these is the Family Hub refrigerator from Samsung. Coming from the South Korean tech giant and with a retail price of $5,000, you can be sure that this is no ordinary fridge. In fact, it packs various features that you can commonly find on current handset models, Fox News reported.
The fridge's door sports a 21.5-inch touch screen display with a resolution of 1080 pixels. One of the functions of this screen is similar to how traditional fridge magnets work. But, instead of pinning photos and notes with magnets, you can directly display digital pictures of your family or messages through the screen.
But, probably the main attraction of this display panel is how it takes pictures of the fridge's interiors every time its door closes. These images are then displayed on the screen to let you know the contents of your fridge without actually opening it.
If, however, you're too lazy to walk up to the fridge's screen to check if you're about to run out of milk, you can always remotely access its interior cameras through your smartphone. Through this feature, you'll be able to monitor your stocked items wherever you are. This features works on both Android and iOS platforms through a companion app.
Of course, once you see that you're about to run out of food or are missing a few ingredients for your dish, that means you need to go grocery shopping. But, it seems Samsung understands the hassles of leaving the house just to buy a few items which is why the company also released the Groceries by MasterCard app.
With this application, you can order groceries online through your smartphone and have them delivered to your home. It is not yet clear however, how long the delivery time will take.
Aside from these, Samsung also equipped the Tizen-powered fridge with a tracking technology that can monitor your eating habits based on the contents of the Family Hub.
As noted by CNET, despite the impressive features of the Family Hub, they're a bit over-the-top considering that it's a fridge. It's also a bit surprising that it costs almost the same as a second hand car. Even an executive from Samsung is feeling a bit unsure as to how the consumer market will react to this kitchen appliance.
"The role of the kitchen has evolved quite a bit from when the first generation of refrigerator was introduced," Yoon C. Lee, the vice president of Samsung's digital appliance business said. "We're excited and anxious and nervous about...what path this will go down.
