Electrolux is moving its camera-equipped smart oven from prototype status to full-on production model. Slated to arrive later this year, the nifty appliance has a few other tricks up its sleeve that could turn anyone into a culinary genius (ok, maybe that's stretching it a bit far).
First showcased at the IFA trade show last September, the oven in question features a camera that streams a live feed of the cooking chamber to your mobile device so you can keep an eye on dinner while it's being cooked. The appliance also allows for remote adjustments of temperature and cook time.
It seems like everything these days is marketed around sharing on social networks; Electrolux's new oven is no different. Buyers will also receive an app that'll link them to a community in which they can share kitchen tips, recipes and the like.
Electrolux COO Jan Brockmann believes 2015 may finally be the year that smart appliances really take off. Current penetration of connected appliances sits at just one percent but within the next five years, Brockmann believes that figure will climb to 10 percent.
While Electrolux isn't a household name in the US, the company is the largest appliance maker in Europe.
This isn't Electrolux's first attempt at connected appliances. It worked with network specialist Ericsson AB to create "connected" devices like refrigerators with TV screens in the 1990s. As you can imagine, the timing was way off with that effort and it was canned after just a couple of years.