Whirlpool Announces 4 New Google Assistant Integrated Products at CES 2019

on January 16, 2019 at 6:11 pm

At CES 2019, Whirlpool and its sub-brands WLabs and KitchenAid announced four new products with Google Assistant integration: the KitchenAid Smart Display, KitchenAid Connected Range, WLabs Smart Countertop Oven, and the Whirlpool Smart All-in-One Washer & Dryer. KitchenAid is owned by the Whirlpool Corporation, and WLabs is “home to the innovation arm of Whirlpool Corporation,” committed to the development of innovative products.

KitchenAid Smart Display

KitchenAid

The KitchenAid Smart Display features general Google Assistant functionality like entertainment from music, podcasts, radio, YouTube, Hulu, HBO Now, step-by-step recipe instructions, shopping lists, and smart home control. It is being advertised as the central hub for home cooks to “expand upon their culinary creativity.”

Voice and visual meal planning, as well as guided cooking functionality, are offered by Yummly on the KitchenAid Smart Display. Yummly is a personalized food discovery app available for iOS, Android, and web browsers. It allows users to browse photographed, easy-to-follow recipes and is owned by Whirlpool. The Smart Display has a 10-inch display and is IPX5 rated for resistance to faucet water. There is no official word as to when the smart display will launch, but Android Police reports it will likely go on sale in the second half of 2019 for somewhere between $200 and $300.

KitchenAid Connected Commercial-Style Range

KitchenAid

The KitchenAid Connected Commercial-Style Range combines an oven and stove and is also said to eventually support Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa giving users the ability “to control the appliance remotely with simple commands, from another room of their home, if needed.” No word was given on specific queries users would eventually be able to give the range, however simple commands one can assume might be available are asking whether either the range or oven is still on, or what temperature/setting the oven/range is at. Perhaps users will also be able to control the oven and range settings with voice commands. The Connected Commercial-Style Range features burners, convection that allows for both baking and cooking, as well as KitchenAid App Connectivity. The KitchenAid app allows users to monitor and control the oven with a smartphone or tablet. The range is planned for release in 2019.

WLabs Smart Countertop Oven

The WLabs Smart Countertop Oven announcement made some hefty claims:

[The oven has] food identification technology [that] automatically recognizes the food type and temperature for select foods, and selects the appropriate cooking algorithm designed specifically for that food. The algorithm controls the time and temperature for perfectly cooked broccoli, chicken, pizza and more, regardless of whether it’s frozen or fresh.

WLabs

In addition to food identification technology, the Smart Countertop Oven features a touch-screen interface, a wooden cutting board, and both Google Assistant and Alexa integration. Live-look-in, cooking status notifications, a smart food thermometer, multi-functionality of 11 cooking modes, one-touch start, preheat times, and scan-to-cook technology are all included features too. The Smart Countertop Oven will be available for pre-order in a limited quantity at wlabsinnovations.com/smartoven, with an MSRP of $799.

Smart All-in-One Washer & Dryer

Whirlpool

The Whirlpool Smart All-in-One Washer & Dryer is a combination of a washer and a dryer, allowing for one load to be completely washed and dried in one machine. The unit is ventless, and Whirlpool says it will fit in a variety of places, “including under kitchen counter, closets, laundry rooms and bathrooms for those with limited space.” Features of the smart washer and dryer include automatic dispensing of detergent with Load & Go Bulk Dispensing, alert notifications through the Whirlpool mobile app, suggested cycle times to help users tailor their specific laundry load, and Alexa voice commands. Users can ask their Alexa-enabled device to start the washer and dryer, run the wrinkle shield option, ask if the washer/dryer is currently running, as well as ask for the time remaining on a cycle. The All-in-One Washer & Dryer is available for purchase now, at $1799.00.

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