Appliance Design - March 2009 - (Page 6)

NEwS watch t CES: attENDaNcE LIGht, PRODUctS BRIGht For instance, a prototype coffee maker was shown that can access coffee related information from the Internet such as the best grind for a particular coffee. Or, a photo frame can display downloaded images or images off the Web. The devices use Microsoft Windows and the Fugoo hardware platform, which is a snap in module that contains an x86-based processor and Wi-Fi connection capabilities. Samsung, in conjunction with Coca Cola and the consulting firm Sapient, displayed a smart-vending machine that is network and Wi-Fi enabled. It has a large touch-screen display that allows consumers to buy soda with the touch of a finger. Visitors could touch the display to spin a virtual Coca Cola bottle to read the label on its back. It can display video advertising and allows for interactive games. Later this year, these touch-screen vending machines will be installed at about 20 shopping malls in the Southeast. Integrating the Internet into television was another trend at the show. Yahoo! Connected TV featured a “widget dock” that adapts to displays from Samsung, and soon will work with Sony, LG Electronics, and Vizio. In terms of appliances, Samsung displayed a French Door Refrigerator that features a 7-in. LCD touch screen. At this point, it does not offer Internet or Wi-Fi capability, but through the LCD touch screen, consumers can access calendars, schedules, nutrition facts, unit conversions, and display photos. Looking to draw in consumers with new will use the infrastructure developed by the Electronics Manufacturers Recycling Management Company (MRM), a joint venture between Panasonic, Sharp Electronics, and Toshiba that was established to manage collection and recycling programs for electronics manufacturers in the U.S. Panasonic and Toshiba products will also be accepted at these locations. he struggling economy resulted in lower attendance at the 42nd annual Consumer Electronics Show, but the 110,000 people who did attend were able to view an estimated 20,000 new products from 2,700 exhibitors, including 300 new exhibiting companies. Despite the drop in attendance from 140,000 a year ago, CEA President and CEO Gary Shapiro said the amount of new products is a cause for optimism about the economy. Innovation, he said, is the key to kick starting the economy. While the innovations at the show have been described as evolutionary rather than revolutionary, there were several continuing trends at the show such as Internet-enabled devices, environmentally friendly electronic goods, products that enhance a consumers viewing experience, and power that can be wirelessly transferred. (See Story page 12). Internet-enabled products ranged from digital cameras to refrigerators to coffee makers, and that trend seems to be one that will continue. Howard Springer, chairman and CEO of Sony Electronics, declared that by 2011, at least 90 percent of Sony’s products would connect to the Internet. At the show, Japan-based Sony showed off a range of digital cameras and MP3 players with built-in Web access. Microsoft teamed up with Fugoo, a new startup, to bring a new generation of digital Internet devices, which they call neo-diginet, to the market. These devices are designed to perform specific functions. Prototype coffee maker from Fugoo and Microsoft. technology, TV manufacturers including Samsung Electronics, Sony, LG Electronics and Panasonic, showed off 3D televisions. LG Electronics introduced a Dick Tracylike watch/phone, the Touch Watch Phone with 3G Video Telephony service and GSM Quadband Network capabilities. Environmentally friendly products include the G series of monitors from Dell with power saving features and constructed without chemicals such as polyvinyl chloride or brominated flame retardents. Motorola introduced the MOTO W233 Renew, which it called the world’s first mobile phone made using plastics comprised of recycled water bottles. Sony displayed an LCD display that senses a person’s presence and turns it off when no one is in the room. The 2010 Consumer Electronics Show is scheduled for Jan. 7-10 in Las Vegas, Nev. < REDUcE cONSUMPtION. ShaRP REcYcLING. Sharp Electronics has established a nationwide electronics recycling program. The company, the U.S. subsidiary of Japan’s Sharp Corp., has expanded its current recycling program to 280 sites nationwide, including at least one location in all 50 states, and plans hundreds of additional sites over the next three years. It Energy efficiency programs in the United States could reduce the rate of growth for electricity consumption by 22 percent over the next two decades if key barriers can be addressed, according to the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). By 2030, the potential energy savings would be 236 billion kwH, which the EPRI says 6 applianceDESIGN March 2009 www.applianceDESIGN.com http://www.appliancedesign.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Appliance Design - March 2009

Appliance Design - March 2009 Contents Editorial Shipments/Forecasts News Watch Transmitting Power Wirelessly Promises to Reduce the Ever-Growing Tangle of Cords and Cables Found in the Modern Home. There Are Different Technological Approaches for Achieving this Goal, and Some Are Already on the Market. Electrochemical Capacitors Can Provide an Extra Peak-Power Boost in Battery-Operated Appliances, Allowing Product Designs to Have Smaller Battery Packs. Metallic Foams Put the Properties of Metals into Lightweight Packages. Applications for this Emerging Technology Include Gas Burners, Heat Exchangers, and Electronics Housings. Hall-Effect Switches Are Compact and Provide a High Degree of Reliability and Durability as They Virtually Eliminate Mechanical Wear, Shock, and Contact Oxidation. Blowing Agents for Polyurethane Foam Insulation Face Increased Scrutiny Due to Global Warming Concerns, but Alternatives with Lower GWP Values May Provide Solutions to Meet These Challenges. Design Marts Association Report: AHAM Advertisers' Index

Appliance Design - March 2009

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