7 Appliances that Tweet or Text

Back in May of 2010 there was a stat going around the internet that said 300,000 new people sign up for Twitter every single day. There are a lot of people in this world but at 300,000 people a clip it was only a matter of time before we ran out of humans to subject to Twitter. So why not toss our computers to the Twitter gods as well, after all computers should get along with each other. A growing trend today is to take normal appliances that we use every day and make it so they too can tweet and text daily. Let me give you an example of seven appliances that can Tweet or text.

Smart FDR
At CES 2011 Samsung showed off the Smart FDR (French Door Refrigerator). Normally when I go into a kitchen I'm impressed if the refrigerator even has an ice dispenser on the front door (and if it has a crushed ice option then I may never leave the kitchen). The Smart FDR takes it all to a new level. The Smart FDR has wi-fi connectivity and a screen on the front door that will allow you to do all sorts of things on the internet. Do you want play a little music while you cook? Fire up your Pandora account. Need to remember something. Put a memo on the screen. Forgot that last ingredient in the recipe that is being prepared for dinner? Epicurious is at your fingertips.

Of course, these are all practical things that the Smart FDR does, which means none of those features will be used. The Twitter function is sure to be popular though. If you notice that one of your friends Twitter accounts says nothing but "need more milk" or "found moldy cheese" or "who drank the beer?" then they probably bought a Smart FDR. The Smart FDR does have a lot of cool options. Although the description doesn't actually say if it keeps food cold or not.

LG's Smart Washer & Dryer, Oven, Refrigerator, Vacuum
LG has a series of smart appliances so that you can have a "connected home". Technically the LG appliances don't Tweet but they do send text messages. In one demonstration of the LG Washer & Dryer it shows that after a load of clothes has been inserted into the drying machine the dryer will send a text to your phone when the load is complete. The user can then send a message back to the dryer to tell it to tumble the clothes. We'll have to see more of these appliances. I'm not impressed if all it does is text the user when it is done.

Sure, getting a message when the washer or dryer is done is neat but ultimately I don't see how this is helpful with a washer & dryer or oven. The user will still have to get up in order to insert items and retrieve items. I am intrigued with the vacuum though. The only function of a vacuum is to actually vacuum the floor so unless it moves by itself I don't understand what a smart vacuum would even do.

Withings Body Scale
The Withings Body Scale is my favorite tweeting appliance so far. It's a scale that can be used to weigh yourself in the mornings. If the user chooses the weight that is recorded can automatically be sent as a tweet. One day Twitter will announce that you weigh 180 pounds. A week later Twitter will be telling people that you weigh 200 pounds. Suddenly all Twitter followers will be telling you when you sit around the house you sit around the house. Now you have extra motivation for losing weight.

Twittering Toaster
The twittering toaster is not an appliance that can be bought but is just an appliance that was created as a joke by Hans Scharler. Scharler used his normal toaster and figured out how to rig it so that it will tweet its actions. Scharler's toaster can be followed @mytoaster. It only says two things everyday. "Toasting" and "Done Toasting" and yet it has 419 followers. That is 200 followers more than me. This is embarassing. I just hope the Twitter toaster doesn't have more friends than me on Facebook.