People seem to love colors touchscreen displays, which is why they are starting to pop up in the kitchen. Do you think that having a touchscreen on your oven or washer is really necessary? Sure, they can be fun to visualize data, but it seems like manufacturers are putting touchscreens everywhere.
Gregory reported from CES 2011 that touchscreens seemed to be here to stay on appliances. Most of the higher end appliances will have some kind of fancy display, to set themselves further apart from other appliances. However, while touchscreens are nice, we think that it would probably be smarter to ensure that these appliances are more energy efficient than before.
The perfect solution to these touchscreens would entail a few different things, including smartphone apps to utilize those proper touchscreens, as well as energy monitoring usage, which could be performed on a computer. If these are combined, they'll make nice-looking displays on appliances irrelevant.
The app phenomenon isn't new and we're sure that in 2011, we'll be seeing a few apps from appliance manufacturers for your computers, tablets, and smartphones. The fact of the matter remains that appliances screens are used so seldom that it doesn't make much sense having fancy displays and resolution. What would make more sense is smart appliances with built-in energy monitoring features, which can become part of a low-cost home automation system run from a desktop computer.
(Image via Gorenje)
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Comments (6)
My grandma got a new printer with apps in it so you can do things like print coloring pages and get mapquest print outs.
The problem with any of these is that it's more than just adding a screen, you also have to add some kind of processor. In the case of the $100 printer with a touch screen and apps, well . . . you can imagine how slow and bad it is.
I think I'm a fan of simple devices. My printer is meant to be controlled by a computer. Just let it stay that way. TVs with built in apps are nice I guess, but it just adds to the cost, and when it doesn't the results are usually less than desirable. Also, touch screens don't add any real functionality to our ovens, microwaves, and printers. Mostly they just make our old stuff look dated. Sometimes there's a good UI upgrade from it, but most of the time it's just wasteful.
Definitely no, especially as the only means of controlling the appliance. Dials and buttons have one big advantage over the touchscreen - after short practice they don`t need to be looked at while operating them (or checking the settings), plus they are much faster. Plus they don`t consume energy. Plus they less likely have bug-ridden software behind them. In my (biased) opinion, any attempt to make simple things more complicated than they really need to be, is another corporate attempt to drain our pockets.
touch screens are great...
until the screen dies or the software goes wonky.
It also depends on the use of touchscreens. I believe that a screen give some nice possibilities, like displaying what the setting you are currently heading for actually means... But it doesn't have to be tactile, even if it saves space, like for an iPhone/iPad when you don't really have a keyboard anymore.
I love my geeky gadgets, but I don't want my basic household appliances to get geeked out. Thing is, I like to get years and years of use (decades, even) out of my household appliances. Touchscreens just seem all too breaky. Not to mention unnecessary.
My husband bought a mini computer and mounted it in the kitchen so I would have somewhere to see my digitally stored recipes without putting the laptop on the dining room table and running in and out of the room.
But it's a touch screen and I hate it because I can't work it when I am cooking since my hands are either dirty, wet, or occupied. I don't think touch screens are really applicable for kitchen use. Wiping off a knob on the stove is one thing but cleaning an LCD seems like more trouble. Also I hate finger prints and streaks on touch screens.
In the meantime, I will have to learn how to deal with this new addition and stop being so afraid it will be destroyed. I would never buy anything else with a touchscreen for the kitchen.