LG's see-through fridge army grows at IFA
No, that's not a tablet. Knock on this fridge door to turn it transparent.
The Door-in-door with Instaview -- tap the glass and see what's inside.
LG's expanding its Instaview line of fridges once again. After debuting it on the LG Signature Refrigerator at CES, the Korean company introduced the feature on standard four- and three-door French door refrigerators. Now, at the IFA trade show here in Berlin, LG's showing off side-by-side refrigerators with the Instaview feature.
When it was first introduced at CES, I thought the panel built in to the LG Signature Refrigerator was a tablet a la the Samsung Family Hub fridge. Instead, for better or worse, LG took a simpler approach. The panel built into the door didn't double as a touchscreen display -- it turned translucent when you knocked on it, so you could see the contents of your fridge without opening the door and wasting the cold air.
Hopefully, since side-by-side refrigerators tend to cost less than their French door cousins, these newest Instaview fridges will make the feature more accessible. The French door variety costs upwards of $4,000 in the US. We'll update this piece as soon as we hear more about pricing and availability.
At IFA, LG's touting the Wi-Fi Eclipse Display built into the Instaview panel -- it shows the fridge and freezer temperature while giving you control options. The new side-by-side model is on display next to the previously announced dual door-in-door fridges with pocket handles and hidden access buttons.
LG didn't generate the same buzz with the Instaview that Samsung did with the Family Hub, but with a more robust lineup and hopefully more manageable prices, it could get its creative new features into people's homes faster.