Whirlpool's smart oven talks to Nest
Whirlpool has created a connected smart oven that works with Nest as part of the company's Smart Kitchen Suite.
Whirlpool's connected oven doesn't have as many bells and whistles as the other appliances in the brand introduced this week at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas: a connected refrigerator with a party mode and filter-change notifications and a dishwasher that works with Amazon Dash. But the Whirlpool Smart Front Control Range will give users more control over their oven and a little enhanced safety.
The $2,000 Smart Front Control Range will be available in gas and electric when it hits stores in late 2016. The appliance connects to an app that lets users preheat, start, pause, stop and adjust the ovens temperature and cook time. You'll also get notifications when the oven's finished preheating or when your cool time is complete.
A cool safety feature is the oven's ability to work with Nest. The Whirlpool app will send you an alert if your oven is on, but your Nest thermostat is set to away, the setting you use when you're not home.
I'm excited to see Whirlpool join the smart oven fray. Brands such as GE, LG and Jenn-Air have all tried adding connectivity to their ovens with mixed results. And the Nest compatibility adds an additional layer of usefulness that is a step in the right direction of connecting the kitchen to the rest of the smart home.
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