May 16th, 2012
You'd be forgiven for assuming that a disgruntled housewife must have invented the dishwasher in the 1950's. And you'd be partly correct. It was in fact a man who patented the idea even a hundred years earlier but yes, it was because of a woman that the dishwasher as we know it came to fruition. Not because she was tired of doing the dirty dishes, Josephine Cochran was ... Read more
May 16th, 2012
You had better get their number sooner than later, because the cute barista at your favourite coffee shop could have a bit of smart competition on the way: a robotic coffee machine that takes orders by texts. Textpresso is a Jura espresso maker that has been adapted with a robotic arm and cloud-texting software to be able to receive a SMS and deliver a pre-programmed coffee. Since reporting ... Read more
May 15th, 2012
A number of customers affected by a faulty and potentially dangerous Dome 5 Fin Oil Heater have voiced their grievances on the Appliances Online Facebook page, where a link reporting the recall notice was posted earlier today. The heater was officially recalled on the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission's dedicated recall website on 10 May 2012, prompting one affected consumer to say: "WHY HAS IT TAKEN SO LONG TO RECALL? I ... Read more
May 15th, 2012
If the way into a person's heart is through their stomach then V-Zug is doing a swell job of enamouring Australians at this year's designEx in Sydney. Positioned squarely in the middle of the design show is a fully functional kitchen feeding bystanders with ridiculously delicious canapes: port infused figs wrapped in prawn and prosciutto, medium-rare scallops on filo pastries with home-made aioli, and that's just for starters. The premium Swiss appliance brand ... Read more
May 15th, 2012
A Dome branded oil heater has been recalled from Coles Supermarkets for potentially causing scalding and burns. According to the ACCC's Recall Notice, the heater is being recalled due to a potential safety hazard: units may rupture when turned on, allowing hot oil to spray out causing potential scalding and burns. The Dome 5 Fin Oil Heater (JY-1000XLb), which is supplied by HE Group, has been distributed nationally by Coles ... Read more
May 15th, 2012
Lux has been accused of 'unconscionably' pressuring elderly consumers to buy vacuum cleaners by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). Lux, who distributes vacuum cleaners predominantly through in-house demonstrations, is being prosecuted in the Federal Court. The watchdog has filed proceedings in the Court against Lux, alleging that between the two years from 2009 to 2011, the vacuum cleaner distributor contravened the Trade Practices act when it engaged in ... Read more
May 14th, 2012
Merrick and Rosso have opened up the so-far largely untapped goldmine of appliance-related comedy. Their "Almost Transformers" sketches for the Comedy Channel comes as something of a relief for us here at Appliances Online, who have been crying out for more of this unique strand of humour. The sketch features numerous "Whitegoods in Disguise", displaying their transformative powers amidst the general public. We note the line-up includes ... Read more
May 14th, 2012
At the Brisbane Design & Build show on Friday, Billi made sure that anyone who visited its stand left wondering how an ordinary old faucet could be so inspiring. SustainaBillity is a catchphrase Billi has put out there to make the market aware that energy savings extend to the kitchen sink. Sally Darling, an environmental sustainability consultant hired by Billi explains why and how their taps are Australia's ... Read more
May 10th, 2012
Appliances are so awesome it's no wonder that they should inspire gadgets. Even so, how much does one really enjoy ironing? Enough to be woken up by an iron every morning? Apparently, some people do love ironing that much. We're not sure if the alarm sounds anything like the steam-puff created in the act of ironing or the click of a thermostat reaching temperature, but this "creative" alarm ... Read more
May 10th, 2012
Following up on last week's post about a stay at home Dad's arsenal of appliances, this week we turn to the The Manly Housekeeper to see how he deals with tricky domestic duties. The Manly Housekeeper is a blog by Mark Evitt. As he puts it, "Man. Evolved." While his wife is at work as a lawyer, Evitt documents his escapades cooking, cleaning, gardening, and housekeeping. Not only is Evitt ... Read more