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
In summer, doing the laundry is as easy as dropping your clothes in the washing machine, waiting for the cycle to end, and sticking them out on the line. After just a short time in the sun, you have clean and dry clothes. What could be simpler? Well, I've got news for you: Winter is coming No, that's not an unnecessary Game of Thrones reference (well it is, but ... Read more
May 8th, 2012
Not Generation Y, apparently. A new national survey has found that almost half of Gen Yers would rather pass their delicate dirty laundry to dry cleaners than hand wash it themselves. The figure - established in Canstar Blue's latest washing machine survey - is four times that of baby boomers, who are more willing to use a bit of elbow grease. Nor does the expense incurred through dry cleaners bother ... Read more
May 7th, 2012
Front loaders and top loaders have been the latest appliances under consumer scrutiny as part of Canstar Blue's most satisfied customer survey. Electrolux cleaned up the competition for the most satisfied customers award for front loader washing machines in front of Samsung, LG, Bosch, Fisher & Paykel, Simpson and Whirlpool. The brands were pitched against each other in categories including value for money, ease of use, noise, design, ... Read more
May 3rd, 2012
Not all washing machines are created equal! If you’re in the market for a new washer, there are a number of reasons why Fisher & Paykel top-loaders are a cut above. Powered by Smart Drive™ technology These cluey machines can detect how much laundry you’ve put in and adjust the cycle to suit. Smart Drive™ washers calibrate every wash cycle to suit each load, getting your clothes astonishingly clean ... Read more
May 3rd, 2012
A new gadget called Twine can get appliances to text, tweet and e-mail you. For those with un-smart appliances, you know, the ordinary kind of oven that doesn't count the calories of the the food it's cooking, or the fridge which won't tell you when the milk is off, then Twine will bridge the gap from dumb to smart. Say it has been left on top of the ... Read more
April 26th, 2012
A genius marketer has been discovered touting the “magical and mysterious” properties of their clothes dryer. Available right now for sale on something called “Ebay”, this apparently innocuous Fisher & Paykel whitegood has a fairly amazing pedigree. Not only does it have the aforesaid magical powers, it has also doubled for Edward James Olmos on Battlestar Galactica and dated a prominent (albeit pint-sized) Australian game-show host. Fairly awesome qualities ... Read more
April 25th, 2012
A row over a washing machine and a dryer has put a North American woman in hospital after being stabbed in the back. The report in Longview's local rag said that the victim had visited a friend for "dinner and drinks" on Tuesday night. By 2am a fight broke out between the two middle aged women over ownership of the laundry appliances. It ended with one woman using ... Read more
March 23rd, 2012
In this fast-paced modern world where even the fridge is online, what is the point of steam? After all, the Age of Steam was way back in the 19th century, and today you'll only find useful steam-powered gadgets in the imaginations of steampunk artists, right? Wrong. While it is no longer commonly used to power devices such it was during the Industrial Revolution, steam still has an important place ... Read more
March 12th, 2012
The smart washing machine knows when to separate your whites from darks, but will it find the missing sock? There's the fridge that tells you when you're low on milk, the oven that counts calories for you, and now there's a washing machine that knows what type of material it's cleaning. NXP Semiconductors, headquartered in The Netherlands, has recently unveiled a Smart Washer that can read information about ... Read more