Tomorrow's Smart Phone Has It All Over Yesterday's ToastTek Smart Toaster

Larry Magid: Soon you can use your cellphone to cook a turkey or dry your clothes. (San Jose Mercury News, 1/16/2012)

Excerpt:   As I walked around the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas last week, I was struck by how the mobile phone is taking over as the hub of our physical lives. 

Nowhere was that more obvious than at LG's booth, where they were pushing home appliances, including refrigerators, washing machines and even a robot that lets you use a cellphone as a command and control center. It was also obvious at the Belkin and Schlage booths, where they showed products that let you use a cellphone to lock or unlock your front door from anywhere on the planet. Craftsman, meanwhile, showed a garage-door opener that sends you a message if you forget to close it. There are also companies that allow you to use a smartphone as a TV remote control.

 

Reminds me of a funny op-ed piece in the New York Times, June 13, 2000. "Lightly Buttered, with Angst".

Excerpt:   By interfacing with your refrigerator, SmartToaster knows when you are running low on bread. It will e-mail the nearest grocery store and order a fresh loaf. When the bread arrives, SmartToaster will electronically sign for the delivery. SmartToaster makes toast before you even realize you want toast. And if you decide you don't want toast after all, SmartToaster will eat the toast for you.