Is this not a bit overboard? (Non-car related)

"WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe" (wesbarton89)
02/12/2015 at 18:15 • Filed to: None

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This refrigerator comes with an 8" LCD touchscreen with phone, TV, and internet functionality. I mean really, have we come to a point so dependent on technology that we have to have a freakin' screen in our fridges? I mean, why? Not to mention, fridges are often in close proximity to sources of moisture, so that can't be good for the screen. I mean, I hope Samsung would plan for that, but still. Don't get me wrong, I have smart technology. I have a smartphone, tablet, and smart TV, but they were good deals, and the TV was comparably priced with non-smart ones, but I think this is going a little too far. We have enough distractions as it is.

And it's not just refrigerators. My mom has a washer and dryer that she can connect with her iPhone, also Samsung. Samsung's TVs can control pretty much your whole house if you have the right stuff. I mean, it's ridiculous.

One of these though, I have to give credit to, and that's the Wi-Fi connected thermostats. If we're out, and forget to turn down the heat (which is important, our gas bill per month averages $500+), or if we get a bad coldfront or something, and need to turn the heat up for when we get home, we can pull up the associated app and turn the heat up or down, but that's only one positive. I just think smart technology, and Samsung seems to be a key player here, seems to be going overboard. We don't need a screen in our fridge, or our stove, microwave, or an app connection to a washer and dryer, it's just completely unnecessary, and shows how attached we've grown to our devices and the appliances we can pair them with. Technology is awesome, don't get me wrong, but you don't need Facebook on your refrigerator, no matter how you try to justify it.

Rant over. Here's a Truckstang for your time.

DISCUSSION (17)

For Sweden > WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe
02/12/2015 at 18:18

A washer that sends an alert to your phone when the wash is finished? That's awesome!

Nibby > WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe
02/12/2015 at 18:18

OMG I NEED TO CHECK MY FACEBOOK WHILE COOKING OR ELSE I WILL DIE

Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero > For Sweden
02/12/2015 at 18:21

Yeah that's how it works. It's seriously handy if you tend to forget to switch loads

E. Julius > WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe
02/12/2015 at 18:21

I think this is less of a statement of the types of things people actually want and more of a statement about the types of things companies are trying to sell to increase the profit margins on what have otherwise been a fairly unchanged products for the last half century. Companies are trying to make us think we need more of this smart BS so they can make more money, and some people fall for it. Some of it ends up being good ideas that stick, but there's a long history of junk like this and a long future in store as well.

If you know someone who actually bought one of these or thinks they really really want though, that's pretty ridiculous.

WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe > For Sweden
02/12/2015 at 18:22

Or your TV! We were looking at a TV that did exactly that, and a lot more! But, it was just way too much, money and feature-wise.

WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe > E. Julius
02/12/2015 at 18:23

As I said, my mom has a washer and dryer that connects to her smartphone. She would love this fridge. She's up on the latest tech and so on, and she likes fancy stuff, so this would be right up her alley.

ranwhenparked > WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe
02/12/2015 at 18:25

Yes, its overboard. My parents' first refrigerator ran fine for 30 years and was replaced with one that barely lasted 5.

Modern appliances are already built like crap, now we're loading them up with more extraneous features to break.

PNW Hoon > WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe
02/12/2015 at 18:28

That monthly gas bill...dang homie.

T5Killer > WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe
02/12/2015 at 18:28

Ewwwwwwww Samsung fridges. I work for a Major home improvement company handling major appliance service calls and Samsung's are a majority of our service calls. Their parts and service availability is horrid along with their quality/issues. I wouldn't touch one with a ten foot pole. We all laughed in the service department when we heard about the WiFi fridge.

WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe > ranwhenparked
02/12/2015 at 18:29

Yep, and it's planned obsolescence, IMO, so instead of something lasting forever, you just keep buying a new one. The fridge in my house has been working perfectly fine for probably the last ten years, if not more. I'm sure there are some companies that still build things to last, but anymore, something like this is like a lease on a fancy new car. You use it for a little while, you're done with it for whatever reason, and you just get a newer one, and the cycle repeats.

E. Julius > WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe
02/12/2015 at 18:30

I could see the washer and dryer being useful though. In my parents' house, often you can't hear the washer and dryer when they go off, and you don't know exactly when they'll be done because the wash time is sensor based. It would be nice to get a notification when your laundry is done. Or if you don't know how long you'll be out of the house, load everything up in the morning and then once you figure out when you'll be home, trigger it to start so that it's done exactly when you want.

Something like that, where there's actually an element of control and feedback, makes sense to me. A fridge is basically static though, so it seems like they're just sticking a tablet on it. I guess ideally it could tell you how old the stuff in your fridge is and remind if you need to get milk at the store or some crap, but that's nothing you can't assess in ten seconds when you're grabbing stuff for your breakfast in the morning.

WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe > PNW Hoon
02/12/2015 at 18:36

I know, it sucks. But I have a 110 year old, 3,400 sqft house with poor insulation, and a lot of floors and walls ripped out for renovation, and it's all gas heat. Electric bills are normally $75-$100 per month, which isn't bad, but our water bill is over $200 a month normally as well. I mean, we have a low house payment thankfully, but between my fiancée and I, we make less than $35k combined per year, before taxes, so add in house payment, utilities, insurance, gas for the cars, groceries, various debts, and of course, expenses for our daughter, it's hard to do. We don't have any car payments right now, at least, and the torn up half of our home is being renovated for free, so we're lucky in that regard, but getting by is hard. We both have to work full time to even consider getting everything paid, and we're still behind, or we'd both be going back to school for better paying jobs. Now, when the house is paid off in 2019, we'll be in a much better spot.

Not trying to rant or pull a woe-is-me card, there's people way worse off than us, but to put it bluntly, being a responsible adult really blows sometimes.

WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe > E. Julius
02/12/2015 at 18:39

Yeah, I see your point, but for them it's kind of unnecessary because she and my stepdad live a single story ranch-style house, and the rooms are fairly small. The back bedroom is on the opposite side of the house from the living room, and you can still hear everything in between. If it were a much larger house, then yeah, it would make more sense, but when one room is within earshot of all the other rooms of the house, it kinda defeats the purpose.

E. Julius > WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe
02/12/2015 at 18:40

Samsung's gotta make their money somehow I guess : /

WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe > E. Julius
02/12/2015 at 18:41

This is true. I mean, I like their phones, and their stuff is definitely cool, but it's just way too over the top.

V8Demon - Prefers Autos for drag racing. Fite me! > WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe
02/12/2015 at 19:17

10/10. Would put food in.

PNW Hoon > WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe
02/12/2015 at 19:26

I hear ya. Houses are not cheap by any sense of the imagination.