Ricavision electronic devices for the refrigerator
There is no denying that the hub of the American home is in the kitchen. Even families that don't eat together have to eat, so they will always raid the refrigerator at appropriate intervals. I suppose it isn't any wonder that we leave sticky notes on the fridge to remind family members of important events. Ricavision has decided to capitalize on this phenomenon with three new devices designed for the fridge.
The first is the MK140 FM Fridge Magnet/Scribbler. The MK140 is a LCD display that attaches via magnet (of course) to the refrigerator. It uses a 3.5 inch screen and Windows Vista Slideshow to receive emails from you telling your loved ones that dinner will be late, or any other important message. The MK140 connects wirelessly to your home computer, so you can do many other things on this Refrigerator display.
Ricavision also has a Home E-Reader that will display e-books. I'm not certain what good that would be in the kitchen, unless you plan on reading and cooking at the same time. I don't know about you, but when I'm cooking, I usually don't stay in the same place. Maybe it's for reading books while you waiting for something to come out of the oven.
Ricavision also has eChatter, which allows for instant messaging on a monochromatic 5-inch screen that uses a QWERTY thumb keyboard. The eChatter also connects wirelessly to your PC, and will even accept an audio headset for voice communication. I don't know if the audio headset comes with it, but hopefully it is Bluetooth. You don't want any wires near you when you're trying to cook a hot meal, believe me.
As of now, I have no idea when these refrigerator devices will hit the market, and I also don't know how long the battery life is. I heard that the eChatter is about 16 hours, which probably means that it has to be plugged in every night.
I think that there is a high market for devices such as these. As I have said before, the fridge is the hub of every home, and who hasn't left a message on it? Why not do it electronically? Remember when only a few people had cell phones, now everyone does. Perhaps these Ricavision devices will become kitchen devices.
However, if Ricavision prices these low enough, perhaps the average family could afford these. If it's too expensive, then only the rich could afford them. Of course, I'm going under the assumption that the rich would need devices like these. As for me, simple email or sticky notes seem to work.
