The IFA convention in Berlin may have a silicon bent — look no further than our deluge of smartphone, TV, and computer coverage to gather that much — but there’s more present than the purely electronic. Home appliances are an enormous part of the show, and AEG, the German arm of Electrolux, has come out swinging.
AEG ProCombi Plus Smart
Perhaps its oddest new product is the ProCombi Plus Smart, an oven with an integrated camera that provides a live feed of whatever’s cooking (and hopefully not burning) to the companion My AEG app. You can even send a link of your culinary live stream to friends, which they’ll no doubt appreciate. Think of it as Periscoping your oven.
The My AEG app, which will launch on iOS and Android in January, lets you get even more granular — you can change the oven temperature, humidity level, and function on Wi-Fi or over a mobile network — and offers helpful hints to dilettante chefs. Don’t know which settings to toggle? It’ll suggest presets for various meats. Don’t know what to cook? It contains a database of hundreds of recipes (sortable by diet, cost, occasion, and ingredients) which it’ll walk you through step by step, offering alerts when you need to, put something in or take something out.
The ProCombi Plus Smart’s tricks don’t end there — it features a steam system and sous-vide function, too. What more could you ask for?
AEG extractor hoods
The Plus Smart isn’t the only gastronomic tool Electrolux is showed off at IFA. The culinary giant demoed new ranges of cooker hoods with dimmable LEDs and Hob2Hood, a feature that that automatically switches the cooktop on and off and regulates its fan speed “according to ongoing cooking activities.” The more vapor your sauteing generates, the faster the fan spins.
Elecrolux says the new hoods are especially effective at eliminating odors thanks to a dedicated motor, and claims they do so quietly and efficiently — the hoods have an A energy rating and come with AEG’s noise-reducing SilenceTech. In addition, all feature a Breeze function that works to reduce odors softly.
The new products come in stainless steel and black, and island, chimney, or T-shape design.
AEG refrigerators with Custom Flex
Electrolux has storage for leftovers covered, too. Its new AEG-branded refrigerator features “Custom-Flex” shelves — essentially grooved, recessed shelves with removeable plastic containers that slot in and out. FlexiShelf allows the fridge’s two halves to slide further.
The company’s also touting the new TwinTech cooling. The system, which is all managed from an LCD screen on the fridge, passes multiple currents of air through the body of the fridge and sports separate evaporators for the fridge and freezer sections. All work together, Electrolux says, to keep food fresher.
My AEG app
For those meals that wind up less on your plate and more on your shirt, Electrolux had new laundry items to share.
First up was a new component of the My AEG app developed in partnership with Proctor & Gamble and Woolmark that offers, in the company’s words, “advice on how to care for clothes.” Its aim? Prolong the life of your attire by serving up suggestions tailored to clothing label symbols.
“We wear around 20 percent of our clothes 80 percent of the time. One of the reasons why 80 percent of our wardrobe rarely sees the light of the day is deterioration — the clothes simply don’t look and feel as good as when we bought them,” said Elecrolux Fabric Care & Home Comfort chief Joe Oram in a press release. “With the right kind of care, clothes can keep their look and performance for longer, and this is where we are taking the next step to help consumers.”
The problem for most people is that label symbols are outdated and based on old technologies, Osram said — you need not adhere to “hand-wash only” instructions if you’ve got a gentle washing machine, of course, and label temperatures typically refer to an absolute maximum. The app’s an encyclopedia of sorts for clothing care: what washing methods to use based on material, over a hundred stain removal tips, and, if you have an AEG washing machine, what programs to use for which clothing.
AEG ProTex Plus Dryer with AbsoluteCare system
Finally, no laundry room’s complete without a washing machine and dryer, and Electrolux has both on offer.
AEG’s new DualSense washer can wash and dry sundries in 60 minutes.
The ProText Plus condenser tumble dryer has capacity 50 percent greater than most loads and drying times 20 minutes shorter, which is apparently thanks to its Absolute Care System. Drum speed, rotation, and temperatures are optimized based on fabric type. Electrolux says it’s even sensitive enough to handle silk garments.
It’s efficient, too. The new ProText offers a steam program, and works to reduce energy usage through continuous sensor monitoring.
Electrolux will be demoing its bevy of new appliances on the IFA show floor this week, and we’ll be there to give them a spin (no pun intended). Stay tuned.
