NEW YORK —
One day, finding an oven that will only cook can be as difficult as buying a TV that will only change your channels. Internet-
The connected "wisdom" is spreading to cars, refrigerators, thermostats, toys and everything else in your home.
CES 2019, an electronics show opened on Tuesday in Las Vegas, will showcase many of these products, including an oven
Coordinate your recipes and toilets with voice commands.
Every time a smart device is added, the company can gather more details about your daily life.
Some of them can be used to help advertisers target you.
More accurate than the smartphone you carry with you.
"It's decentralized monitoring," said Jeff Chester, executive director of the Washington digital democracy center.
Digital privacy advocate.
"We live in a world where we are bound by online services that secretly collect information.
So far, however, consumers seem to welcome these devices.
IDC research firm Forecast 1.
In 2022, 3 billion smart devices will be available worldwide, twice as many as 2018.
While Amazon, Google, and other smart-enabled partners can use the details they collect to customize their services and ads, the company says they are developing these products not to spy, but for convenience.
Whirlpool, for example, is testing an oven where a window can be used as a monitor.
You can still see what's baked inside, but the glass can now show an animation pointing to the best cooking location in Turkey.
The oven can sync with your digital calendar and recommend recipes based on how much time you have. It can help co-
Co-ordinate multiple recipes so that you don't underestimate the side dishes by focusing too much on the main course.
The camera inside allows you to zoom in and, without opening the oven door, see if the cheese on the lasagna is brown enough.
As for that smart toilet, the Numi of Kohler will respond to voice commands to raise or lower the lid --or to flush.
You can also do this from the app.
The company says it's all about providing hands.
Offer free options in an environment that is very private to people.
The toilet is also heated and music and news can be played through the speakers.
Kohler also has a bathtub to adjust the water temperature to your liking, and a kitchen faucet to assign the right amount of water to the recipe.
To a large extent, consumers are not asking for these specific features.
"We are trying to innovate in ways that customers don't think they need," said Samsung spokesman Louis Masses . ".
Whirlpool says insights can come from simple things like watching consumers open the oven door several times to check meals and lose heat in the process.
"They won't say to us, 'Please tell me where to put it (food)
On the rack, or do the algorithm-
"Based on cooking," said Doug Searle, general manager of WLabs, Whirlpool research.
"They told us the most important result for them.
Samsung has a few voices
The supported product, including the refrigerator, comes with an app that lets you view its contents while shopping at the grocery store.
New Year: Samsung washing machine can send alarm to TV
Smart TV, of course.
So you know your clothes are ready when you look at Netflix.
Other connection items on CES include :-
A fishing rod that tracks your location can build an online map of the most catches you have. —
It is recommended where to brush more toothbrushes. —
A fragrance diffuser that allows you to control the smell at home through the smartphone app.
They are ready to join the Internet.
There are already connected security cameras, door locks and thermostats on the market.
The latter can work with sensors to automatically turn off heat when you leave home.
When consumers buy electrical appliances with the brightest minds, Chester says, they feel the need to keep up with their neighbors.
All the conveniences, he says, could be "a powerful drug that can help people forget the fact that they are also being watched.
Gadgets with voice control generally do not transfer any data back to the company server until you activate them with trigger words such as "Alexa" or "OK Google ".
But the device sometimes uses irrelevant words as a legitimate order to record and send private conversations.
Commands are usually stored indefinitely even if the device is working properly.
Companies can use this data to personalize the experience. including ads.
In addition to this, the background conversation can be stored in the recording and can be re-emerged by hacking or as part of a lawsuit or investigation.
It seems harmless to know what you cook or store in the fridge.
But if insurance companies have this data, they may charge you more for an unhealthy diet, warned Paul Stephens, director of policy and advocacy at the Privacy Rights Information Center in San Diego
He also said it might be possible to infer race based on the food consumed.
Instead, manufacturers highlight the benefits: data collection for smart faucets, for example, allows Kohler's apps to show how much water is allocated. (
Water charges usually show the water usage of the entire household, not a single tap. )
The market for smart devices is still small but still growing.
Kohler estimates that smart appliances will account for ten per cent of their revenue over the next few years.
Although these features were initially limited to advanced models
Like the $7,000 toilet.
They should eventually appear in the entry.
As the cost drops, the level of the product should also be improved. Watch TV.
"Dumb" TVs are rare today, as the vast majority of TVs come with Internet connections and apps, whether you like them or not.
"It turns into a check --
Box products for TV makers, "said Paul Gagnon, analyst at IHS Markit.
He said, for a stupid person, you have to look for onebrand, entry-
Horizontal model with smaller screen
Or places that are not common in streaming services around the world.
The "stupid" car was also sent to the scrap station.
Research firm BI Intelligence estimates that by 2020, three of every four cars sold worldwide will be models with connectivity.
There have been no serious incidents in the US, Europe and Japan, but China has raised a red flag and automakers have been sharing details of the location of connected cars with the government.
For television, many TV manufacturers collect and share users' viewing habits, consumer reports say.
Vizio agreed to $2.
On 2017, officials from the Federal Trade Commission and New Jersey settled a fine of £ 5 million.
Consumers can decide not to enable these connections.
They can also vote with their wallets, says Stephens.
"I believe that simplicity is better.
If you don't need these things-
"Don't buy so-called enhancements," he said . ".
"Do people really need a fridge to keep track of everything inside and tell you the milk is running out ? "-—
Associated Press reporters Joseph Pizani and Matt O'Brien and Frank bagak from Boston contributed to the story.