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GE's Kitchen Hub touchscreen rangehood lets you Netflix and grill

GE's Kitchen Hub touchscreen rangehood lets you Netflix and grill
Google Assistant adds voice control to the Kitchen Hub system
Google Assistant adds voice control to the Kitchen Hub system
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Thousands of recipes and cooking guidance come bundled with the Kitchen Hub system thanks to SideChef
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Thousands of recipes and cooking guidance come bundled with the Kitchen Hub system thanks to SideChef
The Kitchen Hub is designed to control all your smart home devices
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The Kitchen Hub is designed to control all your smart home devices
Google Assistant adds voice control to the Kitchen Hub system
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Google Assistant adds voice control to the Kitchen Hub system
A ventilation system is built in making this a full touch screen/rangehood combo
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A ventilation system is built in making this a full touch screen/rangehood combo
Official launch for the product is May 2019
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Official launch for the product is May 2019
The Kitchen Hub lets you video chat while cooking up a storm
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The Kitchen Hub lets you video chat while cooking up a storm
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The centerpiece of GE Appliances' announcements at CES this year is a smart home hub and rangehood combo. Called the Kitchen Hub, it's essentially a massive touchscreen that sits above your stove bringing together control of all your smart home appliances with Google Assistant built in.

The Kitchen Hub was first revealed a year ago in prototype form, but now the system is ready for prime time, with a commercial release scheduled for May 2019. The system combines a ventilation rangehood with a 27-inch smart touchscreen. Multiple cameras are incorporated into the unit so you can both, live video chat while cooking, and utilize an overhead cooktop camera to share snaps of your dinner as a work in progress.

Thousands of recipes and cooking guidance come bundled with the Kitchen Hub system thanks to SideChef
Thousands of recipes and cooking guidance come bundled with the Kitchen Hub system thanks to SideChef

The system promises broad interconnectivity with other smart home products, so ideally it can function as a central hub for controlling all your connected appliances, from the home thermostat to lighting and security cameras. The incorporation of Google Assistant also adds to the device's usability, allowing for voice control when your hands are dirty from preparing dinner.

The Kitchen Hub offers access to apps such as Spotify and Netflix, meaning you can continue your latest binge without interruption while seamlessly cooking up a steak. And a partnership with mobile cooking platform SideChef integrates thousands of recipes into an integrated system that can theoretically preheat your oven to the desired recipe temperature or guide you step-by-step through a complex culinary creation.

The Kitchen Hub is designed to control all your smart home devices
The Kitchen Hub is designed to control all your smart home devices

While other touchscreen smart kitchen hubs have centered around incorporating a big screen into the face of a refrigerator, GE's rangehood Kitchen Hub is nothing if not novel. Whether or not anyone actually wants a giant touchscreen sitting right above their stove is yet to be seen, but it does seem a questionable place to put such a sensitive display. Especially considering the touchscreen doesn't seem to have any particular resistance to oil splatter or noted water resistance and your eyes will be inches from the screen when tending to whatever's cooking.

The price is not especially cheap either with GE Appliances revealing costs between $US1,199 to $1,399, depending on what kind of material finish is selected. The product's official launch is scheduled for this coming May.

Source: GE Appliances

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2 comments
2 comments
Booleanboy
I can see that lovely technology lasting about an hour mounted above gas burners like that. A well-used kitchen is a hostile environment but technology can help a lot. I think this device is overkill but voice-enabled devices are great in locations like this where fingers are often dirty (I use a Google Home and a cabinet-mounted 10.1" tablet).
Pablo
GE left the Appliance market some time ago when the division was sold to Whirlpool. They’ll no doubt give up on this product after a few months of slow sales, then GOOD LUCK getting it fixed...!