Android and appliances

[zuben el genub]

Refrigerators and rice cookers running Android? Yes, really

Never mind connecting to anything, how about a way to program an appliance digitally?

Breadmaker programs one step at a time, and ever step has a beep. I'd like the innards of the phone in the Breadman.

 

[Bob Maxey]

Refrigerators and rice cookers running Android? Yes, really

Never mind connecting to anything, how about a way to program an appliance digitally?

Breadmaker programs one step at a time, and ever step has a beep. I'd like the innards of the phone in the Breadman.

For crying out loud. Why do we need such things? Can't people work a rice cooker or figure out the refer or make bread? Granny made great bread and she used a rolling pin.

Android is killing society. OK, not just Android, but the manufacturers that want us to believe such things are required.

Who needs a rice cooker anyway? And how the hell do we root it? Perhaps we need to to eliminate the pasta cooking software these manufacturers force us to have.

 

[TJGoSurf]

Don't insult the rice cooker. Its awesome.

 

[mikedt]

For crying out loud. Why do we need such things? Can't people work a rice cooker or figure out the refer or make bread? Granny made great bread and she used a rolling pin.

I know.

I got a microwave, and that's got all a huge plethora of buttons, fancy recipes and cooking methods. I never use any of them. I just set the time and heat I want and turn it on, that's it. Not any different from when microwaves just had a timer knob and went ping.

Android is killing society. OK, not just Android, but the manufacturers that want us to believe such things are required.

Who needs a rice cooker anyway?

Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, Me...or anyone else who has rice with nearly every meal.

 

[Speed Daemon]

There are some things that using a full-blown operating system to run them is not progress. Take televisions for example. When I was a kid we had to wait for the vacuum tubes (including the CRT) to warm up before we got to see a picture. Today we have to wait even longer for the embedded OS in the TV to boot. Blech! Why can't someone make a simple TV monitor with just enough hard-coded logic in it to show a picture instantly?

 

[zuben el genub]

Granny set aside one whole day to bake. I have 3 very nosy cats, and a few other hobbies. If it's nice out, I want to be outside with the camera. I don't own a mixer. Granny also had to shoo the chickens out of the bread pan. I had a cat walk over dough for cinnamon rolls - she was eating the raisins. Catch the cat and wash the butter off her hind feet. Not appreciated by the cat.

My point was - does any appliance have to beep continuously? If it was programmable like the phone - you could root it and shut it up.

I don't like things beeping at me. I used to delete all the damn built in WAV sounds on MS until they gave you the option of turning off sounds.

I can program the machine - I was trying to make a sourdough cycle. The machine does not have to connect to any network. That I don't need.

 

[EarlyMon]

This has been a market highly served by the mighty Zilog Z80, the processor that may never die (and a personal favorite).

This will increase demand for ARM-based chips even further. The Android SDK rev 1.5 release 1 notes specified no Z80 support. It was bound to happen.

Agree this is a good thing for rice cookers (and if they come with ads, rooting them will be essential).

Also agree about the TVs though.

 

[Bob Maxey]

Don't insult the rice cooker. Its awesome.

One pot with lid. There you go, a rice cooker. No beep, ping or pluggy thing required. What's next . . . a frying pan powered by iOS or a coffee cup powered by Android?

I say learn to cook rice in a simple pot and in a simple way. Dag Nabbit!

 

[Bob Maxey]

Blech! Why can't someone make a simple TV monitor with just enough hard-coded logic in it to show a picture instantly?

People might not purchase it.

I do agree, I prefer the simplicity.

 

[zuben el genub]

My monitors turn on rather fast - but then you have to deal with the freaking splash screens from the software.

Our TVs just decide whether we are using the DVD or OTA.

What I really hate - I can program the time on the bread maker, but if I want to set it for 45 minutes rather than one hour - the default is 60min. Press the button to change the time - 59min. BEEEP. 58min, BEEP. 57min, BEEP. and so on and so forth.

The old oven - just move the dial and no backtalk from the stove.

 

[Bob Maxey]

This has been a market highly served by the mighty Zilog Z80, the processor that may never die (and a personal favorite).

This will increase demand for ARM-based chips even further. The Android SDK rev 1.5 release 1 notes specified no Z80 support. It was bound to happen.

Agree this is a good thing for rice cookers (and if they come with ads, rooting them will be essential).

Also agree about the TVs though.

Wow, how odd . . . my first rice cooker came with a Z80. The OS was LongGrain Basic 2.3. that is why I say to hell with those electronical rice cookers.

Rice lovers--the real ones--should learn how to cook rice old school. Don't need no stinkin rice cooker.

 

[EarlyMon]

Don't need a crock pot either but it comes in mighty handy. Can't wait for one with Android.

Nothing like preparing a meal, leaving the house, returning after a long day and a bad commute to a perfectly cooked pot of rice or a nice stew.

And if it's not on an open campfire outside, you're doing it on a machine called a stove and sometimes using another machine called a clock.

Hardly see the point of telling us to learn how to do it right when you're doing the same thing, Bob, using machines to cook.

 

[Speed Daemon]

This has been a market highly served by the mighty Zilog Z80, the processor that may never die (and a personal favorite).

This will increase demand for ARM-based chips even further. The Android SDK rev 1.5 release 1 notes specified no Z80 support. It was bound to happen.

I never knew that there was a branch of Linux that supported 8-bit, no-MMU processors. You'd need the Linux part to run Android, wouldn't you? Are there versions of Android that don't run on Linux? I never thought about that!

One of the reasons why I spent a lot of time with Minix was that there was a version that ran (albeit with restrictions) on the old AT&T 6300 that was my only PC until I earned enough money to buy the parts to build a 486 box. Good times!

-----

When it comes to something as basic as food preparation, I snicker at the idea that something like a well-placed lightning strike could render a high-tech homeowner unable to cook a meal. I'm a renter, so I didn't get to pick the range with the microcontroller run oven. At least the stove top uses good old-fashioned rheostats, and my slow cooker has a 4-position switch and nothing else. If that fails, my gas log fireplace is always an option.

The nicest feature of my range is that the digital clock's display can be turned off. OTOH my mom's 80-year-old mantel clock that plays Westminster chimes is a real pain to get back in sync. That's one clock that really could use a mute button!

My TV problems are more than slow boot-up times, which to be fair is something that plagues many embedded devices that use the bare minimum of hardware to maximize profits. I don't much care for the long pauses when I switch between HDMI inputs either. Would it kill them to develop an ASIC to speed things up?

 

[EarlyMon]

They make surge suppressors specifically for appliances. I even use one for the furnace. Main board gave out when it was 4 below once. Fixed it on my own in the dead of a cold night , but promised myself right there I'd reduce risk wherever possible.

Surge suppressor wall outlets are pretty handy for everything else.

 

[Gmash]

Can't wait to slap a custom ROM on my refrigerator.

 

[mikedt]

There are some things that using a full-blown operating system to run them is not progress. Take televisions for example. When I was a kid we had to wait for the vacuum tubes (including the CRT) to warm up before we got to see a picture. Today we have to wait even longer for the embedded OS in the TV to boot. Blech! Why can't someone make a simple TV monitor with just enough hard-coded logic in it to show a picture instantly?

Yeh blech!, especially when your new Konka Ice Cream Sandwich television set looks like a typical Windows PC.

I only want to watch the news!!!!

It only needs XP style repeated popup balloon notifications to say, "There are unused icons on your desktop."

The Konka TV is basically a 42inch ICS tablet, but without a touch screen. The easiest way to navigate it, is to plug in a mouse.

 

[wyndslash]

Insulting the rice cooker is low. Sorry if you're not clued in to the rest of the world, but rice happens to be a staple here so a rice cooker is a must. Of course, you can always do it the old fashioned way, if you like burnt rice.

 

[zuben el genub]

I also don't mind some machine cooking. The breadmaker eliminates a lot of the mess, so does the crockpot.

I do mind the noise. We had one of those microwaves that HAD to beep every minute if you didn't open the door right away. Someone else would use it and leave the kitchen then I'd have to listen to it. You couldn't get to the speaker to cut the wire or mute it. It's none of the MW business if no one opens the door right away. I've defrosted stuff partially, and left it in the MW to finish defrosting. I have very nosy cats. They can't open MW door! That MW got replaced.

Same with the Breadmaker. I have old digital alarm clocks that you can change the time on by just holding down the hour or minute button with no beeps in between. These clocks are at least 20 years old, so the technology is there. There's no reason for a beep every time you touch a button.

I can just see the day when an appliance pesters you for use like my Snowshoe cat pestered me for breakfast this AM.

Android phone - BEEP - you haven't used me today, do we have a problem?

 

[mikedt]

Insulting the rice cooker is low. Sorry if you're not clued in to the rest of the world, but rice happens to be a staple here so a rice cooker is a must. Of course, you can always do it the old fashioned way, if you like burnt rice.

Rice certainly is a staple where I am, with just about every meal. The other thing is many households only have one gas ring or small gas stove to cook on, which is always for the wok. The rice cooker has become an essential appliance, just like the refridgerator.

 

[Gmash]

BEEP!

 

[zuben el genub]

I can't do it fast enough or animate it - but beep-beep to you.

 

[Kamau]

This is fast becoming old.
First, the car got smarter than me, then the phone, and I even saw a smart toilet. Now, the kitchen is gonna be smarter, including the egg timer?
Man, I must be getting old.

 

[mikedt]

This is fast becoming old.
First, the car got smarter than me, then the phone, and I even saw a smart toilet. Now, the kitchen is gonna be smarter, including the egg timer?
Man, I must be getting old.

I've seen smart toilets, Panasonic makes them. Think the idea is it pulls the flush automatically after you've finished your business, and uses an appropriate amount of water for whatever needs to be flushed away.

Cars became smart, and are now basically unfixable and unserviceable at home. Instead they now require very expensive authorised garage only periodic servicing and maintenance.

 

[zuben el genub]

The problem is persistance of notification. You are expected to deal with anything that makes noise right away. People still answer phones immediately for one, then get annoyed if it's a spammer.

Imagine taking care of your kitchen this way. The fridge, MW, toaster, blender, all start beeping at once. Who do you tend to first?

Even the new thing in child care is let the baby fuss for a bit. If you can let a HUMAN fuss --- what makes appliances special?

BTW - AT&T Plans Nationwide Launch of Wireless-centric Home Security and Automation Services | AT&T

 

[Speed Daemon]

They make surge suppressors specifically for appliances. I even use one for the furnace. Main board gave out when it was 4 below once. Fixed it on my own in the dead of a cold night , but promised myself right there I'd reduce risk wherever possible.

I've been a renter ever since I got my first place at age 17. The poor wiring of some of my apartments got me interested in power systems. I've always wanted to have whole-house power protection, but it's a bit difficult without the house.

Back when I was building PA systems and dabbling in stage power, I was sharing a house with friends on a very cold winter night when one roommate let water pipes burst by "saving money" with the heat turned off. After that, the well pump that supplied all the water for the house quit after working full blast for the two hours before we returned home to the flood. When the pump went, it took the circuit breaker with it.

A neighbor warned us that if we didn't get the well pump working soon, we'd be without water until spring...and without water the septic system would likely freeze as well. So I went out into the back yard in -20