Samsung rewrites the book on the internet fridge

Twelve years ago, LG unveiled the first refrigerator that allowed you to surf the web without leaving the kitchen. That was well before the smartphone and tablet revolutions that allow us to now surf in whatever room of the house we like,  but Samsung obviously thinks there’s merit in a web-ready kitchen device that stays put, and has launched its own internet fridge.

The SRF800WGDLS (Samsung’s first web-ready fridge) doesn’t have the most attractive of names, but does feature WiFi and an 8 inch LCD screen built into the left door above the ice maker.

“We recognise at Samsung that our customers want smarter home appliances to complement their lives,” said Samsung Australia’s Mike Lilly, the head of home appliances for the company. “The new Smart Series Refrigerator extends the way we connect by helping busy families organise, plan and share through its smart applications for the fridge.”

The fridge comes with a range of apps including Google Calendar, Weather Bug, and Twitter (so you could tweet the contents of your fridge?).  The inclusion of the Epicurious recipe app could be particularly useful, as is the memo app for leaving digital notes for others in your household, and the photo album feature that effectively turns the screen into a digital photo frame.

One thing that grabs our attention is the SD card slot, which sits right by the ice maker, and allows you to move your images and music to the fridge quickly.

A grocery manager app is also included, designed to let you track what’s in your fridge, though it’s not likely to order milk when you’ve run out.

Sorry, the future hasn’t arrived yet. Milk and ice cream won’t magically materialise in your fridge on command.

The Smart Series Refrigerator is, of course, more than just a fridge with a tablet tacked onto the front. It marries Samsung’s “space” technology to increase overall capacity on the inside without enlarging the outside, and include a flexible middle drawer with four independent temperature zones.

The SRF800WGDLS French door fridge is heading to stores now with a recommended retail price of $4,999. If you decide against buying a new chiller and just want the web on your current fridge, just follow these directions.