High Tech Microwave

I was recently faced with shopping for a new microwave oven and stumbled across something very interesting. It’s a microwave that will automatically figure out your cooking time after a quick scan of a barcode.

The Beyond Smart Microwave Oven, made by Westinghouse, is for a gadget geek who wouldn’t mind spending a little more for an extra feature. Not only does it look like a nice modern-day stainless steel microwave, but it also comes pre-loaded with 4,000 barcodes and remembers your favorites as you use them. When new updates are available, it automatically updates its memory with new information from the Beyond Information Network database. The perfect times with the barcode scanning only works with pre-packaged food. Although I don’t eat a lot of pre-packaged food, it would sure prevent me from burning popcorn again (as I once did and made the whole office smell like burnt popcorn for two weeks!).

In order for the automatic updates to work, you need the iCEBOX entertainment center, which sells for $2,299.00 (flipscreen) or $1,499.00 (countertop), and a Beyond SANI (Smart Appliance Network Interface) card for $59.99. The Beyond Smart Microwave itself costs $237.99.

Beyond also offers a coffee maker and bread machine, both updatable with the SANI and iCEBOX. These, and the microwave are available at www.beyondconnectedhome.com.

These would be neat things to play with in your kitchen if you have the extra money for it. You’ll never overcook or undercook your pre-packaged foods again. And, while it may be cool to have your kitchen devices networked, if your Internet connection goes down, you may have to order out for pizza instead.