LOUISVILLE, Ky.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--GE Appliances, a Haier company, is showcasing the future of kitchen and home efficiency at CES 2019 with its Kitchen Hub, a first-of-its-kind, over-the-range interactive smart kitchen and ventilation system. GE Appliances will commercially launch the much-anticipated new SmartHome solution in May 2019. As the leader in connected appliances, the GE Appliances Kitchen Hub will be the centerpiece of the company’s 2019 CES presence, with multiple interactive stations to allow show attendees to experience its time-saving, life-enhancing features.
“The Kitchen Hub enhances a family’s ability to create great meals, connect with loved ones and manage control of their households from the most important room in the home—the kitchen,” said Shawn Stover, vice president of SmartHome Solutions, GE Appliances. “At its core, the Kitchen Hub brings more efficiency and skill to the home cook. But it goes far beyond the kitchen, giving users a single, universal cooking and smart home portal that saves them time and allows them to focus on the things that matter most to them.”
Introduced as a prototype during CES 2018, this first-of-its-kind, over-the-range smart hood serves as a single control center for the home. With thousands of proven recipes served up right in front of you where you cook, the Kitchen Hub connects home chefs to a wealth of expertise. And because it’s built on the GE Appliances U+ Connect platform, the Kitchen Hub also brings together other smart home capabilities in a single, connected device: dinner playlists; streaming movies; live video chat and social networking; Google Assistant; favorite apps; control of other smart home devices like temperature and lighting; access and control of smart home apps; and more.
The Kitchen Hub from GE Appliances is a 27-inch smart touch screen and ventilation combo designed to easily fit in the space above the range. Families can use the forward-facing cameras to interact with friends and relatives, and the overhead camera to snap and upload their culinary masterpieces for sharing. And for entertainment, the Kitchen Hub provides access to popular apps, such as Netflix and Spotify.
The Kitchen Hub is the latest GE Appliances innovation to put meaningful technology in the hands of consumers. By creating a smarter home, the company’s connected appliances bring more convenience, more assistance and more peace of mind to families who use them. And they deliver efficiencies that allow owners to focus more time on the things that matter most to them. Kitchen Hub features include:
- Built-in Google Assistant, allowing owners to create grocery lists, plan meals, search the internet for answers or even control the thermostat
- Access to thousands of recipes through SideChef, as well as guided cooking features and precision cooking capabilities
- Live video chat functionality with multiple camera angles, including a forward-facing lens so owners can video call mom for cooking advice or simply catch up with friends
- An overhead cooktop-facing camera and ample task lighting to make it easier than ever to share the latest culinary masterpiece on social media
- Access to calendars and schedules for streamlined organization and efficient household management
- Connectivity to other smart home devices, like temperature control, lighting systems and cameras, and the ability to access and control a variety of productivity and smart home apps using the Kitchen Hub as the single portal
- Interoperability with other connected appliances, including Café™, Monogram®, GE Profile™ and Haier™ brand washers, dryers, dishwashers, refrigerators, air conditioners wall ovens, cooktops, microwaves and ranges
GE Appliances’ Kitchen Hub is enabled by the U+ Connect platform, a proven operating system that is global, open and secure, with virtually endless interoperability possibilities. The open platform enables simple connectivity with other smart home products—even outside of the kitchen—and provides a future-proof solution that is easily updated as technology evolves. The dynamic platform allows the ongoing addition of tools and resources, ensuring users can take advantage of new features and functionalities to maximize the value of their connected appliances. The price range for the Kitchen Hub is $1,199 to $1,399 MSRP.
“U+ Connect allows you to manage your smart home from one place,” Stover said. “You can preheat the oven, brew coffee, start the washer, play music, dim lights and more—all through the Hub.”
Visit the Haier and GE Appliances booth (LVCC, Central Hall - 11128) at CES 2019 to experience the Kitchen Hub and other smart products that bring more convenience, more assistance and more peace of mind to owners.
About GE Appliances WiFi-Connected Technology
GE Appliances, a Haier company, a leader in WiFi-connected appliance technology, makes owners’ lives easier while improving their daily routines. With its connected suite of GE Appliances, owners can monitor and maintain their home from near or far using their voice or a mobile device. GE Appliances uses the U+ Connect platform as the smart connection that seamlessly integrates their connected appliances with partners, including Amazon Alexa, the Google Assistant, Apple® HomeKit™, Amazon Dash Replenishment, Nest Labs, Drop, IFTTT, SideChef, Hestan Cue and Innit. Connected appliances are also updated remotely with new capabilities and can assess their own performance, allowing for unparalleled service. To learn more, visit https://www.geappliances.com/ge/connected-appliances/.
About GE Appliances
GE Appliances, a Haier company, creates “good things, for life” through our passion for great appliances and the happiness they can bring to every household. With the Hotpoint, GE®, Haier, Café™, GE Profile™ and Monogram® brands, owners have more choices for making their kitchens and homes amazing each day. Our products include refrigerators, freezers, cooking products, dishwashers, washers, dryers, air conditioners and water filtration systems. For more information, visit www.geappliances.com/our-company/.
