Whirlpool Brand Showcases "Your Future in Focus" at CES 2014

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 7, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- At this year's International Consumer Electronics Show, home appliance manufacturer Whirlpool brand is exploring how individuals are relating to current home technologies and unveiling conceptual products that illustrate a highly personalized future.

To view the multimedia assets associated with this release, please click: http://www.multivu.com/mnr/65061-whirlpool-brand-showcases-your-future-in-focus-at-ces-2014

Whirlpool brand will showcase select innovative designs—from an interactive, multi-purpose cooktop surface, to a refrigerator that operates to the soundtrack of a family's life, to custom-designed laundry pairs and microwaves inspired by consumer imaginations and responsive to their needs.

"Our inspiration is the consumer's vision for the future and how we can bring it into focus for them through Whirlpool product innovation," said Chris Quatrochi, director of Global Creative Design, Whirlpool Corporation. "CES is a time we can stimulate the consumer's imagination by showcasing new in-market and conceptual products that evolve and have the ability to fit seamlessly into their lives."

Attendees will experience a cast of visionary and in-market appliances at "20/20: Your Future in Focus," located at Booth #70915 in the MommyTech Zone at The Venetian Hotel,  centered on three areas of product exploration:

• Innovation: Understanding individual preferences and the desire to complete everyday tasks as simply as possible
• Expression: Highly customized personal style
• Connection: Understanding how a family operates

"We are excited to debut concepts that explore how technology in the home can help simplify everyday tasks," said Monica Clark, senior manager PR and brand experience, Whirlpool brand. "Our vision at CES – your future in focus – and our Whirlpool brand promise – Designed to Simplify™ – inspire our global designers and engineers to conceptualize innovative appliances that sense the way our consumers live, and find solutions that adapt to our constantly evolving lifestyles."

Sensing the way a family lives and innovating for it – What if the kitchen could help manage grocery purchases for the best value, advise on food storage and spoilage dates, offer tips on the best ways to use leftovers to save both time and money? Whirlpool brand asks show attendees to imagine a future where alerts similar to these might go beyond the operation and maintenance of the appliance itself.

• Whirlpool® Connected Suite
  Appliances are evolving toward a fully connected role in the home, helping families maintain busy schedules without doing so at the expense of time or distraction. Whether letting a consumer know the best times for energy consumption or sending food preservation alerts, Whirlpool brand has developed appliances and partnership platforms to create a home that adapts not only to consumer needs but their preferences and daily habits too.
• Whirlpool® WashSquad Laundry App
  According to Whirlpool brand consumer insights, 44 percent of U.S. households only have one person who's responsible for laundry. Whirlpool brand developed the WashSquad Laundry app as an answer, helping consumers juggle stain-solving tricks, making family laundry tasks a friendly game of competition and de-coding clothing fabric care labels, all in the palm of their hand.

Connecting the dots for entertaining – What if someone could identify a date and meal time and leave it up to their refrigerator to coordinate a menu based on the best deals for the best cuts of meat, select the produce in season, and add the perfect bottle of wine to a shopping list, along with directions of what to pick up and where? Or, perhaps it could suggest songs to play for your cooking or dining mood, and adjust the volume based on noise level. Whirlpool brand brings these ideas to life for consumers, with products that combine versatile and functional capabilities with elements of entertainment.

• Whirlpool® Interactive Cooktop
  Whirlpool brand's future-forward interactive cooktop is a multi-purpose digital cooking surface, serving as the kitchen's cooking and informational hub that allows consumers to check weather updates for out-of-town guests, manage their social calendar, search for exotic new ingredients and make a delicious dinner—all on one surface that can be activated with the touch of a finger or the sound of a voice.
• Whirlpool® Refrigerator with CoolVox™ Sound System Whirlpool brand knows that consumers do more than simply cook in the kitchen— for years it has operated as the heart of the home, where memories are made with family and friends. Available exclusively at Lowe's this summer, Whirlpool brand's refrigerator with the CoolVox™ sound system, including Harman/Kardon speakers, seamlessly connects with any Bluetooth® enabled device, infusing entertainment into everyday kitchen moments.

Expressing personal style – What if one could change the look of their appliances as often as changing a seasonal wardrobe? Whirlpool brand explores the endless possibilities, from creating one-of-a-kind laundry pairs customized to reflect personal design preferences, to microwaves that express distinct cultural styles.

• Whirlpool® Max Art Microwave
  Demonstrating how a daily-used appliance can be an object of personal expression and art, Whirlpool brand collaborated with two artists, Isauro Huizar and Tomas Guerena, from local art collective Los Contratistas in Mexico, to turn a set of 50 Whirlpool brand microwaves into a colorful, modular installation representative of Mexican culture. As an installation, these concept pieces holistically create a special take on the modern day appliance, enriched by culture, design and the arts.
• Whirlpool® Duet® Laundry Designs
  Introducing two unique patterns in-booth for its Whirlpool® Duet® washer and dryer, this customized concept allows consumers to take their design aesthetic to the next level and express their personality with a laundry pair that can complement any space.
• Whirlpool® Black Ice Suite

Appliances are not only functional pieces, but a reflection of our personal style as well. The Whirlpool® Black Ice kitchen suite elevates the design and sophistication of home appliances to dramatic beauty and refined style, making the kitchen suite as distinctive as our consumer.

Show attendees and beyond can enter for a chance to win design-forward laundry appliances January 7-10, by visiting http://ces.whirlpool.com. A lucky winner will be chosen each day for a new Whirlpool® Duet® laundry pair. At the end of the week, one winner will be chosen for a custom-made, patterned laundry pair.

For more information, to join the conversation and see the company's future-focused inspirations come to life, visit http://ces.whirlpool.com and follow #WhirlpoolCES.

About Whirlpool Brand
Whirlpool Corporation is the world's leading manufacturer and marketer of major home appliances, with annual sales of approximately $18 billion in 2012, 68,000 employees and 65 manufacturing and technology research centers around the world. Whirlpool Brand is committed to advancing technology in ways consumers want and need it, creating simple solutions that optimize productivity and efficiency in the home. In addition to designing appliance solutions based on consumer insight, Whirlpool is one of Habitat for Humanity's largest corporate partners, donating a refrigerator and range to every new Habitat for Humanity home built in North America. For more information on Whirlpool Brand, please visit www.whirlpool.com or find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/whirlpoolusa. Additional information about the company can be found at www.whirlpoolcorp.com.

To view the multimedia assets associated with this release, please click: http://www.multivu.com/mnr/65061-whirlpool-brand-showcases-your-future-in-focus-at-ces-2014

SOURCE Whirlpool