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Between the Lines

Larry Dignan, Andrew Nusca and Rachel King

Strange but true: An Android-powered microwave at CES

By | January 10, 2010, 5:57pm PST

Summary: The Consumer Electronics Show features lots of flashy concept products, plenty of boring-but-useful products, and few really strange ones. One of the strangest at CES 2010 was the Google Android-powered microwave oven.

The Consumer Electronics Show features lots of flashy concept products, plenty of boring-but-useful products, and few really strange ones. One of the strangest at CES 2010 was the Google Android-powered microwave oven (see photo below).

I discussed this and some other interesting products with Randall Bennett and Stuart Miles on a special episode of TechVi filmed on the CES show floor. Stuart also has a blog post and some more photos of the microwave.

Photo credit: Stuart Miles, pocket-lint.com

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Topics

Jason Hiner is the Editor in Chief of TechRepublic. He writes about the products, people, and ideas that are revolutionizing business with technology.

Disclosure

Jason Hiner

Jason Hiner has nothing to disclose. He doesn't hold investments in the technology companies he covers.

Biography

Jason Hiner

Jason Hiner is the Editor in Chief of TechRepublic, an online trade publication and peer-to-peer community for IT leaders. He is an award-winning journalist who examines the latest trends and asks the big questions about the technology industry. He previously worked as an IT manager in the health care industry.

You can also find him on Twitter, , Facebook, and at JasonHiner.com.

8
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Oh, SO Close !
Jkirk3279 16th Jan 2010
Linux is a valuable and tough operating system.

I wish the CNC Lathe I have to program on ran on Linux.

For routers, servers, and DVR's Linux is invaluable.


But let's not get crazy.


"To date, Linux has never been infected by a single virus in
the Wilds outside of a lab. Where as Apple's OS has..... "

Ahem. Perhaps you have Linux and OS/X confused?

Speaking strictly of viruses, OS/X has none in the wild.

Code exploits, yes; Apple patches them as they're found,
like everybody else.

Trojans, yes; (Leap-A is a trojan, not a virus).

Practically all Malware that affects OS/X are Trojans.


The only real defense against Trojans would require locking
the OS so it can only install via the App Store: not likely a
popular idea with Mac Users, although it's working for the
iPhone.



OS/X viruses, as you said about Linux, exist primarily in a
lab environment.

Linux, however...

Alaeda - Virus.Linux.Alaeda[17]
Bad Bunny - Perl.Badbunny[6][18]
Binom - Linux/Binom[19]
Bliss
Brundle[20]
Bukowski[21]
Diesel - Virus.Linux.Diesel.962[22]
Kagob a - Virus.Linux.Kagob.a[23]
Kagob b - Virus.Linux.Kagob.b[24]
MetaPHOR (also known as Simile)[25]
Nuxbee - Virus.Linux.Nuxbee.1403[26]
OSF.8759
Podloso - Linux.Podloso (The iPod virus)[27][28]
Rike - Virus.Linux.Rike.1627[29]
RST - Virus.Linux.RST.a[30] (known for infecting Korean
release of Mozilla Suite 1.7.6 and Thunderbird 1.0.2 in
September 2005[31])
Satyr - Virus.Linux.Satyr.a[32]
Staog
Vit - Virus.Linux.Vit.4096[33]
Winter - Virus.Linux.Winter.341[34]
Winux (also known as Lindose and PEElf)[35]
Wit virus[36]
ZipWorm - Virus.Linux.ZipWorm[37]


Now of course the risk level of these is low, although Alaeda
sounds creepy and the Backdoor.Kaiten worries me.


The odd thing is, OS/X has more marketshare than Linux,
but less malware.
1 Vote
+ -
I'd love to have Android-powered kitchen appliances.
Grayson Peddie Updated - 11th Jan 2010
Android-based microwave, Android-based refrigerator, Android-based stove, and an Android-based dishwasher.

I love to have appliances that talk to each other in open format/standard.

Anyone for an Android-based refrigerator that connects to an HDHomeRun for watching/listening to news shown in a refrigerator? happy
0 Votes
+ -
I love Android but come on man...
storm14k 11th Jan 2010
Folk are just trying to wedge Android onto anything that can support a screen. The only benefit I could see is remote control of many devices from your phone.
It makes sense in a sort of deja-vu way.

Sun's Java was also originally developed for this in mind: a
Virtual Machine for embedded appliances; and 'Microwaves'
was one of their examples.
Sun went as far as to create a 'Java' chip that was basically
a CPU+ IC that could read Java Bytecode, and was included
in some of Sub's workstation (If my memory doesn't fail
me).
Now Android is touted as an embedded OS with a
standarized UI, so the Microwave is here again.
WTF! How about a microwave that cooks food and last more than a year!
0 Votes
+ -
Short-lived ovens.
kidtree 11th Jan 2010
No problem. Just isolate the control electronics for any appliances that put a heavy drain on your power or that generate a lot of high frequency electrical noise. Like... um... microwave ovens.
0 Votes
+ -
All these Apple Freaks are absolute losers! lol

Googles OS's aren't limited to phones and netbooks. Android is envisioned in a myriad of products and the long term scenario is far more incredible than anyone of these jerks is even aware of! haha

Just remember this: Linux!!! ...it's everywhere you are or ever want to be and don't know it! grin

Many Cell Phones, Over 90% of the World's HPC Clusters (including Google and Amazon's Cloud Platforms), majority of Top 100 Super Computers. Including the most powerful, DOE's IBM Roadrunner at 1.8 PETAFLOPS. Linux runs most of the gear in Airbus Aircraft. Your banks use Linux to run your cash machines, authenticate and process the majority of all Credit Card Transactions on IBM Main Frames, the NSA (National Security Agency) wrote the ONLY Truly Secure OS Kernel as SecureLinux. This kernel is now in every install of Linux.

To date, Linux has never been infected by a single virus in the Wilds outside of a lab. Where as Apple's OS has..... and Windows is infected by the second of most every single day! ....you may say it's just numbers too. But the reality is, if your a hacker or cracker do you really want to waste your time breaking down a Secure Wall to get into something or simple go through Window's and Mac's Front Door (or maybe just break a window).... lol The reality is thieves #1 go for the most valuable information. That's simply not on your home computer, it's on Linux run machines. #2 Thieves don't bother breaking down a wall with a bulldozer, because it's like banging their head against a wall. So what would you choose if you were a thieve to break into? The answer is obvious and it wouldn't matter if Linux was the most popular OS or not in these scenarios. If in a crowd a thief always goes for the easy hit!

Linux is the most Downloaded OS on the Planet. Oh.... yeah it's the only downloaded major OS!

But you won't hear Microsoft or Apple mention this. Only that they have such n such percentage of OEM Computers. Obviously the NUMBERS are skewed then. Sabayon Linux (only 3yrs old) has over 25 Million downloads and it's a minor player in the World of Linux Downloads! ...so next just know Linux is indeed being used on the Desktop, YOU just don't know it!!! wink

Linux runs multi-millions of Game consoles including PSP and PS3 to the tune of 70million. It's in cars, DVR's, GPS's, runs Governments, Stock Exchanges, the web on Apache Servers, the largest video streaming site on the entire web in YouTube and the Search Engine 70% of us use runs on common PC's with Linux installed. Yes the Google Virus has been planted and there is no foreseeable cure to the power they'll weld. Mainly because they're OPEN! ....and whether you own a Cell Phone, iPhoney, Mac w/OS-X or a Windows Box both Linux and Google OWN THE WORLD'S POWER AND YOU! grin
0 Votes
+ -
Linux = Free; MacStuff = Vendor Lock-In
Bit-Smacker 12th Jan 2010
I agree. I'm still amazed at how much stuff runs on some distro of Linux. I recently found an article about how to hack my 4-year old DVD-recorder and get a root console. I don't doubt that a slightly more polished Android will be seen in universal remotes, home theater receivers, and even vehicle sound system user interfaces and vehicle dashboards. It would free hardware manufacturers to focus on their core hardware problem and just write some Android interface code for the custom hardware.
0 Votes
+ -
Oh, SO Close !
Jkirk3279 16th Jan 2010
Linux is a valuable and tough operating system.

I wish the CNC Lathe I have to program on ran on Linux.

For routers, servers, and DVR's Linux is invaluable.


But let's not get crazy.


"To date, Linux has never been infected by a single virus in
the Wilds outside of a lab. Where as Apple's OS has..... "

Ahem. Perhaps you have Linux and OS/X confused?

Speaking strictly of viruses, OS/X has none in the wild.

Code exploits, yes; Apple patches them as they're found,
like everybody else.

Trojans, yes; (Leap-A is a trojan, not a virus).

Practically all Malware that affects OS/X are Trojans.


The only real defense against Trojans would require locking
the OS so it can only install via the App Store: not likely a
popular idea with Mac Users, although it's working for the
iPhone.



OS/X viruses, as you said about Linux, exist primarily in a
lab environment.

Linux, however...

Alaeda - Virus.Linux.Alaeda[17]
Bad Bunny - Perl.Badbunny[6][18]
Binom - Linux/Binom[19]
Bliss
Brundle[20]
Bukowski[21]
Diesel - Virus.Linux.Diesel.962[22]
Kagob a - Virus.Linux.Kagob.a[23]
Kagob b - Virus.Linux.Kagob.b[24]
MetaPHOR (also known as Simile)[25]
Nuxbee - Virus.Linux.Nuxbee.1403[26]
OSF.8759
Podloso - Linux.Podloso (The iPod virus)[27][28]
Rike - Virus.Linux.Rike.1627[29]
RST - Virus.Linux.RST.a[30] (known for infecting Korean
release of Mozilla Suite 1.7.6 and Thunderbird 1.0.2 in
September 2005[31])
Satyr - Virus.Linux.Satyr.a[32]
Staog
Vit - Virus.Linux.Vit.4096[33]
Winter - Virus.Linux.Winter.341[34]
Winux (also known as Lindose and PEElf)[35]
Wit virus[36]
ZipWorm - Virus.Linux.ZipWorm[37]


Now of course the risk level of these is low, although Alaeda
sounds creepy and the Backdoor.Kaiten worries me.


The odd thing is, OS/X has more marketshare than Linux,
but less malware.

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