Pandigital teases your kitchen with HDTV / digital cookbook conglomerate

Posted in Gadgets. Written by admin on May 10th, 2008

We can’t say we’ve really spent any huge amount of time wondering just how converged kitchen devices can become, but apparently, the designers at Pandigital have. Announced today, the Kitchen HDTV / Digital Cookbook / Digital Photo Frame (really, that’s the name) stays true to itself in three big ways: acting as a 15-inch 720p HDTV (ATSC / NTSC tuner included), a digital cookbook (with pre-loaded recipes and space for more) and a digital photo frame. Packed within, you’ll find half a gigabyte of memory, a built-in alarm clock and an integrated 6-in-1 media card reader. And considering all that sauce you’ll be slinging, you’ll be thrilled to know that it’s sealed with glass and boasts interchangeable faceplates to fit varying moods. Heck, this thing even handles Motion JPEG, MPEG4 and AVI files — not a bad way to spice up your kitchen (and spend $399.99), eh?

The Pandigital Kitchen HDTV/Digital Cookbook/Digital Photo Frame was designed expressly for the unique environment of the kitchen. It features the following:

• A mess-proof design that is sealed with glass, so it is protected from water, oil, flour and other common ingredients, as well as from spills and splatters. The sleek design is also easy to clean.
• It comes with a countertop stand and an under-cabinet mount, and is also wall-mountable, so customers can position it where they’ll need it most.
• Interchangeable faceplates in brushed stainless, black and white let customers match their kitchen’s décor.
• Convenient access to all of the functions with the easy-to-use touch-control interface or the remote control, which conveniently tucks away behind the frame for safe storage.
• 512MB of internal memory stores up to 3,200 pages of recipes or digital photos.
• Calendar and clock functions keep customers informed and allow photos, video and music to be programmed for play at specific dates and times.
• The alarm function can be set to remind customers of noteworthy dates and times, including when it’s time for a favorite cooking show.
• The integrated 6-in-1 media reader that supports SD, XD, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro/Memory Stick Duo, Compact Flash and MultiMediaCard.
• Programmable on and off times ensure the frame is ready to be enjoyed.
• Support for a wide array of image, video and audio formats including JPEG, Motion JPEG, MPEG 1, MPEG 4 and AVI.