New washers and dryers with Internet capabilities can now be connected to your television, computer, and/or cell phone to notify you when a load is done, thus eliminating the needless treks to and from the laundry room. As part of the Internet Home Alliance's laundry face-off, families in Atlanta, GA, will have a chance to give these new washers and dryers a trial run. The technologically advanced machines were masterminded by Microsoft, HP, Panasonic, Procter & Gamble, and Whirlpool; and they are programmed to alert you when your laundry cycle is done, when a problem has occurred, or when you have forgotten to turn the washer/dryer on. Laundry Time is the name of the pilot program that will run for eight weeks and will include a total of nine families. The premise of the program is that by simplifying the laundry process, families will have to devote less of their lives to this time-consuming task and will have more time to concentrate on family bonding; and the point of the program is to see whether America is ready for this type of high-tech laundry machine. Whirlpool will supply the Laundry Time washers and dryers, while Microsoft will provide the software. In addition, HP will provide digital entertainment centers; Panasonic is in charge of the television technology; and Procter & Gamble will oversee the customer service aspects of the project. In a press release, the creators of Laundry Time give three specific examples of how much easier these new washers and dryers will make your life. The first one includes a scenario in which you are watching television with your family and an alert on your television screen lets you know when your load of laundry is ready to be switched from the washer to the dryer and then again when it is ready to be removed. This nifty alert system does away with wrinkled clothes by ensuring that you will never again forget your laundry in the dryer all day and/or night. However, there is a small level of personal effort required. You have to actually go and get the laundry out when you are alerted. Otherwise, it makes the whole system pointless. Another example from the press release illustrates the benefits of the washers' and dryers' instant messaging feature. In this example, you come home from a busy day at work, load your laundry into the washer, walk into your bedroom, and settle down in front of your computer to publish your next MySpace blog entry. However, when you log on to the Internet, you receive an instant message alerting you to the fact that you never started the washer. Instead of traipsing back to the laundry room, though, you simply click "yes" when the message asks if you would like to start the washer (assuming you added the detergent). The third example shows how your laundry can alert you through your cell phone. "While running errands, you get an alert on your cell phone that the dryer is done. You don't want your clothes to sit in the dryer and wrinkle, so you use a key on your cell phone to tell the dryer to 'fluff' the load for an additional 15 minutes, the time it will take you to finish your errands and return home," a press release stated. Sounds simple enough, but for those of you who want to simplify further and get rid of the step where you move the clothes from the washer to the dryer, there's another washer/dryer that might be just the thing for you. The LG Wash & Dry Combo, an all-in-one unit, is a one-step laundry machine. All you have to do is program it with the start and finish times. When it is done washing, it automatically turns into a dryer and begins drying the clothes. You put your clothes in, start the machine, and your clothes will be dry and ready to be folded when you return. The LG combo also comes with the LG Remote Monitoring Laundry System, which uses Power Line Communication technology to help you keep track of your laundry at all times. Whether your laundry is washing, spinning, rinsing, or drying, you can check on the remaining time in each cycle by using the accompanying remote. "We continually strive to update our laundry products with features and options that enhance consumers' everyday lives by providing high-performance laundry systems without compromising style and valuable storage space in the home," said Soon Kwon, President of Digital Appliances for LG Electronics USA, Inc., in a press release.

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