One of the more interesting things to come out of Samsung's CES 2012 press conference was a quick glimpse at this Android app which would connect to one of their smart washing machines and notify you when your load was done. Details were skimpy, but I got the impression that you would be able to a bunch of other tasks on the washing machine remotely with the app.
The running theme for big electronics manufacturers like Samsung has been tying up all of their various businesses into one another, and though there are some really obvious synergies between, say, TVs and tablets, utilities like this washing machine Android app are much more unexpected and interesting. LG's thinking very much the same thing; during their press conference, LG showed a fridge which could shunt your grocery list to your phone.
My big worry is that these manufacturers will close themselves off so that unless you're an all-LG house or an all-Samsung house, you won't be able to enjoy a fully-connected home. A washing machine is a big purchase, so if you buy it for this Android utility, then you're more or less locked-in to buying Samsung phones for the indefinite future, right?
