IFA 2019: Company shows the way and brings smart features to more devices
Hoover Candy has launched a slew of smart home devices at IFA 2019 – as its play for the connected kitchen goes up a gear.
The company, which was acquired by Chinese giant Haier this year, has unveiled new connected ovens, vacuums, washing machines, fridges and more.
It’s a much more coherent strategy from Hoover Candy, which made early gains in the connected home, registering over 500,000 users in its Wizard app. However, the early connected appliances felt peripheral to the business – while this time technology is front and center.
And the company is on the right lines.
In amongst some gimmicky features there’s a core of a good app and a focus on extending the life of devices, using the app to notify you of needed filter cleans and de-scaling.
And another feature is that more of the line-up is being connected – at lower price points. Just like Samsung, by IFA 2020 it might be that every device is connected, and these features are barely talking points.
Here’s a run down of what was announced.
Washing/drying
The Hoover AXI range has already been graced with a smart washing machine, but at IFA the company released the Candy Rapido.
As well as a new 39 minute eco-cycle the company has added a new feature into the app which lets you take a photo of your washing load and have the Candy Simply-Fi work out an appropriate programme, after it’s analyzed the size and colors. It’s all a bit of a gimmick – and didn’t work that well in our demonstration.
There’s also the new Hoover H-Wash and H-Dry machines (above), which offer the Direct Voice assistant. You can talk to Hoover’s assistant by saying “Hello H-WASH”, and order it to start a cycle, or ask which programme is best for the size, load or stains.
We saw Direct Voice in action and it’s fair to say the assistant is some way behind the likes of Alexa, with quite slow responses. You do get app control – but sadly you still need to put the washer into Wi-Fi mode.
Finally. the Hoover/Candy apps are getting Amazon Dash replenishment options, so you can stock back up on softener, detergent and the like.
Dishwasher
Direct Voice is also coming to the company’s Hoover AXI HDPN dishwasher.
You can start cycles, and use natural language to choose the right setting for the type of load.
Like many AXI products, the app will also alert you to maintenance issues like de-scaling, cleaning and filter changes, which can extend the life of your device.
Vacuum cleaning
We were slightly surprised to see the Hoover H-Free cordless vacuum cleaner get smart features – but like so much of the line-up, the app offers subtle ways to improve the life of your purchase.
The vacuum itself only weights 1.5kg and offers 40 minutes of wire-free cleaning, so it stacks up well as a vacuum cleaner.
In the Hoover Wizard app you can see statistics on use – maybe to check your cleaner has been putting the time in – as well as calorie estimations, though these are a little bit of a gimmick.
However, the app will show battery life but also provide nudges to empty and change/clean the filters. Again, we’re all for using smartness to keep your tech working better, for longer.
Smart ovens
A release on the Candy side, smart features via the Simply-fi app are coming across the range starting at €300. From the basic to top level ovens, there will be connectivity including the ability to set oven programs based on 200 recipes – as well as maintenance prompts and instructions on cleaning.
Away from smart app controls, two ovens from the Hoover Candy stable are worth mentioning.
The Hoover Smart Steam range lets you oven cook using – you guessed it – steam.
And the Hoover H-Keepheat (above) enables you to batch cook, after which the oven keeps your vacuum-packed food at a safe 63-70 degrees, a level at which bacteria cannot form.
This means you can leave food for up to 14 days.
Early verdict
We like what Hoover Candy is doing with its connected appliances – and we wouldn’t be surprised to see control and connected features appear as standard before long.
It’s also refreshing to see this kind of functionality on entry-level devices – although we’d love to see more control added to integrated products, to offer more choice to consumers.