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Refrigerator buying guide

Updated October 17, 2012 11:37 AM PDT

What digital or next-gen features can I find?

Yes, you can now add your fridge to your gear and digital entertainment portfolio:

TV and radio:

Want to watch the Food Network while you make dinner? You can now hook up your digital TV cable service to your ice box without taking up valuable counter space with that old-school portable TV. The high-tech fridges on the market include a wireless, detachable LCD touch screen tablet that displays cable TV and connects to satellite radio.

Message center:

Say goodbye to magnets and notes--the in-door LCD tablets also allow you to keep a digital grocery list based on food category, then take the tablet to the store with you to check off your list. The tablet can also serve as your family's digital calendar and message center, storing voice or typed notes. One model has a weather panel too. Some fridge surfaces also are coated as dry-erase boards that illuminate to display notes. And the last smart idea: A sliding drawer in the in-door message center to hold take-out menus!

Web access:

Need to look up a recipe or shoot an e-mail to your partner to pick up some milk? Another feature of in-door LCD tablets is that they double as Web browsers.

iPod and cell phone connections:

One model hitting the market will allow you to dock and charge your iPod and play tunes through a dual-speaker stereo.

Digital photo displays:

Forget magnets. Next-gen refrigerators come with features such as the Wi-Fi-ready Ceiva Digital Photo Frame, which allows you to digitally display 8-inch high-res photos on your fridge door via a memory-card reader.

Digital sensors:

Digital sensors that let you know that the temperature has dropped too low, or that your fridge door has been left ajar, are becoming common fare in high-tech models.
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Inside this guide
Types
Capacity
What's inside?
What's outside?
Next-gen features
Energy efficient
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