Meet June – The Intelligent Oven
The Internet of Things has been recently enriched with the addition of June, a smart countertop oven which is capable of cooking your favorite meal with a single press of the “OK” button.
The intelligent convection oven has a built-in camera, which can identify the foods that are put by the owners inside it. Then, June calculates the best temperature to cook them.
The oven can also connect to a live streaming app, allowing the owner to verify the cooking process. According to its makers, June uses an innovative approach; the entire heating system has been rethought, allowing the heat to be better distributed, and thus enhancing the oven’s baking capabilities.
June has been tested before being released to the public; about 100 prototypes were sent to people who have tested its capabilities outside the lab. Feedback was very encouraging, with most people declaring that they’ve replaced their traditional ovens with June.
And the reason for this decision is simple: people no longer fear that food will come out undercooked or overcooked, or that meals will not be ready in time. The carbon filter heating elements can preheat much faster, allowing the foods to cook quicker.
Cooking speed is adjustable; overall, the cooking process is 33% faster. June will suggest the best cooking method, based on the ingredients that are being used. The oven is also easy to clean; the door panel and crumb tray can be easily removed and cleaned.
And the good news doesn’t stop here: June can fit in narrow spaces, because it does not get hot on the outside. It’s also got a built-in weighing scale.
June’s operating system is able to update itself automatically, so its performance can get better every day. The owner can get cooking alerts, can watch the process or simply find out how many more minutes there are until the food is cooked by making use of the dedicated smartphone app.
The oven is sold with the patented June tray, which has a non-sticking coating, a roasting rack, a food thermometer, a wise rack and a crumb tray.
Google’s App Translates Japanese Text Instantly
Who would have thought that someday we will use our cell phones to do so many things? I can still remember how impressed I was by World Lens, an app that was instantly translating texts from other languages, replacing the original text with its translation on the smartphone screen.
World Lens was created by Quest Visual, a company which has been bought by Google. As always, when Google buys something, it pumps money into it, with the goal of making it better. This explains why Google Translate, which now includes a significant part of World Lens’ code into it, has boosted its translation speed and accuracy.
People using Google Translate can now simply point the camera at a Japanese sign, and instantly see the text translated into English. All signs, menus, or any other information that’s printed in Japanese can now be understood without effort.
The instant, camera-based translation service is available in 30 languages, whereas the non-instant version includes 37 languages for now. Other recent Google Translate features include the possibility of drawing the characters, instead of typing them, for up to 30 languages. You can also choose the conversation mode, which allows instantaneous translations in 32 different languages.
