Whirlpool: Electronic Add-Ons to High-End Fridge

The TV-in-the-fridge concept hasn't quite taken off. Whirlpool execs have found that consumers believe it sits too low in the models that have them and that consumers are worried the TV will go bust before the fridge does.

Whirlpool is staking out a more visible place at CES this year to showcase partnerships with makers of electronic devices that snap onto its $1,999 Central Park double-door refrigerator.

Available now is a $249 Ceiva snap-on frame, which uploads photos wirelessly, through an SD card reader, or thorugh Ceiva's monthly subscription service.

Pricing is not yet available on a Brandmotion iPod dock, which charges iPods and plays them through speakers that hook onto the freezer door, or the Clio Vu, a convertible tablet computer that snaps onto the fridge to show family schedules and notes. There's also a Quartnet Qnote message center, a white board with ambient light to highlight messages, and a drawer to store notes, restaurant menus, schedules. (Remember, magnets don't work on stainless steel fridges, hence the snap-on white board.)

I'll be posting later today about what Cozi, which helps families stay organized with online tools and software, is adding to the Whirlpool lineup, too.

So what do you think? Can you see yourself snapping on one of these devices to the freezer door? Or does a PC in the kitchen do the job?