AppliancePedia™ - The Appliance Encyclopedia

Welcome to AppliancePedia™ -- The Appliance Encyclopedia

Our Mission:
To create the most complete and definitive source of information about the past and present of the Appliance.

Our Goal:
To be your source for Appliance related information. We will supply our visitors with up to date news, stories, and information in the Appliance News Links section below.

Appliance News Links:
Krugle enhances code search appliance - InfoWorld
3 Jul 2008 at 5:09am

Krugle enhances code search appliance
InfoWorld, CA - Jul 3, 2008
By Paul Krill Krugle plans to shi...
Obsdale pupils see the appliance of science - Ross-Shire Journal
4 Jul 2008 at 12:30am

Obsdale pupils see the appliance of science
Ross-Shire Journal, UK - 7 hours ago
PUPILS at an Easte...
Krugle Search Appliance Can Handle Billions of Source Code Lines - IT Busines...
3 Jul 2008 at 9:47am

Krugle Search Appliance Can Handle Billions of Source Code Lines
IT Business Edge, KY - 21 hours a...
Start-up nexTier debuts data-leak prevention appliance - NetworkWorld.com
1 Jul 2008 at 9:19am

Start-up nexTier debuts data-leak prevention appliance
NetworkWorld.com, MA - Jul 1, 2008
By Ellen ...
INDIAN CO CHECK POINT LAUNCHES 'OPEN CHOICE APPLIANCE ECO-SYSTEM - Trading Ma...
2 Jul 2008 at 11:43pm

INDIAN CO CHECK POINT LAUNCHES 'OPEN CHOICE APPLIANCE ECO-SYSTEM
Trading Markets (press release), ...

Appliance/Appliances:
Appliance may refer to a device with a narrow function:

1. Home Appliances, routine household tasks, using electricity or some other energy input. The term "appliance" came to be applied to these devices because of their similarity to home appliances. Home appliances are generally "closed and sealed" -- not serviceable by the owner; in computer appliances, the hardware box is usually sealed and not repairable or upgradeable to the user. Home appliances usually have a button or dial interface designed to allow the user to adjust its functions within a limited set of parameters; computing appliances have a limited user interface to configure the device within parameters allowed by the vendor, while underlying aspects of the device that support its function are only configurable by vendor technicians. A home appliance may have a motor, but the motor can only be used within the appliance's function, and not for other purposes; computer appliances that use a general purpose computer platform hide the operating system commands and functions from the user, and only expose the application interface.
a. Small Appliances - Appliances, such as lamps, can be used as appliances if they are used to cook or warm food.

Small appliances are powered by electricity. The appliance may use a permanently attached cord which is plugged into a wall outlet or a detachable cord. The appliance may have a cord storage feature. A few hand-held appliances use batteries, which may be disposable or rechargeable. Some appliances consist of an electrical motor upon which is mounted various attachments so as to constitute several individual appliances, such as a blender, a food processor, or a juicer. Many stand mixers, while functioning primarily as a mixer, have attachments which can perform additional functions.

A few gas-powered appliances exist for use in situations where electricity is not expected to be available, but these are typically larger and not as portable as most small appliances. Items that perform the same function as small appliances but are hand powered are generally referred to as tools or gadgets, for example a hand-powered meat grinder.

Some small appliances perform the same or similar function as their larger counterparts. For example, a toaster oven is a small appliance that performs a similar function as an oven. Small appliances often have a home version and a commercial version. The commercial, or industrial, version is designed to be used nearly continuously in a restaurant or other similar setting. Commercial appliances are typically connected to a more powerful electrical outlet, are larger and stronger, have more user-serviceable parts, and cost significantly more.

Small appliances can be very inexpensive, such as a basic can opener or coffee maker which may cost only a few U.S. dollars, or very expensive, such as an elaborate espresso maker, which may cost several thousand U.S. dollars. Most homes contain several cheaper home appliances, with perhaps a few more expensive appliances, such as a high-end microwave oven or mixer.

Small appliances which are defective or improperly used or maintained may cause house fires and other property damage, or may harbor bacteria if not properly cleaned. It is important that users read the instructions carefully and that appliances that use a grounded cord be attached to a grounded outlet. Because of the risk of fire, some appliances have a short detachable cord that is connected to the appliance magnetically. If the appliance is moved further than the cord length from the wall, the cord will detach from the appliance.

b.Major Appliances - A major appliance is usually defined as a large machine which accomplishes some routine housekeeping task, which includes purposes such as cooking, food preservation, or cleaning, whether in a household, institutional, commercial or industrial setting. An appliance is differentiated from a plumbing fixture because it uses an energy input for its operation other than water, generally using electricity or natural gas/propane. An object run by a watermill would also be considered an appliance. The term white goods is also used for these items, primarily where British English is spoken, although definitions for the term "white goods" can differ. In the United States, the term white goods more commonly refers to linens rather than appliances.

Major appliances are differentiated from small appliances because they are large, difficult to move, and generally fixed in place to some extent. They are often considered fixtures and part of real estate and as such they are often supplied to tenants as part of otherwise unfurnished rental properties. Another frequent characteristic of major appliances is that they may have substantial electricity requirements that necessitate special electrical wiring to supply higher current than standard electrical outlets can deliver. This limits where they can be placed in a home.

Major appliances have become more technically complex from the control side recently with the introduction of the various Energy Labelling rules across the world. This has meant that the appliances have been forced to become more and more efficient leading to more accurate controllers in order to meet the regulations.

Major appliances may be roughly divided into refrigeration equipment, stoves, washing equipment, and miscellaneous.

2. In medicine and dentistry, Custom-Fitted Appliances to an individual for the purpose of correction of a physical or dental problem such as prosthetic, orthotic appliances, and dental braces.

3. Computer Appliance, a computing device with a specific function and limited configuration ability. Computer appliance are software devices that provide a narrow range of functions that are generally run on a hardware platform of their own.

Traditionally, all computing functions were written as software applications running on top of a general-purpose operating system. The consumer (whether home computer user or the IT department of a company) bought a computer, installed the operating system or configured a pre-installed operating system, and then installed one or more applications on top of the operating system. An e-mail server was just an e-mail application running on top of Linux, Unix, Microsoft Windows, or some other operating system, on a computer that was not designed specifically for that application.

4. Fire Apparatus, a fire engine or fire truck in British English.

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