Melitta Smart Mill & Brew – the Intelligent Coffee Pot

Now here’s a must have for any self-respecting, caffeine-powered technophile – a coffee maker with real-time weather forecast information and the ability to brew a cup of coffee from either whole beans or ground coffee. The US$200 Melitta Smart Mill & Brew with MSN Direct incorporates Microsoft's Smart Personal Objects Technology (SPOT) and automatically detects current weather conditions, the day's forecast, probability for precipitation, and sunrise and sunset times, without the need for outdoor sensors, through MSN Direct.

The coffee maker has an automatic whole bean grinding function, warming plate with auto shut-off, permanent stainless steel filter basket, and a large backlit LCD display.

"We are all busy people, constantly on the go. Everyone needs up-to-date weather information, and this is a fun, new way to get weather with a quick glance," said Eric Lang, general manager of the SPOT initiative at Microsoft. "With the Melitta Smart Mill & Brew Coffee Maker, we are extending the MSN Direct-enabled product category and realizing our vision of making everyday objects smarter through technology."

Other products that have featured the MSN Direct weather content include Smart Watches with MSN Direct and the Oregon Scientific Weather Station with MSN Direct.

The MSN Direct service is available in 100 top U.S. metropolitan areas in the United States.