Samsung Electronics Co. said Monday that it will roll out new refrigerators in the U.S. market this month with a flat screen that displays services from Twitter Inc., Google Inc. and the latest news from The Associated Press.

The company will release two new side-by-side fridges with an 8-inch touchscreen that displays short-message updates from Twitter and Google as well as news and weather information through a wireless-fidelity (Wi-Fi) connection, it said in a statement.

The new products underscore the tech juggernaut’s view that the refrigerator will play a central role in turning a household into a wired, digitally connected space, it said in the statement.

Previous refrigerators displayed news and weather information on screens through the Wi-Fi connection, but the company built partnerships with Twitter, Google and the U.S. news agency to add applications on screen, it said.

Home appliances are the latest consumer electronics empowered by Wi-Fi connections amid growing needs among consumers to stay constantly connected on the Internet.

Samsung’s rival LG Electronics Inc. gave the public a first look at its Wi-Fi-powered home appliances in January. 

(Yonhap News)