Roke Manor Research is today claiming a first for its toaster -- apparently it is the world's first Net/remote controlled bread warmer... (Any ZDNet reader care to dispute the claim?)

Designed to demonstrate "that appliances previously thought too small to be controlled remotely over the Net can be brought into this ever-expanding market", the RMN stand was doing a brisk trade in handing out toast to hungry visitors to the Networks telecom '99 show at Birmingham's NEC.

The Siemens-owned company developed the software to connect the toaster to the Net. It claims the "software can also be easily programmed, reducing the cost of adapting it for different pieces of equipment. Fridges, lights, telecom switches, household appliances are just some examples of items that will all benefit from being able to be controlled remotely," according to a spokesman.

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