The pros at the Good Housekeeping Research Institute are always on the lookout for new and innovative appliances. I want to share with you three I really liked -- a dryer, a vacuum cleaner and a high-tech refrigerator.

Whirlpool Gold with Centralpark Connection, $2,000

"The Whirlpool Fridge with Centralpark Connection has a docking station for electronic devices," said Sharon Franke, the institute's kitchen appliances director.

"You can put your SD card from your camera into the frame or you can send them wirelessly. And it has some nice special features like a fast fill water dispenser," she said.

Dirt Devil Kruz Stick Vac, $100

This cordless vacuum picked up 97 percent of the debris on hard surfaces. And it's attractive enough to store where you need it.

Carolyn Forte, the institute's home care director, said she was particularly impressed with the Kruz Vac for a number of reasons.

"First, as soon as you look at it, you can see it is sleek looking; its got a great design.

"One of the things that we really like about it is how easily it maneuvers front and back, side to side, and then if you do have to leave it, just let it stand up on its own. You don't have to lean it up against a wall; it's not going to fall down.

When we tested the Kruz Vac, we put down a mixture of sand, baking powder, pasta. It did a great job picking it up, better than other vacuums we tested. Its got a triangular head, so it makes vacuuming in corners very easy," she said.

Tromm Dryer with FlowSense, $1,000

And then there's this new dryer from LG. A safety feature on this dryer impressed the pros at the institute.

"One of the important safety issues with dryers is that the vent needs to be clear. If it's blocked with lint and other debris, it can actually start a fire. But with the Tromm Dryer, there is a flow sense indicator on the panel that tells you there's a blockage that needs to be cleared.

"After we blocked it and ran a few cycles, the sensors indicated that the heating elements weren't functioning properly, four bars were displayed on the control panel, telling us that you better clean that vent," she said.