Understanding the Smart Speakers Generation
The craze for the personal assistant that comes with Dolby speakers can simply blow your mind. These marvelous devices can do a variety of things like assisting you with recipes, unlocking doors, calling friends and family, finding your favorite show on TV and yes – even play music, all through voice command.
Understanding which device does what can be a chore. The differences between brands and products can be confusing to say the least, and comparing them doesn’t help you either. It’s like comparing apples to oranges. So let’s take a closer look at what each group has to offer, so you can make a better informed decision if you decide to purchase one.
Amazon smart speaker is the Echo. This device is a smart speaker with a personal assistant named Alexa. The Amazon Echo comes in 5 different devices, which offer different levels of assistance.
- Echo 2nd Generation, comes in 6 fabric choices, multiple capabilities from sound to personal assistant. You can use Bluetooth connection or a line-out 3.5mm cable. Make hands free phone calls. Control home devices, like lights, temperature controls, TV controls, activate security, and more. Some features may need additional accessories to activate. You can also add the Dot to other rooms and use the Echo as an intercom system or play music throughout the home.
- Echo Plus the newest edition does everything the standard Echo does, but also includes a built-in hub for smart home devices.
- Echo Dot is a smaller device to add to other rooms in your home. It also has the Alexa capabilities plus you can use it as an intercom to speak to another room in the home.
- Echo Spot has a compact screen like the Show, this little guy functions like the Dot, but has a small screen to watch videos or give you a visual of the information you are searching for.
- Echo Show used for visual aid and speaker capabilities. Think of it like an iPad with big speakers! The concept is that it’s a great tool for hands free searching with the visual aspect to see. Great in the kitchen for finding recipes and giving you a visual of the recipe, or even a YouTube video on how to make something or watch a music video.
Each of these requires internet access. They are simple to set up and use, and you can even ask Alexa to help you guide you through it. Like our computers and phones, the more you use these devices the more you are comfortable using it – plus the more data entered and used, the more Alexa excels by learning your voice, search items, and patterns to commands, which gives you a better service and user experience.
In determining which product is best for you – you need to know how you would like to use these devices. Do you want to use it in your kitchen to keep organized, look up recipes, play music, and activate security? Or in your home office? Can you imagine working in your home office and asking Alexa for a different word as your writing your blog?! Hands free calling to a client, check your calendar, start your coffee…a personal assistant would be nice! Amazon Echo gives you an all around service: personal assistant, smart speaker, and smart home connections.
Now let’s take a look at Google Home. Google Home devices come in three sizes: Google Home, Google Home Mini and Google Home Max. These are also a smart speaker with voice activated systems. Internet connection is needed to use these devices and there is a basic set up process to enter your data for Google to pull from. Once activated it can give you hands free enjoyment to ask Google to play your favorite song, what time a movie is playing, or use it with your Smart Home connections to turn on lights, temperature, or play your Netflix movies. The voice commands can recognize different voices to know the difference between you and your family or roommates, which gives it the ability to understand whose favorite song is whose when asked!
If you are an avid Google user like I am, Google Home offers an easy way to check my calendar, maps, connections, and to ask Google whatever questions you might have. Again the more you use Google Home device the more it can comprehend your inquiries and provide you the best performance.
Google Home does not offer a visual screen on their devices; however you can connect it to your TV to view pictures and videos.
Each of the Google Home devices offers the same performance systems, so it is only the size of the speaker that separates them.
- Google Home comes in 4 different base colors.
- Google Mini is very compact, but still a powerful system.
- Google Max offers the biggest and best speaker for entertainment.
Both Google and Amazon have been out with their smart speakers for a couple of years now. Next year Apple will join the craze with their all new HomePod. It is expected to have the same versatility as the Echo and Google Home devices with an array of ‘Swiss Army Knife’ features to use.
Apple’s HomePod will use Siri as its personal assistant to provide you with all kinds of information through voice commands. So if you are an avid Apple fan and Siri user, the new HomePod will be a welcome feature in your home. Apple has many other great products to use in the home, which I’ll cover in another post soon.
The smart speakers are sold without having to have a paid subscription. Yay! You can use it to connect with the thousands of online services and smart home devices you are already using. Pandora, Netflix, and so much more can now be accessed by voice command through smart speakers. You may need to check to see if there are additional apps, wire connections or wall plug ins to utilize the connects between your smart speaker and smart home items (lights, some TV’s, or Security Systems).
What’s nice about all of these products that I have covered is that even though they are high tech equipment – they are simple to use.
Seniors can simply ask a smart speaker to play music, find their programs on TV, help them with recipes and call family members. Amazon Security system along with the Echo can even determine if someone has fallen and call for help.
Busy families can keep organized using either devices to mark calendars, give reminders or even calling into another room when dinner is ready!
The uses for these devices are only limited to your imagination, and Amazon, Google, and Apple are only improving their services and technology each year.
I hope this helped you get a better understanding of the variety of products out there for the smart speaker systems. Support your local stores, or you can shop now by going to My B2B Tools/Shop . I am an affiliate with Amazon and may make a small commission on your purchase. If so I truly thank you.
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P K Wheaton
www.myb2btools.com
pat@myb2btools.com