If you’ve been spending plenty of time at home during 2020 like most people, you will have heard about smart devices. Since the big smart home assistants from Google and Amazon came onto the scene, devices have followed at a rate of knots.
These sometimes useful, sometimes just fun gadgets operate with voice first development. In simple terms, that just means you control them using your voice. Hello, Google!
Start the conversationThe Smart Home Assistants
To take full advantage of all these great smart home devices, you’re going to want a smart home assistant first. The two biggest ones are Google Home and Amazon Echo.
Google works with the Google Assistant platform, and is a bit more user-friendly in terms of the speech it understands. It’s more conversational, if you like. Amazon works on the Alexa platform, and some would argue it offers more than Google, but you have to know how to best interact with it.
Both devices work as speakers, so you can play music, ask them questions and even have them perform tasks like booking an Uber or making a shopping list. Google’s sound is a bit better, but realistically they’re much the same. Just pick whichever one you prefer, and you’ll soon get the hang of it.
Once you’ve got your assistant set up, there are some really cool devices using voice first development, and they’ll all connect through your Home or Echo (assuming they’re compatible).
Speakers with voice first development
Some of the earliest smart home technology made it possible to control your music by voice. “Play Vivaldi’s 5th Symphony,” is all you need to say. However, if you can’t stand classical music, you can use streaming platforms like Spotify and Amazon Music to play whatever you like. Google and Amazon have their own mini versions of speakers to use around the house, but you can even go for some better-quality ones like the Sonos range. They work with both Google and Amazon, and have different speakers for use all over the house, even outdoors.
Security devices
Home security has never been easier thanks to the artificial intelligence voice first development technology used by smart home assistants. You can now link up a range of security tools such as cameras, doorbells with cameras, and even door locks. The security cameras vary in what they can do, but most can record and you can even use a phone app to log in and watch them.
Locks with Wi-Fi technology are also a cool little gadget. Simple ask Google or Alexa to lock your doors, and you can keep those burglars at bay!
Home lighting with voice first development
There’s something very James Bond about controlling your lights by voice. It always looks great in the old movies when people did it by clapping their hands, but we think voice first development has taken it up a notch.
There are plenty of smart light bulbs on the market now, with all sorts of features like dimming and timers. But, you can connect them all through your smart home assistant and control the lights in your home like some kind of tech deity!
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