Our expectations of the technology in our houses have grown significantly in the last several years. These days, we expect our speakers to do more than play our favorite music; we want them to read our calendar, give us the weather, and turn down the lights when we're too comfortable to do it ourselves.
Here's where smart speakers become useful. With the help of a virtual assistant, smart speakers may manage other smart devices in your house and provide answers to questions. They can also create timers, alarms, and reminders.
If that's not enough, they will perform the same functions as a regular speaker, including playing your preferred podcast, playlist, or radio station. To ensure you get the finest sound quality possible, some of the more expensive devices can even change the music depending on where you're listening to it.
EVVR is your partner for smart living and taking advantage of all the devices and gadgets across the board. Partner up with us today and take your living experience to the next level!
- What Is A Smart Speaker?
- How Does A Smart Speaker Work?
- What A Smart Speaker Can Do
- Best Smart Speakers For You In 2023
- EVVR Center Lite - The Partner Your Smart Speakers Need
What Is A Smart Speaker?
A voice-activated gadget with a built-in virtual assistant to assist with daily tasks is called a smart speaker. For instance, Alexa, the virtual assistant used by Amazon's smart speakers, will answer inquiries like "What's the weather like on Sunday?"
In addition to these functions, a smart speaker usually can play music, schedule appointments, and manage other smart home appliances. Although you may purchase speakers created by companies like Apple, Sonos, and Bose, the most well-known smart speaker brands are Amazon and Google.
Amazon offers a wide selection of smart speakers and has sold more than 100 million Alexa devices globally. The Amazon Echo Dot, a tiny, wireless speaker with a spherical form factor and all the functionality you'd expect from a smart home gadget, is their best-selling product.
How Does A Smart Speaker Work?
The intelligent virtual assistant's capacity to identify and react to voice cues is a key component of a smart speaker. All of the extra capabilities, such as making appointments and sending reminders, depend on the speaker understanding what you are saying.
The majority of brands have speech recognition software of their own; Apple has Siri, Google has Google Assistant, and Amazon has Alexa. Although they go by different names, all virtual assistants can be "woken up" by the user uttering their name, such as Hey Siri.
When the speaker wakes up, it will hear your query, process it, and then reply. Additionally, as you converse more, the virtual assistant will pick up on your accent and language, improving its ability to respond to you with more accurate responses over time.
Then, there are companies like Bose and Sonos that depend on third parties' virtual assistants. To provide their customers an option, both of these speakers are equipped with Google Assistant and Alexa.
Some smart home items only operate with Google Assistant or Alexa, so it can be crucial to think about which virtual assistant your smart speaker utilizes if you plan to pair it with other devices.
What A Smart Speaker Can Do
For older persons without computers or with vision or mobility issues, these hands-free gadgets that respond to voice instructions are a terrific option. Ask Alexa or Google, the digital assistants that work on smart speakers, to answer your queries or do chores for you to retrieve information.
And that's only the very beginning. You can gain from owning a smart speaker in a variety of ways.
Make & Receive Calls
Do you dislike making phone calls by holding the phone up to your ear? With a smart speaker, you can make and take calls with ease and speed. It makes sense that keeping in contact with loved ones—particularly children and grandchildren—is one of the most common uses of voice-activated technology among older folks.
Listen to Automatic Reminders
One of a voice assistant's most basic—yet most effective—features is the ability to set reminders. You may program your smart speakers to remind you to do a variety of tasks, such as remembering to take your prescription, water your plants, or give a pal a call to catch up.
Entertain Yourself On The Go
With just a voice command, you can play nearly any sort of music on smart speakers at any time. You may also ask Alexa or Google to tell you a joke, play games, or listen to audiobooks. You can also ask a ton of amusing "Easter egg" questions.
Get Assistance Instantly
You may use voice control to operate your TV, lights, and thermostat when your smart speaker is linked to other smart home appliances. Oh, the convenience!
Call For Emergency Hassle-Free
You can still have some piece of mind even if you can't use your smart speaker to dial 911. link your device to a service provider such as Ask My Buddy, which allows you to text, email, or call selected recipients. You can also use the Buddy Assist feature to link your device with first responders. You must register for an account on their website to link. For more sophisticated features, it costs $5 a month and is free to use. Additionally, if someone in your home asks Alexa to "call for help," you can designate one emergency contact to message and call.
Best Smart Speakers For You In 2023
Now, let's take a look at some of the top picks for smart speakers for you in 2023. Whether you need a standalone speaker or a complete smart home, EVVR Center Lite can add value and integration for a better experience.
Sonos Era 10
For the past three generations, we have been huge admirers of Sonos' little smart speakers, with the Sonos One model long at the top of our list. With additional tweeters and a 25% larger woofer, Sonos's Era 100 expands the greatest smart speaker to a stereo configuration and boosts bass, making it even more effective at filling your area with sound.
This generation's built-in room tuning is really fantastic; it can quickly scan your area with frequencies to let it automatically adjust the EQ for the precise location. It's not a trick: the highs shimmer even more, and the bass sounds tighter. In addition, the new smart speaker includes a large volume slider on top and a switch that makes it simple to deactivate the microphones when you're not using the voice assistant.
Amazon Echo
With more room-filling sound than ever before, Amazon's Echo speaker is a charming ball of sound that features the same powerful bass and expansive soundstage as the previous edition. It can be placed anywhere, including tiny living rooms and kitchens, and it effortlessly projects 360 degrees of sound around the area.
This is the speaker I would choose for off-axis listening (that is, when you are not sitting directly in front of the speaker) over Google's Nest Audio speaker. In addition, Alexa makes it easy to acquire news and weather updates and makes setting alarm clocks and kitchen timers a breeze. We also appreciate that there is a physical button to turn off the microphones, which is useful for entertaining guests who are voice assistant-averse. This is the best Alexa speaker available if you're looking for something straightforward, budget-friendly, and audio-focused that doesn't interfere with your life.
Google Nest Audio
Although smart displays are fantastic for the kitchen, their speakers are frequently too weak to allow you to sway through dinner preparation. For this reason, we are fans of the Google Nest Hub Max, which has two quite great speakers situated beneath its 10-inch screen. While the fidelity won't be as high as with standalone smart speakers, it's still good enough to host a little dance party while the lasagna bakes. Additionally, you can pause music with a stop-hand signal rather than touching the device or speaking.
There are several other reasons why the Nest Hub Max is currently our preferred smart display as well. We appreciate that it can recognize certain family members using its camera, only displaying information relevant to them, and that it has a larger display, which is wonderful for viewing YouTube tutorials.
Yamaha ATS-2090
The Yamaha YAS-209 is the greatest smart soundbar available right now, with a wireless subwoofer, simulated surround sound that fills the room, and built-in Amazon Alexa. With its Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity, Spotify Connect compatibility, and dual connectivity, this speaker is perfect for all-around living room listening.
Google Nest Hub Max
Although smart displays are fantastic for the kitchen, their speakers are frequently too weak to allow you to sway through dinner preparation. Because of this, we enjoy the Google Nest Hub Max, which has two quite good speakers located beneath its 10-inch screen. While the fidelity won't be as high as with standalone smart speakers, it's still good enough to host a little dance party while the lasagna bakes. Additionally, you can pause music with a stop-hand signal rather than touching the device or speaking.
There are several other reasons why the Nest Hub Max is currently our preferred smart display as well. We appreciate that it can recognize certain family members using its camera, only displaying information relevant to them, and that it has a larger display, which is wonderful for viewing YouTube tutorials. Additionally, Google Meet, Zoom, and Duo now offer group video calling, which makes this an even better choice if you frequently communicate with colleagues or coworkers through those platforms.
EVVR Center Lite - The Partner Your Smart Speakers Need
Smart Speakers are great, but they are even better when they are connected to a smart home hub such as EVVR Center Lite. It can control and communicate all the devices and appliances across the smart home to work in unity. If you are looking for a smart home hub, this is the one for you!
