Many people may say that they have become telework-centered life in the past year. Including telework, remote needs are increasing, such as “We plan to return home remotely during the New Year holidays and Obon.” In such a case, smart speakers will play an active role. With smart speakers, you can easily make video calls as well as play music and operate home appliances. This time, we will explain the functions of smart speakers, typical products, and precautions.
Comfortable with voice operation. What you can do with smart speakers
Smart speakers, which can operate various functions by voice operation, have been attracting attention in recent years. Here, we will introduce what you can do with smart speakers.
Play music
Smart speakers can play music and radio by connecting to a smartphone via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. There is also a type in which a music streaming application is installed in the smart speaker body. You can also give instructions by voice operation, so you can select songs that suit your mood, such as “play a song that makes you feel good” or “play the music that allows you to concentrate on your work.” You can work or study while being surrounded by comfortable music that makes you feel as if you are in a cafe.
Time management and refresh
Since the smart speaker does not have to be operated by remote control, you can easily operate it with just your voice without stopping your hands while working. Since the timer can be set only by voice, it is useful when you want to concentrate on work or study or when you want to take a break by dividing the time. For example, when you are working from home and cannot keep your concentration, use the timer function of the smart speaker to say “Set an alarm after 1 hour”. If you decide to take a break when the next alarm sounds, you can concentrate on your work and improve your work efficiency. There are also smart speakers that have exercise programs to move your body, which is effective for refreshing during desk work.
Operation of home appliances
By linking the smart speaker and the remote control of the home appliance, you can operate the home appliance only by voice. If it is a remote control for home appliances that can be operated with infrared rays, it can be easily linked with a smart speaker using a smartphone application or the like. You can change the brightness of the lights, switch the air conditioner, check the amount of electricity used, and operate all the home appliances in the house. You don’t even know where the remote control is in the room and you don’t have to look for it. In addition, since you can operate home appliances only by voice, you can expect to be active in every scene, such as when you do not want to get out of bed, when you can not take your hands off work, or when it is troublesome to find a remote control.
Smart speakers can also make video calls
The smart speaker can not only play music and operate by voice, but also make a call if it is equipped with voice assist. Video calls are also possible with smart speakers with a display. Therefore, you can make a call at any time even if you do not have a smartphone or PC at hand. Video calls with smart speakers have two advantages, so I will explain them in detail.
Easy to use even for children and the elderly
Since the smart speaker can be operated by voice, even children and the elderly can easily use it. Anyone can easily operate it, so it will be useful regardless of the scene, such as wanting to show the growth of the child to grandparents or knowing whether the child is properly returning from school.
Since the only person you can call is a preset person, you can prevent your child from calling someone you don’t know even if you operate it.
Can distribute the load on the device
Since homework has become mainstream, online meetings and interviews have increased. Video chat and video conferencing tools for PCs and smartphones are used there. There are various types such as ZOOM, Google Meet, Teams, etc., and it is a convenient tool that allows you to talk while looking at your face, but if you try to do other work at the same time while connecting these, it will put a load on the terminal. In such a case, a smart speaker with a display is useful for video phones. The load on your smartphone and computer can be distributed, and you can work smoothly, such as in online meetings, with your smart speaker while opening files on your computer.
Which smart speaker supports the telephone function?
Smart speakers with built-in voice assistants such as Google, Alexa, LINE Clova, and Siri that can also perform phone functions are also compatible with phones. When you make a call from your smart speaker, you need to sync with your contacts, and each method is different. Alexa and Siri need to sync with the contacts app on your smartphone, LINE Clova needs contacts in the LINE app, and Google needs to sync with the video calling app Google Duo. If you choose a smart speaker that matches the device you normally use, you can set it up smoothly. There are two types of smart speakers, one that allows you to make calls using only voice and the other that has a display. The display-equipped type has an in-camera, so you can make a call while looking at both faces. Since you can talk hands-free, you can use it in various situations such as cooking and exercising. Of course, you can also have a conversation with the camera function turned off. With this, you can meet family and friends who live far away and cannot easily meet remotely. For example, I was able to show my parents the face of a grown-up child immediately, and I was pleased with it. In addition, depending on the model, you can check the video and sound captured by the built-in camera from the smart speaker at home on your smartphone. You can rest assured when you want to see your pet’s answering machine on the go, or when you want to see your baby sleeping from another room. In this way, smart speakers also play an active role in terms of home security.
Precautions when making a call with a smart speaker
It’s a handy and convenient smart speaker, but there are some caveats. You need to be careful so that you don’t say “I bought it but can’t use it”.
Give it to the elderly after setting it in advance
The voice operation of the smart speaker itself can be easily operated by children and the elderly, but it needs to be set in advance. Specifically, it is necessary to synchronize contacts using the app and limit the number of people who can make calls, so some people who do not usually touch the Internet may find it “difficult and complicated”. There is no point in giving a gift if you can’t use it. The way to solve it smoothly is to set it up in advance and then pass it on. A person who is accustomed to IT equipment, such as network connection, call / incoming settings, and contact synchronization, makes a set of settings before handing them over to the other party. It is recommended that even elderly people can use it immediately if it can be used just by turning on the power.
Requires smartphone and app settings for each other
Wi-Fi connection is often required for the initial settings of smart speakers, so make sure that each other’s Wi-Fi environment is in place. If you compare the phone setting method with Amazon products such as Amazon Echo, first install the Alexa app and make initial settings such as phone number and name input while connecting to Wi-Fi. The person you can call is someone who is registered as a contact on your smartphone and who has permission to contact you from the Alexa app. Please note that the call will not connect unless the other party also allows contact from the Alexa app.
This is the recommended smart voice remote controller. Aladdin Remoless
There are many types of smart speakers, so you may want to have only the functions that suit you. If you don’t need the telephone function but want only the remote control function, we recommend the + Style smart voice remote control “Aladdin Remoless”. Aladdin Remoless also has a function that allows you to operate home appliances from outside with the app. I will explain the features in detail.
What is Aladdin Remoless?
Aladdin Remoless is a smart voice remote controller that can be operated only by voice. If you connect to the air conditioner using the dedicated smartphone app, you can operate the air conditioner without looking for remote control. For example, if you go home on a hot summer day and open the front door, the room may be hot. In such a case, if you have a smart speaker, you can turn on the air conditioner before you go home, so you can keep your room cool when you get home. Also, if you say “Remores, turn on / off the air conditioner” before going to bed, you can operate the air conditioner without looking for remote control. In addition to air conditioners, it is also compatible with home appliances that can be operated by infrared rays, such as TVs and lighting, and you can operate home appliances with just voice. Click here for details on “Aladdin Remoless” of + Style
summary
Placing a smart speaker at home has the advantage of being able to easily operate home appliances by voice and making it easier to communicate. If you use a smart speaker with a display, you can comfortably perform remote homecoming and telework. If you want to make your daily life more convenient and comfortable even if your lifestyle changes, we recommend installing smart speakers and smart remote controls.
