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It’s becoming more common for individuals to use a smart speaker as a part of their daily life. There is a learning curve when it comes to you first deciding to use smart speakers throughout your home. So, what exactly is a smart speaker, and how do they work?
Smart speakers are speakers that connect to the internet to help users answer questions, create lists, set timers, remember appointments, and listen to music. Voice recognition allows these speakers to provide assistance upon request. Amazon and Google each have a line of smart speakers.
There are many different models of smart speakers, which can make it challenging for you to select the model that best meets your needs. These speakers are able to provide a user with a large variety of assistance. After conducting research, the following information has been compiled below to help you make an educated decision when it comes to a smart speaker.
If you want to use them for music, you can find our favorites in this article: The Best Smart Home Speakers For Playing Music
Table of Contents
What are Smart Speakers?
Since around 2014, there has been some form of virtual assistant at the hands of the majority of people. This virtual assistant includes Siri on Apple products, the “Hey Google” feature on Google products, and many other features depending on the device itself.
During this time, many people used only their mobile devices to access these virtual assistants; however, these virtual assistants are now accessible through the use of these smart speakers.
Rather than just being normal Bluetooth speakers, smart speakers connect to the internet in order to be able to provide you with assistance. There is a large list of things that these speakers are able to assist you with, which is why they are a perfect addition to your home.
Similar to the virtual assistant on your mobile device, the voice recognition of smart speakers allows you to give commands to the device without using your hands.
Unlike regular speakers, smart speakers are able to use voice recognition from a distance to provide the assistance you need. With the connection to the internet, smart speakers are able to access information online to better answer any questions you may have.
Rather than having to stop what you’re doing to type your question into a search engine, using a virtual assistant allows the answer to easily be given to you after you simply ask your question aloud.
Like other speakers, a smart speaker is able to help you listen to music at a louder volume than your phone would allow. The biggest difference is that instead of needing to be connected to your phone through Bluetooth, smart speakers are able to access your online music library directly, whether that be through Spotify, Amazon Music, or Apple Music.
The most commonly used smart speakers are made by Amazon and Google. While other companies have begun creating their own version of these smart speakers, many trust the smart speakers created by these well-known companies the most.
Amazon Smart Speakers
In 2014, Amazon launched its line of smart speakers. In addition to creating its own line of smart speakers, Amazon also released its own virtual assistant named Alexa. This is a virtual assistant that many people are very familiar with because Alexa is so commonly used.
The first actual smart speaker that was produced by Amazon was the Amazon Echo. This smart speaker allows you to easily listen to whatever music you like through whatever music streaming service you have. In addition to this, you are able to rely on using the features of this smart speaker to get assistance with many other tasks throughout your day.
There is a smaller version of the Echo called the Amazon Echo Dot. The size of this smart speaker makes it perfect for smaller places or for you if you’re wanting more of a minimalist look. This smart speaker offers all of the assistance that can be offered by the Amazon Echo while taking up less space in your home.
The Amazon Echo Studio Smart Speaker is similar to the Amazon Echo while having updated software to be able to provide you with better assistance. With this smart speaker, you are able to not only listen to the music of your choice, but you are able to gain assistance doing a variety of tasks throughout your day without having to interact with your phone directly.
There are different generations for each of these versions of the Amazon smart speaker. With each of these different generations, there are updates to the software that allows each newer release of the same device to provide better assistance to you and all other users.
Google Smart Speakers
The first virtual assistant that was released in the form of a smart speaker by Google was the Google Home. It was released around 2016.
Since the initial release of the Google Home, there have been other versions of this smart speaker and virtual assistant released by Google. Each of these versions has been improved in order to better provide its users with the help they need.
The Google Home allows you to easily access any information that you need while remaining hands-free. This is great for people who find themselves thinking of things that need to be done when they are unable to stop what they’re doing to make a reminder. They are able to easily tell their Google Home what they need without having to stop the task at hand.
In addition to having the option to purchase the full-sized Google Home or the Google Home Mini.
The Google Mini works exactly like the Google Home while only being about half of the size. It is great for individuals who want to have a smart speaker and virtual assistant but don’t want to dedicate very much space to it. This version of the Google Home will work great for you if you want to go for a more minimalist look while still having access to all that a smart speaker offers.
The second version of Google’s smart speaker is the Google Nest. Similar to the Google Home, this smart speaker allows you to easily access information without needing to stop the task at hand. The major difference between the Google Home and the Google Nest is the improvement in the software.
Like the Google Home, there is a mini version of the Google Nest. It allows individuals to have access to a smart speaker and a virtual assistant without needing to dedicate a large amount of space to the speaker itself. The Google Nest Mini is about half the size of the original version, which allows it to be put into tiny spaces so it is out of the way.
Apple Smart Speakers
In addition to Amazon and Google, Apple has a line of smart speakers that are often used by individuals using other Apple products. While this speaker isn’t only compatible with iPhones or other Apple devices, this line of smart speakers is mostly used by people who are familiar with Apple products and the company overall.
Similar to Amazon, Apple has its own virtual assistant that is specific to this company. If you’re familiar with Apple products, you are at least somewhat familiar with the Siri feature that acts as a virtual assistant in your handheld Apple product. Siri gives Apple users the answers to their questions while being able to provide assistance in performing various tasks.
Apple’s first smart speaker was the HomePod. This smart speaker is not only able to connect directly to your smartphone but can also connect directly to your Apple Music account or other music services to allow you to listen to the music of your choice at any time.
The HomePod allows you to access Siri without having to have your phone in the same room. When using this smart speaker, you are able to access any information you may need while not having to directly look up your questions.
In addition to the HomePod, Apple released a HomePod Mini. This offers all the benefits of the HomePod while being a smaller size, which makes it the perfect smart speaker for you if you are living in a smaller place. The HomePad Mini is able to do everything that the original HomePod does while being sold at a lower price.
Like many other smart speakers, Apple is constantly trying to improve the software that is being used by their smart speakers. This allows individuals to have the best assistance in their smart speaker possible while being able to listen to the music of their choice at any time.
Other Smart Speakers
There have been other companies that have begun creating their own version of the smart speaker. This allows you to have options when it comes to selecting the smart speaker that best meets your needs.
When it comes to deciding which smart speaker is the best fit for your needs, it is extremely important that there are a lot of different options within a price range so you are able to select the speaker that not only meets your needs but also fits your budget.
A brand of smart speakers that is less well-known than the three previously mentioned but is still highly ranked is Sonos. There are a few different models of smart speakers created by this company that are able to provide you with all the assistance you need while being sold at a cheaper price than other smart speakers.
While there are more smart speakers that exist out there, not all of these smart speakers are able to actually provide the assistance that you may need. It is important that before you decide to purchase a lesser-known smart speaker you look at customer reviews to ensure that the speaker was able to actually provide the assistance needed by users.
How do Smart Speakers Work?
In order for your smart speaker to provide you with assistance, it is important you connect whichever smart speaker you own to the internet. Without a connection to the internet, your smart speaker will not be able to provide you with the answers to any of your questions.
When your smart speaker is connected to the internet, it is able to access any search engine to find the answers to all the questions you might have.
Smart speakers use voice recognition to be able to register your commands, which allows you to be able to access assistance from a distance. You are able to continue whatever task you might be doing without stopping in order to perform a task on your phone because you can just say what you want to be done aloud, and your smart speaker will do it for you.
Things Smart Speakers can Assist With
There are many different things that a smart speaker is able to assist you with. You are able to begin streaming music, podcasts, or audiobooks by simply using a vocal command. This allows you to be able to start listening to something while you are in the middle of doing something without having to pause what you’re doing to select what you want to listen to.
Smart speakers are commonly used to set timers while you are cooking. By simply stating that you want a timer set for a specific amount of time, your smart speaker is able to start counting down until whatever you are creating in the kitchen is ready.
Instead of writing your grocery list by hand, you can just list off the items you need to purchase during your next shopping trip with a smart speaker.
This allows you to add to your grocery list as you realize you are running low on an item. This gives you the chance to add things to your grocery list while you are thinking about the item, which decreases the chance of you forgetting something on your shopping trip.
You might have a hard time remembering which tasks you need to be done on a certain day or which days you have appointments; however, smart speakers are able to set reminders for you, which helps you remember what needs to be done each day.
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