Treat yourself to a hands-free right hand
Shop the sales to get ahold of smart-home assistants from Google and Amazon
Wouldn’t it be great to have a personal assistant at your beck and call? You can, and they’re one of the hottest tech toys of 2017. Products such as Google Home ($179) and Amazon Echo Plus ($169) — and discounted by as much as 50 per cent over Boxing Day — are voice-activated helpers for the home.
Essentially, these small devices are speakers with a sensitive microphone you can place somewhere, such as in a kitchen, and after saying the wake words — “OK Google” for Google Home, or “Alexa” for Amazon Echo — you simply ask a question or give a command, and you’ll hear a humanlike female voice respond.
Ask to hear the news, a particular song, a podcast or a joke. Or set a timer for the oven, get homework help or use your voice to control your smart devices in your home, such as lighting or a thermostat. Ask how many calories there are in a doughnut (if you dare). Or how to say “hello” in a specific language. Powered by Google Assistant, Google Home can also detect different voices in your home, so you can ask how long it’ll take to get to the office — with traffic in mind — and you’ll hear a different response than if your partner asks the same question. Some other examples of what these magical boxes can do: Google Home and Amazon Echo can help you remember where you left things. Say something like “Remember my passport is in the top drawer.” When you need it in the future, ask “Where’s my passport?” and “she” will tell you where it is. With hands-free calling on Google Home, you can call friends, family and businesses using just your voice — and it doesn’t cost anything to call Canadian or American numbers. Get flight prices ASAP. Say something like “How much does it cost to fly from Toronto to Los Angeles today, returning Monday?” and you’ll hear the lowest round-trip cost. Bored? Play games with Google Home and Amazon Echo, such as Jeopardy, Mad Libs or trivia. What’s more, these smart assistants are being integrated into many other Wi-Fi products in the home, too. Google Assistant is now available in select Sony TVs, while Amazon Alexa can be accessed in the latest Wi-Fi thermostat from ecobee. The future is here!