Hot electronics
Voice-controlled devices lead the list of hottest electronics
Walk into the Albuquerque Baillio’s and, apart from the rows of televisions and other appliances, you will find a full-size kitchen of the future. Here, virtual assistants like Alexa, Google Home and Siri let you control major appliances, dim the lights, create a shopping list, read off a recipe and much more using only your voice.
“What is hot this year and is really taking off for the holidays are smart devices — those controlled by Amazon Alexa, Google voice control products and Siri,” says Baillio’s store manager Rob Kujath.
Baillio’s is so confident this is the future that it’s building a full-scale home interior inside the store with everything from a coffee pot to the heating and cooling system controlled by voice assistants such as the Amazon Echo Dot for $49, the plus version for $169, and Google Home interactive speaker for $99. Once you have the basic system in place, there are a slew of products that will allow you to run an entertainment system, appliances and home security.
With the Samsung SmartThings hub for $99 and an outlet for $43, you can integrate Alexa or Google Home to run appliances and lights. Motion, water leak and arrival sensors starting at $39 let you know when the kids have returned from school and much more.
A kit containing a variety of home security sensors is available for $249, while a camera security system made by Nest starts at $189 for indoor or outdoor cameras featuring a 3 MB sensor and 1080-pixel resolution. These security cameras allow mobile viewing using a downloadable app and also can be used with voice control, specifically the new Amazon Show available at Target for $249. The device expands upon the Echo by offering a video screen. The Ring Video Doorbell at Target for $199.99 is another great security device with mobile viewing.
Making music
Playing music is perhaps the top use currently for voice assistants, and many can improve that experience with higher-quality speakers like those from Sonos.
“Sonos is the number one wireless speaker system on the market and so I can have great audio in my home without the wires and have it appcontrolled,” says Kujath. The newest Sonos speaker, starting at $199, has Alexa built in and can link speakers throughout the home.
Wireless Bluetooth speakers, which can be controlled with a smartphone, continue to improve and range from the colorful Bose Soundlink speakers at $129.99 to the higherend Wavetouch music system at $599 and $199 for additional speakers. Bose has upgraded the familiar looking system with Bluetooth and mobile apps. Other popular systems include those made by Yamaha like the MusicCast wireless speaker at $99 and Paradigm’s premium speakers at $299.
Albuquerque’s Brookstone store is seeing more and more Bluetooth devices all run by apps from your smartphone. For sports fans, there is the $79.99 Gronk football, which is both a football and a wireless speaker that can be programmed with your team’s colors, according to store manager Tim Cole.
“You can throw this like a regular football. It has a 90-foot range and you can Bluetooth it to a phone or TV if you are watching a game,” says Cole.
Youngsters might like the colorful and inexpensive Jamoji speakers at $29.99, while teens might go for the Cat Ear headphones for $129.99. The Bluetooth headphones feature detachable speaker ears for external sound and can be swapped for rabbit or devil ears.
Headphones can bring up safety concerns because they block out ambient sounds like car horns. With the Trekz Air bone conduction headphones at $149.99, that’s not a worry.
“You put them on your temples and so it sounds like regular headphones but you can still hear normally,” says Cole.
Other wireless speakers at Brookstone include small outlet speakers at $19.99 and those that can float in a pool or hot tub for $59.99. The store’s top-selling Big Blue speakers are now also designed for voice control and start at $149.99.
Smartphone rules
A smartphone is your gateway to the virtual reality world. “With a VR headset and the free apps, you just lock your phone into the headset and you are ready to go,” says Cole. Basic VR headsets range from $14.99 to $69.99. Even fidget spinners have entered the Bluetooth world. With the Fidgetly Ctrl, you can compete and battle against other players using a downloadable app. A smartphone or laptop can now easily be used to project images with an added smart projector. A $79 unit will fit in your hand, project up to 50 feet and has an installed PowerPoint program. A smartphone can also be used to find things like lost keys within 100 feet when using the quarter-sized TracR Bravo, $79.99.
Apple watches and Fitbits continue to be popular. The Fitbit Ionic watch at $299 is a less costly alternative to the Apple watch. The device is now waterproof, has built-in GPS and can store 400 songs in addition to its fitness tracking functions. Target in Uptown carries a great selection of personalized bands for both devices, ranging from $14.99 for those by End Scene to $49.99 for Casemate metal bands.
Target’s selection of streaming devices by Roku, Google and Amazon also remain popular, according to Griffin Offerdahl, Uptown Target team leader with the electronics and toy departments. The newest Amazon Fire TV Stick can be voice controlled with Alexa and costs $39.99.
“When Amazon releases something new, we always have people coming in the day of release,” says Offerdahl.
Another popular item offers a more traditional product with a modern twist. The Polaroid Zip 300 at $69.99 and Fujifilm Snap at $99.99 are colorful instant cameras that can print smudgeproof 2x3 photos on the go.
“They have been out a couple of years, but people are still really loving these,” says Offerdahl.