Home invasion

13 Oct 2018

Google and Amazon are fighting to get their digital home assistants to do your bidding, but do you need a talking computer to help you around the house?

Home assistants – effectively a talking speaker that you can ask to help around the home – have been getting a lot of press of late. But is it time to invest in one of these devices? Or should you wait until they work out a few bugs? And do you really need one at all?

If you have an iPhone, and use the Siri personal-assistant function, you will have a rough idea of what companies are offering with Google Home and Amazon Echo (Alexa). These are home helpers that can look things up for you on the internet, access apps like music, and play throughout the house. And, like Siri, they can get simple requests very, very wrong!

Currently, these systems are in the “early adopter” phase, so we can expect greater integration to come.

In later editions, they may be more like the “smart homes” that have been talked about, where the devices in your house will be able to talk to each other. Scary or helpful? You decide.

For now, there are connection devices from companies like Sony and Samsung that can help these home assistants control fans, thermostats and lighting. Some can even open garage doors and turn on sprinklers in the garden.

Google Home retails for around $199 and Amazon Echo is around $149. Both can be found cheaper on auction sites and on special in stores.

Which one should I buy?

Ultimately, these home assistants both perform similar functions, and they aren’t the only players in the market; speaker brands like Sonos also offer smart speakers, but they’re not as “connected” as Google and Amazon, the leaders in the field.

They both have their strengths and weaknesses. When it comes to giving you the news, many review websites give Google the edge. But when it comes to playing music, it probably depends if you already use a streaming music service. If you use Google Music, then Google Home makes sense; if not, then it’s probably not important.

Only one of them can order Australian users a pizza, and that is Alexa – but she can only work with her fellow US conglomerate Domino’s, so this feature is more of a novelty than a helpful dinner option!

Advantages for seniors

So, is there a particular need for seniors to invest in this new technology? The short answer is no, but there are a number of helpful things a home assistant can do.

They can offer reminders. Do you need to take medication, keep a shopping list or get ready for the next Probus meeting? Setting a reminder with your home assistant can be an easy way to remember.

They can help you communicate. If you’re having trouble dialling a normal phone due to arthritis or other issues, you can simply ask your home assistant to contact someone for you. This could even be helpful in the unlikely event of having a fall within hearing range of your device.

These home assistants also allow you to check the weather, access your calendar or talk to friends without having to get up, which can be helpful if you have issues moving around. And for the visually impaired, they can make phone calls and shopping lists, and also make shopping online much easier due to their voice activation.

Whether or not you think a home assistant is for you now, you should certainly keep an eye on these devices as they continue to mature.