Local traffic and weather updates: All smart speakers can provide you with news and information about your local environment, including weather and traffic conditions. Having your own voice-powered personal radio may be a basic feature, but it still feels like a luxury. Streaming music: Smart speakers are perfect for listening to your favorite music-streaming services, and some even allow you to rate music with voice commands so they can create a custom “radio station” based on your unique tastes. Here are things we most love doing with our smart speakers. If you’re interested in setting up multiroom audio in your home, pick your first smart speaker wisely because you’re essentially deciding on which brand you’ll be using as you build out your multi-speaker environment.įor most people, the first question is typically, “What exactly would I do with a smart speaker?” While most models are learning new skills all the time, it’s worth remembering the core functions that make owning a smart speaker so much fun. Multiroom audio is great for parties or open houses, and so is being able to use voice commands to control it all wherever you go. The resulting effect is multiroom audio: a soundtrack that follows you no matter where you are. Many smart speakers can work with other models from the same brand, and coordinate audio so that it’s playing the same music through every available smart speaker in your house. But if you do go all-in on smart speakers and place them strategically throughout the house, you’ll be able to experience a new benefit: multiroom audio. Once you’ve added a smart speaker to your home, it can be hard to avoid the temptation to buy more. Siri’s voice recognition is so-so, and in many cases where other smart speakers offer options (like allowing you to choose which music-streaming service you use), Siri limits users to Apple’s preferred options (like Apple Music instead of Spotify or TIDAL). Siri from Apple: Apple products are typically “best in class” for most categories, but when it comes to smart speakers, they’re uncharacteristically lagging behind.
Google Home is the only digital assistant powered by Google Search, which gives it a significant advantage over the competition. Google Home has competent (but not perfect) voice recognition, so you may have to repeat yourself occasionally. Google Home from Google: Although it doesn’t have a catchy name like Alexa or Siri, Google’s digital assistant comes with devices under the Google Home brand, and they’re in more homes across the U.S.
More importantly, Alexa has maintained a lead by being the best with artificial intelligence (AI) and voice recognition Echo devices can understand just about anything you say, whether you want to check movie times, place an Amazon product order, or simply lower the volume. Alexa is the pioneer of smart speakers and typically the first to deliver new services to consumers (such as their recent integration with Nest thermostats ).
Here’s what you need to know about the three main digital assistants you’ll encounter in various smart speakers.Īlexa from Amazon: Amazon’s Echo series of devices rely on the shopping giant’s industry-leading voice-controlled services. Your smart speaker experience will be defined by the quality of the digital assistant, and each available option has unique strengths and quirks. While most people use multiroom audio for music, it can also be a great way to listen to audiobooks, so the story follows you wherever you are.
Keep reading for our full take on smart speakers, and when you’re ready to shop, start with our recommended models above. Our shopping guides tell you everything you need to know about which models you should consider – and which you should avoid.
They can do just about anything you can think of automating, and they’re quickly solidifying their role in homes across the country as a centralized resource for entertainment, information, and even making phone calls over the web.Īt BestReviews, we believe in providing our readers with honest reviews that help you make informed purchasing decisions. Smart speakers are small, unassuming gadgets that connect to your WiFi network and accept voice commands, as well as input from a smartphone app.
Smart assistants – cloud-based artificial intelligence that can respond to voice commands – are leading the way to this technical bliss, and they’re most commonly found in smart speakers. The future has officially arrived: we’re finally in the technological age where we can talk to our appliances and devices and get them to do anything from turning the lights off to playing a personalized radio station from the internet.