When the first smart speakers hit the market, they were known as digital assistants. They did little more than find information online. How things have changed in the last couple of years. Smart speaker technology has advanced so much that what used to be a digital assistant is now a digital concierge ready to meet your needs.
Americans in 2020 are tapping into the vast potential of smart speakers. The most recent data suggest that 25% of all U.S. households have at least one smart speaker. It is not beyond the realm of possibility that more than half will have one in the not so distant future. Those of us who already have them might find them tremendously handy right now.
Reminding About Medications
So, what is this vast potential that smart speakers possess? Truth be told, you can do so many things with a smart speaker that it is hard to list them all here. It might be better just to illustrate some of the highlights. At the top of the list is reminding seniors about their medications. This could one of the most important benefits of smart speakers during the pandemic.
Some 87% of all seniors age 62 to 85 take at least one prescription medication. Anyone who has ever taken a prescription knows how easy it is to forget. Seniors are obviously at greater risk of forgetting. A smart speaker changes that. You can simply tell your smart speaker to remind you when to take your medication. At the given time, the speaker will play an audio reminder.
Arranging Food Delivery
If your home is equipped with one of the more modern smart speaker devices, you can use it to order food from local restaurants. For example, Amazon’s Alexa will let you order pizza from Domino’s with a simple voice command. Note that it is best to set things up ahead of time with the Domino’s smartphone app so as to make the best use of all the available features.
By searching for restaurants that allow this sort of thing, ordering the evening meal can be as simple as speaking. Best of all, you don’t have to risk infection by going out to pick up your food. Stay safe at home and let the restaurant deliver right to your door.
Making Shopping Lists
How often have you thought of something you needed to buy at the grocery store but didn’t have a pen and paper available to write it down? The stress of safer at-home orders might make putting together a list even more difficult. So use your smart speaker to make a grocery list to do it.
Just activate the speaker with a voice command and tell it what you need to buy. You can add items to your list over the next couple of days. When you are finally ready to go to the store, send the list to your smartphone and you are all set. Making grocery lists has never been easier.
Home Automation Capabilities
Tapping into the vast capabilities of a smart speaker gets better if you hook it up to a smart home automation system. You can use something like Amazon Alexa to control everything from the thermostat to your lighting. Imagine turning the lights on and off with a voice command. It’s awesome.
There is a lot more this post could discuss, but hopefully you get the point. Today’s smart speaker is more than just a digital assistant. It is a digital concierge always standing by to help. It just may save your sanity while you are stuck at home.