In the beginning, God said let there be light, and there was light. Not to be overly blasphemous, but you can now be a god too. And by that, I mean that if you speak it, it shall come to pass. Literally. From your car to your home to your to-do list, everything can be managed using your voice. If you prefer to no longer lift a finger, there are three technologies you must own.
Your Voice is a Guardian Angel
Of course, being a god means you’ll have enemies. Protect yourself with a voice controlled home security system. Several systems can be controlled using your voice including ADT (through the ADT Pulse Voice app), Alarm.com, Xfinity Home (through X1 services), and Vivint Home Security (via the power of Alexa). Using your voice, you’ll be able to arm your system, disarm it, lock your doors, and call for help.
Basically Help! I’ve fallen, and I can’t get up! + steroids = your voice-controlled security system.
Google Home and Amazon Echo Want to Rule Your Home
The second thing you’ll need in your quest to control the world with your tongue is an at-home personal assistant. Currently, the best option is Amazon Echo; but soon, Google Home will be a competitor. Both allow you to verbally control your home. You can use either device to control your home’s temperature, order a pizza, listen to jokes, and even request an Uber using nothing but your voice. Think of them like Siri for home, but more useful. The big question is, which device should you choose?
Amazon
- Echos Knowledge Comes From Wikipedia
- Option To Use Echo or Lower Priced Echo Dot or Amazon Tap
- Echo works with lots of other smart home devices including third-party devices and has an open API.
- Alexa Doesn’t Care About You
- Speakers Not Connected
- Alexa Can Be Purchased Now
- Google Home uses Google
- One Device – Pricing TBD
- Google Home compatibility is TBD, but it’s possible it might only play with Works with Nest (Google owned).
- Google knows you and it feeds some of that knowledge to Google Home to personalize your experience.
- Can Sync Music Across Multiple Speakers
- Google Home is Coming Soon
If we were keeping score, and I think we should, that’s 3 points for Echo and 3 points for Google Home. Echo should get a bonus point because you can buy it now; otherwise, I’d say these two devices are neck and neck depending on what you want to achieve. Both will let you command your life with your voice.
Oh, and if you can do a little tinkering, you can also control your car. Mind blown.
Control the World On the Go
If you’re going to play god, you can’t be confined to the walls of your home. And that means you’ll need to buy a smartwatch running Android Wear or soon, Android Wear 2.0. Using nothing but your mouth, you can send emails, a text, check your schedule, and more. And did I mention that a smartwatch can make you a genius? It can, backed by the almighty power of Google. Trivia night just got a whole lot easier.
So what are you waiting for? Clear your throat, take a swig of water, and sit awestruck at the power that is your voice.
