Alexa can do some pretty amazing things lately. It can take you to Westworld, or help you fight aliens. It can make you the reigning overlord of a smart home, triggering “party time” with a single voice command. It can call you a cab, order you a pizza, or read you a bedtime story. But a new study commissioned by U.K. digital marketing firm Code Computerlove has discovered that most people use this transformative technology to … boil an egg.
Potentially the most powerful device in the Internet of Things universe is used by most people for the simplest, most basic household functions imaginable. Sixty-five percent use the speaker to play music, while half of the 1,000 respondents to the poll conducted by OnePoll listen to news or the weather. And one in five use Alexa’s sophisticated platform to time the boiling of an egg. That same percentage would like Alexa’s help in telling the perfect joke.
“A lot of people are banking on home speakers being the future of home automation — and they are certainly making progress in helping homeowners link all their smart technology together. So voice-activated devices are definitely here to stay,” said Louis Georgiou of Code Computerlove. “But I think this survey reinforces that we’re probably not using the technology to its full capabilities. We’re still quite conservative and limited in the tasks we’re asking our devices to perform. My prediction is that we’ll see a move toward more valuable and worthwhile interactions — instead of just asking Alexa for a weather forecast when we can look out of the window ourselves.”
Language itself is causing some stress among users, at least across the pond. The study reported that nearly half of all U.K. citizens get odd answers from their Alexa because it can’t understand their regional accents — a perfectly understandable complaint given that the smart speaker now speaks fluent French and Spanish. Nearly half of all respondents are worried that their voice assistants might start talking to each other in a language they don’t understand. Eighty percent of us are worried that our smart speakers are recording our conversations.
Regardless of those fears, the survey reflects how fond users have become of their talkative digital assistants. At least a quarter of respondents report chatting with their smart speaker every day, while that same amount reports taking their voice assistants to bed with them. That’s if they can find them — around 30 percent of users report having forgotten they even have a smart speaker in the house.
It’s not a result that is unique to the U.K. (except maybe that part about boiling eggs). American surveys have also found similar results, reporting that smart speaker users mostly listen to music, check on the weather, and set reminders for mundane daily tasks, as well as more lively subjects like joke-telling and online dating.
The survey also reflects the market’s opinion that Amazon is winning the smart speaker war. More than 75 percent of users reported owning an Amazon Echo, while Google Home came in second place and a mere fraction reported owning Apple’s HomePod.
Few things ruin a quiet evening faster than a robot vacuum roaring through the living room. Most of us end up pausing the cleaning run, which defeats the whole purpose of owning one. Matic thinks it has the answer with its new Serene robot vacuum, and the big selling point is how little noise it makes.
The Matic Serene runs at 52 decibels even when cleaning at full power. To put that in perspective, Matic compares it to the hum of your refrigerator. It is available now for $1,695, which is $200 more than the original Matic’s current price.
Outdoor security cameras are not always practical if you live in an apartment or rental. Drilling into an exterior wall may be off-limits, while pointing a regular indoor camera through a window can create another problem once reflections start showing up after dark.
Baseus is trying to solve both issues with the new PrimeSentinel W1, a $69.99 security camera designed specifically to monitor the outdoors through glass. It mounts directly to a window without drilling and uses a 4K Starlight sensor with an F1.0 aperture for full-color monitoring during the day and at night.
This post is brought to you in paid partnership with Best Buy.
Technology evolves every day, transforming how we live and work. Our devices are becoming more than tools we use. They are increasingly capable companions that help streamline day-to-day routines and spark creative ideas. If you have been waiting for the right moment to upgrade your tech setup, the Discover Samsung Shopping Event offers an opportunity to explore what connected, AI-powered living can look like.