LG's new Smart Home Hub looks Offley familiar
There is no denying that Amazon's Smart Home Hub called Echo has been a hit for the shipping giant. And with great success comes great competition and smartphone maker LG is offering their take on the Smart Home Hub, and it also looks very similar to Amazon's Echo. LG recently announced the SmartThinQ Hub, which has a large built-in speaker that has the option to stream music and a built-in 3.5-inch color LCD display. That display is used as a "gateway" to the users automated home, such as connecting smart refrigerators, washing machines and air conditioners and more. The SmartThinQ hub uses the AllJoyn "Internet of Things" platform hat allows connecting both smart and conventional appliances via WiFi, Bluetooth and/or Zigbee. Additionally, the hub can display notifications on the screen, or it can announce them through the speaker. Like Amazon's Echo, you can stream music through iHeartRadio or other stations via a Bluetooth connection. But where Amazon's Alexa Virtual Assistant on the Echo shines through commands such as playing a specific song, finding places to eat or checking your sports teams score, LG's Hub can only be used via a smartphone, which is a disappointment.
Controlling notifications and system controls are managed through the SmartThinQ app, thus meaning the user would have to manually control everything, instead of speaking the commands to the speaker. While controlling the smart devices might be a challenge, adding appliances via LG's other SmartThinQ products, such as the SmartThinQ sensor that will make regular non-smart appliances "smart-aware" will be easier. LG's new hub will be demonstrated at CES, which is happening in just a couple weeks. Stay tuned to TechDependent for all of our coverage from the world's biggest consumer gadget show.
Via: | The Verge |
Source: | LG Newsroom |
