To compete with the surging popularity of smart-home controllers, LG is at work on its own version of a Bluetooth speaker. The “SmartThinQ Hub” aims to provide competition to rival devices including Amazon’s Echo speaker; a device which bolstered the use of virtual assistants and voice-controlled speakers.
LG confirmed plans for the speaker at this year’s CES event and hopes to ramp up its userbase with one of the trendiest versions in the market. According to Tech Crunch, the SmartThinQ Hub provides users with basic features including connecting to their house’s smart devices and play music from online platforms.
Since Echo’s debut in 2014 set expectations quite high, we believe LG will need to incorporate a few novel features to emerge through the clutter of the competition. Echo users have gotten quite accustomed to the vast range of tasks they can perform simply by communicating with Echo’s digital assistant Alexa.
Alexa provides Echo countless options from the “Skills Kit.” This feature makes use of third-party integration to perform a range of tasks without even moving. These include receiving weather forecasts, traffic updates, receiving medical feedback for kids, ordering an Uber or a pizza from Domino’s, and controlling August locks. These capabilities became the trendiest parts of its appeal and substantially facilitated the launch of Echo-inspired devices like the Tap and Dot.
To take advantage of Alexa’s head start, LG has initiated a deal to enable its future smart home controller to connect with Alexa. The integration won’t provide all features accessible on the Echo but will include the option to update calendars and schedules, or play music by pressing a button on the speaker. An alternate method to connect to Alexa on the SmartThinQ is through its Bluetooth remote.
Alexa’s integration with SmartThinQ was perhaps the silver bullet missing so far, and could take it to the top on the list of top smart home devices in the future. The key source of trouble still remains though, since the list of things the Echo can do from voice commands includes several daily-use tasks.
The deal is bound to add a promotional dash to Amazon’s popularity too and it seems its foray into smart-home devices has been exactly what was required to establish a foothold in a space even Apple and Google are comparatively new to.
Noteworthy emerging platforms include Google Home, which was developed after the Echo’s launch. Recently, Google confirmed that a dozen engineers from Nest Labs were going to start working on perfecting the company’s smart-home offerings.
With numerous competing devices already in the market, LG has its work cut out for itself especially in the marketing department. It has so far been silent on the release date or pricing for the SmartThinQ.
