Smart assistants: a guide for beginners and the confused
New to the world of smart assistants? We talk you through the basics – what are they and how can they make daily life
easier and more efficient?
By Gerald Lynch January 16, 2020
What is a smart assistant? And what do they actually do? If you feel as though everyone knows the answers to these
questions, apart from you, this feature was written with you in mind.
What is a smart assistant?
A smart assistant – also known as a virtual assistant – is a form of software installed in a smart device (such as a smart
speaker or a smart phone) that can perform tasks or services, or answer questions. They're essentially the link between
us and smart technology software and are essential for controlling smart plugs, smart thermostats and similar devices.
In order to communicate with your smart assistant, you'll need a smart speaker for it to 'live' inside of. Popular smart
assistants include Alexa, Siri and Google Assistant.
What can smart assistants do?
1. Give you hands-free control
Voice control allows you to interact with your smart assistant, without lifting a finger. Whether controlling wider smart
technology or searching the cloud through the internet to find exactly the information you need, this handy feature
makes daily life easier and more efficient.
You can change from these default settings, but here’s how to get chatty with your smart assistant. Just follow these
'wake words' with the request you need:
Google Assistant: 'OK Google…' - Apple Siri: 'Hey Siri...' - Amazon Alexa: 'Alexa...” - Microsoft Cortana: “Hey
Cortana...' - Samsung Bixby: 'Hi Bixby…'
2. Answer your questions
One of the main uses for a smart assistant is to get instant answers to questions you may have, with the assistant
searching the internet to find the information you need, before speaking it back to you. Simply use the wake word, and
follow it with your question.
So far, Google Assistant tends to be the smartest helper for this sort of task due to its ability to tap into the vast
knowledge of the Google search engine. But, all assistants are getting better at answering questions all the time. Alexa
even lets you download 'Skills', which are app-like voice control programmes for fulfilling specific requests, like calling
an Uber app or checking your commute time.
3. Become your digital DJ
By tapping into services such as Amazon Music, Google Play Music, Apple Music, Spotify and Tidal, smart assistants
can become your own personal DJ.
So long as you have a subscription to one of the services, you can ask the assistant to play any of tens of millions of
songs available. Amazon Music – available with Alexa – is even capable of figuring out what song you’re after just by
you telling it a few lines of lyrics.
4. Get recommendations
Over time, your smart assistant will get to know your preferences and routines, offering recommendations for things to
do, places to visit, or music to listen to.
Again, with its deep knowledge and links to your online search history, Google Assistant is great for getting tailored
recommendations which can be surprisingly accurate.
5. Place calls on your behalf
Need to make a phone call, but have no free hands? Simply activate the assistant and, provided you’ve given it access to
your contacts book, you can have it place a call for you.
In the future, using the new Google Duplex feature, you’ll even be able to let the Google Assistant take and make calls
for you, cleverly speaking on your behalf to make bookings and appointments. Futuristic or what?
6. Help you with your shopping
You’ve got some important shopping to do ? Why not let Alexa handle it for you? With just a voice request (provided
you’ve switched on the setting in your Amazon account), you’ll be able to shop any of the items available through
Amazon by just asking and following the instructions.
Amazon’s returns policy is very generous if you make a mistake, but do keep in mind that you should be careful using
this feature – remember to activate pin protection if your Amazon Echo device has an Alexa smart assistant that’s being
shared by a whole household.
7. Establish home automation
This is where things start getting very futuristic. If you’ve got a range of smart devices in your home (perhaps smart
connected lighting systems, such as Philips Hue ; or a TV with a smart streaming device, such as the Amazon Fire TV
stick attached), you can use the smart assistants to control all these elements, using your voice, in your home.
Alexa, Siri and the Google Assistant can dim your lights, lock your doors, change the temperature on your smart
thermostat and much, much more, provided that you’re using equipment that supports the many third party
manufacturers out there.
8. Set reminders
Perfect for the forgetful types, smart assistants have the capacity to set timed reminders with just a simple spoken
request. This will fire off an alarm and notify you of what needs doing, and when.
When you make a reminder using a smart speaker, it’ll also intelligently transfer it to your phone too, so you don’t
forget anything while you’re out and about either.
9. Handle translations and conversions
Travelling abroad and need to know how to say 'hello' in German, or figure out how many yen to a pound? Smart
assistants are worldly know-it-alls, capable of translating dozens of languages from across the globe, and able to give
you the most up-to-date currency conversion rates. It’s just one of the reasons why they’re such useful travel buddies
for the solo adventurer.
10. Give you medical advice
Yes, it's true, and it's official NHS advice, too. Amazon have teamed up with the NHS, and now if you ask Alexa
anything health-related, you'll get answers based only on official NHS guidelines. Especially useful for minor ailments,
it can save you time calling your GP practice, or 111.
Would we substitute it for real medical advice from a human? Probably not, but for the odd minor ailment, it's a good
first stop, and is aimed at alleviating pressure on the health services, which is no bad thing.
https://www.realhomes.com/advice/smart-assistants
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