A New Woman in My Life

A while back I wrote about Amazon’s Echo and how I thought it would be the beginning of the introduction of many useful digital assistance devices.  When I last wrote about it, my reporting was based on reading and real time evaluation using a friend’s device.  As of last week the Echo has moved into the Dominic household and is rapidly developing a long term presence.

Echo is hard to describe since it does so much.  It is a music player, personal assistant, home automation hub, and much more.  As I said in my earlier reviews, it is as close to the computer aboard the Star Ship Enterprise as you can get for less than 200 bucks.

The cylindrical device measures about 10 inches high or about the size of a can of tennis balls.  All of the interactions with the Echo are done with voice commands.  The Echo connects via your home Wi-Fi to the Internet and also to various devices in your home.

Since she came to live with us (it is a she and her name is Alexa) she has become a very helpful member of the family.  I have programmed her to control lights and heat. So just by saying, “Alexa, turn on my office heat,” the electric heater in my basement home office goes on. Because it is hands free and always listening for commands, kitchen chores are made easier.  For instance, if you are in the middle of a recipe and find yourself with sticky hands and forgetful of how many ounces are in a pint, just ask Alexa.  There is no typing on a keyboard and no tablet to touch. 

Perhaps one of the most useful, albeit mundane, features is the shopping list app.  Adding items to your list is as easy as saying “Alexa, add butter to my shopping list.”  The list is sent to designated mobile phones, in this case my phone and my wife’s phone.  So when either of us are at the store we have an accurate list of needed items.  Once either of us deletes the item from the list, it is deleted from the other’s phone.

You can ask Alexa to play a specific radio station or music from a specific artist.  She will find the latest news broadcasts, give you weather and even look at your calendar and report what you have scheduled for any day.  If you tell her to schedule a meeting, she will add it to your calendar or tell you if that time and date are already taken.

I am still finding things that she can do and Amazon promises to continually upgrade her capabilities.  So it looks like we now have another “woman” in the house but I don’t think my wife will mind.  After all, she invited her.  Alexa was my birthday gift.

How Did I Do?

Back from hiatus...

Last year, as in years past, I made some predictions about some of the technologies and related services that I thought would take center stage during 2015.  It may not have been a good idea, but I promised a review of my prognostications at the end of the year.  I may have missed my deadline by about a week, but, as promised, here is a report

I predicted that the GoPro and lookalikes would become very popular.  I don’t think things turned out like I thought. For sure the GoPro and high quality standalone small video cameras continue to be popular but it was really video taken with smartphones that came of age during 2015.  Unfortunately, the video captured was not always video we wanted to see.  Nevertheless the ubiquitous “eyes” enabled by phones allowed us to see some very disturbing events.

Several police confrontations were captured by citizens that allowed those in authority to see what really took place.  Some pundits opine that the mere presence of video cameras at a tense situation make all involved much more civil.  I am not sure that this is the case, but for sure these video have had a significant impact. 

Speaking of cameras, the cameras now available on smartphones are nothing short of extraordinary in picture quality.  I received a photo from a friend last week measuring almost one by three feet taken last summer on one of our bike rides.   The color, resolution and detail are awesome.  The photo was taken with an iPhone.  For other than the serious amateur or professional photographer, the need for a standalone camera no longer exists.

I also predicted you would be able to keep an eye on your home and loved ones more completely and inexpensively with several inexpensive automated cameras, sensors, door locks, HVAC controls and intrusion alarms.  I think I got this one right.  A walk through Home Depot or Lowes will provide a look at some really cool devices.  There are even Wi-Fi enabled LED light bulbs that can be controlled with your smartphone.  Door locks with cameras are available to allow you to see who is at your door and allow entry even if you are miles away at work.

I decided not to take out that digital crystal ball this year.  New technologies and devices are being developed and coming to market so quickly that any predictions seem, at best, about as reliable as a dart board.  So instead of predicting I will try to keep you abreast of all things digital throughout this year.  Happy (belated) 2016!

Home Automation Getting Easier and Affordable

I have always thought that it would be really cool to have an automated house. A house where all the systems were monitored and controlled by a single control panel. While home automation systems have been around for many years, most were very expensive and you needed multiple systems.  For example the control panel that turned on or dimmed lights could not set the thermostat or unlock the front door.

Recently there have been released a number of systems that use an app on your smartphone, either iPhone or Android, to control a number of different systems and appliances found in most homes. One of the systems is called Wink. Many of the products that are based on Wink and the actual Wink controller can be purchased at your local Home Depot or at Amazon.com.

The neat thing about Wink is that it works with many standard products found around the home. GE appliances, Philips lighting and Schlage locks are just a few of the manufacturers making products that can be controlled and monitored by Wink.

For example, once you purchase the Wink hub, using your smartphone and home Wi-Fi you can take control of setting your heating and air conditioning, lock or unlock your front door, turn on lights, monitor your home security system, and even check if you remembered to close the garage door. This can be done while sitting in your living room or in a hotel half way around the world.

The Wink compatible products vary in price. To get started you need a controller hub that costs about $50.00. A LED light bulb that will interface with Wink costs about $14.00. Many products like the garage door interface costs about $80.00. Unlike older systems that were priced in the thousands of dollars, you can get up and running with several Wink controlled devices for a few hundred dollars.

Looking Ahead

It is the time of the year again to look into my sometimes cloudy crystal ball and predict what devices, services and technologies will be popular in 2014.  We’ll look at what is a “must have” and what you might want to avoid.

For sure we will see more and more internet related services and devices in the new cars.  Already we have internet radio, navigation systems that watch out for traffic jams and smart phone apps that will remotely start your car on that cold winter morning.  Real time diagnostics now available on some high end models will find their way into the mid- priced models.  Dashboard idiot lights will begin to give way to technologies that constantly monitor all the car’s critical systems sending reports in real time to the manufacture that can send back tweaks to fix the issue while you are driving or contact you to arrange a visit to the closest dealer’s service department.

Once only available to the super rich and super tech smart, home automation systems will get more affordable and simple to program and use.  Using the smart phone or tablet as the controller, inexpensive interface devices can be installed in home heating, lighting and security systems.  On your way home from the weekend at grandma’s house, you can turn up the heat so it is warm and cozy when you arrive.  Many home products stores carry plug and play devices that a non-technical person can install.

The TV in the family room will continue to serve as a display screen for multiple video sources.  Seamless integration of video from broadcast, cable, satellite, DVDand the Internet will be done for you.  It will be difficult to tell if your favorite program is coming from the TV network or from the cloud.  This will increase the amount of programming available on demand and will enable “binge watching.”   Binge watching allows you to watch an entire series, like Downton Abby, in one sitting.

Added pressure for a la cart pricing will be put on some of the large cable TV providers as subscribers bridle at paying monthly fees for services they never watch.  Program services like ESPN receive an average of $5 per month from each cable subscriber even if not a single program is watched.  With internet delivered competition offering a pay as you go option, look for some changes in how your cable bill is structured.

The continued slide in the sale of traditional desktop and laptop computers will continue as more and more of us use tablets and smartphones for many of the tasks once only possible on a computer.  The prices and features will get more attractive on traditional computers so if you do find you need to replace that old clunker, you will not break the budget.

Some of the “also rans” in 2013 like 3DTV will see sales continue to languish and the adoption of the ultra HD screens will also be sluggish until more programming is available and the TV set prices fall.  Both will happen but most likely not in 2014.

Happy New Year!

Home Automation Worth Another Look

I am not sure if it is because of the heart-stopping Duke Energy bills that many of us have been recently receiving or just a desire to be more “green,” but I have had several people ask me about home automation systems. Like so many questions of this ilk, the answer requires some background.

In the simplest form, home automation systems consist of three major components: a controller, various sensors and switches. With these components most everything in the house can be controlled remotely. You can use your home computer, your computer at work or your smart phone to set the thermostat, turn on lights, turn on the oven or open the front door. These systems have been very common in office buildings and other commercial building for years as they can save a ton of energy.

For example, if you are single and travel a lot on business you might install a system that allows you to control your heat and your hot water heater. You leave on Monday for a week-long business trip. Before you leave you set the heat to 50 degrees or so and turn off the hot water heater. Before you get on the plane at LAX for your return flight you can “call” your automation system and raise the temperature to 68 degrees and turn on the hot water. Six hours later you arrive at a warm house and can immediately take a hot shower. During the week, while you were absent, you were not wasting all that energy keeping your home warm and cozy and the water ready for that hot shower.

There are all kinds of home automation systems. The simplest is the programmable thermostat that many of us already have. While most can’t be remotely accessed, they do save energy and money. A system to handle the business trip scenario is more complex and does not come cheap.

Most new systems are wireless so the controls for the lights, furnace, hot water heater etc. do not need to be hard-wired. You do need to replace electrical outlets, switches, thermostats and any other device you want to have remote control over. Plan to pay about $35 for a regular light switch and about $100 for a switch to control a stove, oven or hot water heater.

You will also need to purchase a master controller. This device is either a stand-alone special purpose computer or a peripheral device that is attached to your home computer and the Internet. The controller sends signals to all the devices you control remotely. The higher the number of devices it can access, the more expensive it will be. You should plan on a minimum of about $250 for an entry level model.

The good news is that installation can be done by most anyone who is handy and able to replace a regular light switch or wall receptacle. You may need an electrician to handle the hot water tank module since you are dealing with higher voltages.

The good news is that you can start with controlling only a few energy hungry devices and add more as your budget and needs change. And there is always the “Wow Factor”