We might have something in common. We got an Echo for Christmas, a number of them actually. I now hear my kids saying Alexa’s name about as often as my own.
At the same time, there is this little voice in my head wondering if Amazon is the right bet to make on this kind of technology. As a result, on a little bit of a whim, I decided we needed to get some “Google Home devices” (Google really needs to work on marketing this better – Echo and Alexa just “brand” better).
I have researched extensively, reading review after review across the web. What I failed to see are real people and families sharing their results. Yes, there are reviews on Amazon.com, on Reddit and in various forums across the web, but there are few places where I saw people sharing over a significant period of time, the experiences they are having with their “smart home”. I couldn’t confidently say, based on the information available, which smart home platform to bet on for my family (and there are currently only two that matter – Amazon and Google).
As a result, I decided I needed to run the experiment and blog about our experiences. The small and the big issues. The daily benefits (or lack thereof).
First, a little background. I’m married and my wife and I have six children, ranging from 16 to 5 years old. As I read online reviews (or the product marketing documentation), talking about 1 person with a roommate or significant other, or frankly even a couple with two small children, they do not address the complexity and crowded experience of my family’s daily life. This blog is meant to help deal with applying these new (and truly amazing technologies) to our life and see what the limits of the technology are.
Technology is at its best, and most transformative, when it is both ubiquitous AND invisible. I believe that is the goal of a smart home and the smart assistants that are stacking on top of those smart devices. Come follow along the journey. It has been an interesting one so far. I can assure you that you will see us stress these services and systems to their limits to see how truly useful they can be.
Welcome to Our Life….Assisted!
Our Life....Assisted 