Connected devices in homes have experienced a massive growth spurt this year. This spurt has even given birth to new studies that promise higher numbers “by the end of next year” or “2020”, than what study groups predicted before (I think we have all seen these by now). The year 2020 is still a few years off, yet we are already hitting or surpassing some of the original predictions within the world of IoT.
There are many reasons for this, but the most common are the handful of user-friendly hubs that have been growing in popularity. Solutions like Google’s Home and of course Amazon’s various Echo products. Because of this, these devices have been popping up on sale all over as they promote additional sales as consumers rush to invest into various products that these hubs can speak to and control. Amazon’s Prime Day promotion (last month) was a great example of this.
These special prices haven’t stopped yet. Best Buy is now offering all of the Echo products at up to 50% off their normal prices. This means the Amazon Echo is $89.99 (compared to $149-$179), the Echo Tap is $79.99 (compared to $129), and the Echo Dot is a mere $34.99. The latter of the options is your most affordable way of jumping into the world of automation and voice assistants. All of these devices feature “Alexa”, Amazon’s voice assistant, that can control various smart products around your house, discuss the weather and other important events with you, and even shop for you–all by using your voice.
It’s your home’s personal Siri (and then some). You can use the Echo products to buy items from your shopping list, order new items when they run out, set a reminder or timer while you cook, call someone in your contacts list or even “drop in” on another room and use the Echo’s as an intercom system to make sure your family doesn’t miss dinner. The options are endless, and they have never been so affordable to achieve as they have been this year.
