F e a t u r e
CES 2018 WRAP UP:
Tech Trends and the Next of Smart Home Industry
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ES 2018 (Consumer Electronics Show) unveiled industry’s new year with focuses on voice control, artificial intelligence and ecosystems. Google Assistant found a great spotlight at the exhibition, replacing Amazon Alexa which shined the last two years. Companies including Vivint Smart Home, LG, iHome, and One Link from First Alert showcased their technologies controlled by the Google voice assistant. Most smart home companies presented their applications working with voice assistants this year – the majority have worked with Amazon Alexa and many announced to support Google this year. This natural way to control home appliances via speakers seems to change the smart home scene which used to require users to control devices via various mobile apps. And, just like how Alexa and Google Assistant connect smart home devices across manufacturers, forming an ecosystem has become many companies’ focuses. Samsung, for instance, said to launch a new “SmartThings app” in Spring 2018. The new app will enable users to control every SmartThingssupport gadgets via one single portal and combine the current Samsung Connect, Smart Home and Smart View apps together. Samsung’s voice assistant, Bixby, will start to support its smart TVs and smart refrigerator
50 mySMAhome.com 2018