Smart screen: Audiovisual technology that connects all smart devices in a home or other building/facility. Can be operated by touch or voice. Also called a “smart display.”
Smart speaker: A voice-operated audio system that can also connect smart devices. A popular smart-screen alternative for people who want just the basics, or find video cameras too intrusive.
Smart systems can be set to operate any device from any room, making them invaluable for users with mobility challenges. But they’re helpful to everybody, whether the user is coordinating schedules in a large family or juggling an armload of boxes.
If you’re looking for your first smart screen (or speaker), the first step is considering what you want it to do. Most systems can:
1. Organize Your Schedule
In any U.S. urban area, who doesn’t often feel stretched to the limits—and short on time to write down everything that needs doing, let alone prioritize a to-do list? Not to mention remembering what everyone else in your household needs to do today and the rest of the week.
Smart technology takes chaos out of keeping a schedule.
Amy Fuchs, BridgingApps Program Manager: We are now all in the habit of immediately adding something to the digital, shared grocery list when we use the last of the current supply, or think of an ingredient we might need for a meal. Anyone can easily tell the smart system, “Alexa, add [item] to the grocery list.” This saves a lot of time especially with more than one person working outside the home, as everyone can access the list through their own phones—which makes it much easier to shop whenever it’s convenient.
Tara Rocha, BridgingApps Digital Learning Specialist: With four busy kids running every which way, we live by our shared calendar and digital dashboard. We set a smart screen in a high-traffic area, so everyone can see at a glance what is going on each day. And I can update reminder notes from my smartphone, or send my kids “sticky note” alerts to take out the trash or unload the dishwasher. We even have a time-to-leave reminder on the home smart screen, and it integrates with Google maps that know the current traffic conditions.
2. Serve as an Extra Hand
Speaking of “too much to do and not enough to do it with”—when you’re carrying grocery bags, coffee cups, cleaning supplies, or picked-up toys (or all of the above), even if you have two functional hands, that’s not always enough. Smart systems can open doors, answer phone calls, activate apps, turn on lights, and much more.
Amy Fuchs: We have smart plugs (Wi-Fi-enabled power switches) in several rooms so that lamps can be controlled by voice. So, for example, we just say, “Alexa, turn on my lamp” when entering a dark room.
Tara Rocha: We have Alexa turn off the porch light as we are running out the door in the morning.
3. Oversee Home Security
“Smart lights” are great safety aids, too. You can have your system turn on yard lights so you don’t have to walk to your car or mailbox in the dark. You can also set lights to go on and off at specific times—or at random times, if you worry about strangers watching your house to learn your habits.
For additional security, smart screens provide indoor monitors for outdoor cameras, often with alert systems that let you know when someone approaches the house. When legitimate visitors show up, a smart-screen system lets you size them up before going to the door (or buzzing them in—smart systems can do that, too).
Conversely, if you don’t want every visitor and housemate knowing your personal business, you can put individual speakers and plugs in “private” mode.
4. Check News and Weather Updates
Or just about anything else you can find via online search. Whether you’re getting ready for work with no time to spare, or at home in the evening and feeling lazy, a word to your smart system can pull up everything from traffic reports to playlists.
Walter Prescher, BridgingApps Digital Navigator: Our young twins already know how to get a smart speaker to play music. Nothing cuter than Eli saying, “Hey Google, play ‘Baby Shark!’”
Additional Resources
Articles:
- Everything You Need to Know about Smart Screens (Best Buy)
- Smart Speakers with Built-in Voice Assistance (BridgingApps)
- What is a smart display and do you need one? (CNET, in the early days of smart screens)
Some popular smart technologies: