jeudi 14 décembre 2017
I Was a Smart-Home Skeptic - Until I Fell Head Over Heels For This 1 Smart Lamp
When I was growing up, I really loved this one Ray Bradbury short story called "There Will Come Soft Rains." It's set around a futuristic (at the time) smart home, that outlives the humans that once inhabited it and continues to function long beyond the end of the human race. While that may sound slightly morbid, it's hard to explain just how beautiful the story really is - or the lasting impact it's had on me as an adult, most notably in the aversion I've had in giving in to having my very own smart home. I've always been one of those people that needs to be on top of every single tech trend, spending thousands of dollars on things I absolutely must have at that moment in time and will spend more time looking at in awe than actually using. But thanks to that one short story, as far as I was concerned, the closest thing to giving my home the power to exist without me was investing in The Clapper to turn the lights on and off when I was feeling exceptionally lazy.
Here's the thing: I finally found the one thing that convinced me that yes, a smart home actually is something that makes my life easier, regardless of what future a 20th-century author once predicted. And that thing happens to be one very smart lamp.
The C by GE Sol not only made me a believer in voice assistants and smart home technology; it also opened the floodgates for a tricked-out home that communicates with itself in ways that actually wind up saving me money, skipping potential headaches, and helping me to enjoy the devices I already own even more. But don't just take my top-level word for it; here are a few very good specific reasons why this one lamp might just be the best starter product for anyone looking to dabble in making their home more intelligent, too.
First and foremost: it's the ultimate upgrade from The Clapper
The Sol isn't just a tech product - it's a damn good lamp. I've used it next to my bed for a calming, warm glow I can turn off once I'm drifting off to sleep. . . but also in my kitchen, where I need the harshest white light imaginable in order to see what I'm slicing and dicing. It's awesome to be able to control the level of light in a room without having to fiddle with a dimmer or stop what I'm doing, and thanks to the Alexa integration (which gets smarter each and every day I use it), it's easier than ever to do just that. Goodbye Clapper, hello Sol.
That Alexa integration also means I can control my Sonos
Yes, you read that correctly! Thanks to the recent Alexa on Sonos update, my lamp can literally control what music I'm playing on the Sonos speakers throughout my home. I can't even begin to describe how much of a game-changer that has been for me (and, honestly, has led to me buying a few more devices to be able to do it in other rooms, too), but being able to get incredible sound when I'm cleaning or hanging out with my friends by just saying a few words is truly the ultimate luxury.
My Sol is the center of my new smart-home ecosystem
Being able to easily link together my devices through my phone is amazing. It means that I can get smart light bulbs and other doodads and link those up with Sol - and basically have a whole room that turns on and off when I want it too without having to be concerned that I've left something on. In other words, the lamp has become the perfect centerpiece of my newly smart living room ecosystem - and the perfect centerpiece of any conversation about why the smart home setup is, in fact, totally worthy of the hype.
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