Google Makes it Easier to Quiet Assistant
As smart speakers and voice assistants help consumers with a growing list of tasks, matching normal human speech patterns has been a challenge in keeping users engaged. Google recently announced that users no longer have to say ‘Hey Google’ first to tell their smart speaker or display to stop or mute. Users can just say ‘stop’ to get their device to shut up.
The NPD Take:
- This is a small, but useful change in how users interact with their voice activated devices and a shift that helps make conversing with voice applications a little more casual. As users employ voice assistants for more tasks, more natural voice interactions will be key in improving the experience.
- To be clear, users will still need to utter ‘Hey Google’ to initiate an action, but when the Assistant voices a response to a query, a simple ‘stop’ will make it stop talking.
New Instant Pot Pro Plus Connects to Your Phone
What happens when you combine the do-it-all convenience of an Instant Pot with the Internet? You get the Instant Pot Pro Plus. The Instant Pot Pro Plus makes use of the Instant Pot mobile app which helps pair the cooker to your phone and connect it to your home Wi-Fi. In addition to product instructions and a library of recipes, connectivity allows users to check in on the cooking progress of something they are making and even make changes to cook settings remotely.
The NPD Take:
- In a kitchen full of connectable devices, it is not a surprise to see Instant Pot stake their claim in pressure cookers. Though the use case for these connected features may only appeal to some users, this is a solid first step at positioning Instant Pot into the wider conversation of connected appliances.
- Like many smart appliances, the Instant Pot Pro Plus is still looking for meaningful uses for its connectivity.