World Monitor Magazine, # 1, 2017 | Page 64

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Sevenhugs Smart Remote
Lenovo Smart Home Assistant
With its new Smart Remote , Sevenhugs makes a cogent case for universal remotes . The gadget connects to a proprietary indoor positioning system that triangulates not only its location in space , but can also connect to more than 25,000 devices . Aim it at a lamp and it might pull up Hue ’ s app interface . Point it at your TV , and Roku ’ s UI will appear . That kind of contextual awareness could make a fragmented smarthome experience feel more simple and unified — and a little more like home .
Functionally , Lenovo ’ s new Smart Home Assistant is a carbon copy of the Amazon Echo . It uses Alexa ’ s cloud-based voice services to do things like play music , conduct web searches , and order more toilet paper . Its distinguishing feature : Looks . Lenovo ’ s three colorful speaker grills give it a serious leg up over Amazon ’ s stoic black cylinder .
Neonode AirBar
Using your laptop usually means you ’ re doing one of two things : Clicking a mouse or typing on a keyboard . Now , with the AirBar , you have another choice . The sleek gadget from Neonode attaches to the base of the 13-inch MacBook Air and emits an invisible light field over the screen , turning your laptop into a giant touchscreen . You can tap , swipe , pinch , and zoom like you would on your phone or tablet , all for a fraction of the price of a new device .
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