Jordan O'BrienLG has revealed the SmartThinQ hub at CES 2016, offering much of the same functionality as Amazon’s Echo Bluetooth speaker, but also containing a small touchscreen.
It’s not just the functionality that is similar however, as the design also resembles Amazon’s styling for the Echo speaker; with a large cylindrical design with a stylish speaker grille wrapped around the whole device.
Unlike the Amazon Echo however, which is a speaker first and foremost but quickly becoming a smart home product, LG’s SmartThinQ has been built with the smart home in mind.
Those who own an LG smart fridge, washing machine and air conditioner can connect all their appliances to the SmartThinQ and have their vitals displayed on the 3.5in touchscreen.
It’s not only products made by LG either, as the hub uses the AllJoyn platform, which is open to any manufacturer. That means devices can connect to the SmartThinQ using Bluetooth, Wi-Fi or Zigbee.
Unfortunately, there are a few things that let the SmartThinQ down a bit when compared to the Amazon Echo. The most notable omission is voice control. While users can bark commands at Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant, the SmartThinQ hub is controlled completely from a smartphone or the 3.5in screen.
Right now the SmartThinQ is just an extension of an existing smart home, rather than a crucial piece of the smart home puzzle. LG may have more success with WebOS 3.0 on its latest TVs however, which comes complete with a new IoTV App for controlling everything inside the home.
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