Upon first glance, the Amazon Echo might seem like a regular speaker, but in reality it is much more than that. It is Amazon’s digital assistant where besides playing music, it can set alarms, search on topics, set reminders, and more, making it a pretty well-rounded device that has so far been met with positive reviews.
Turns out that LG doesn’t want Amazon to have all the fun as the company has officially announced the SmartThinQ Hub. As you can see in the photo above, upon first glance it might look like a typical Bluetooth speaker, but it does more as it has the ability to not only play music, but will also be able to connect to your smartphone and control your smart appliances and smart sensors that you might have installed at home.
According to Jo Seong-jin, president and CEO of the LG Electronics Home Appliance & Air Solution Company, “The LG SmartThinQ Hub is just another example of the open approach we believe is the future of the smart home.” The SmartThinQ Hub will feature an LCD screen where notifications can be displayed.
It will be able to monitor your household gadgets like washing machines, refrigerators, ovens, robotic vacuum cleaners, air conditioners, and more. It will also play nicely with the SmartThinQ sensors connected to your more conventional devices. Pricing and availability is not known but more details are expected to be revealed at CES 2016 next week.