Since the introduction of the first touch-based operating systems, developers have seemingly gone through the entire list of candidates for the 'smart' status. But no!
The world has already seen smart TVs, smart watches, smart photo frames and e-books. And it seemed that it was impossible to come up with anything else. However, this spring, the fashion for smart mirrors has blossomed again in more Western states. We are not talking about the tiny smart mirrors that can be found on AliExpress. No, these are large mirrors that can be hung on the wall in the living room, hallway or bathroom.
In our country, we knew almost nothing about this, which means it's time to figure out what it is and what it can do, and most importantly, do we need it or not. We will consider a smart mirror from the Embrace ™ Smart Mirror company.
Technical specifications
- Operating system: Android 6.0.1
- Processor: 8-core ARM
- Memory: RAM 2 GB DDR3, ROM 16 GB
- Graphics: PowerVR
- Screen: 23.6 inches, 1920 x 1080 pixels, 10 touches
- Front camera: 8 MP (located under the mirror layer)
- Sound devices: Microphone, 2 x 3 W speakers
- Wired communications: Lan / Ethernet, USB 2.0
- Wireless communications: Wi-Fi 802.11 a, b, g, n, Bluetooth ™ 4.0
- Dimensions: 800x600x27 mm
- Weight: 12 Kg
- Power consumption: 36W (3W standby)
- Wall mount: VESA 400 × 200mm
- Smart Home: Control4 ™, Samsung SmartThings ™, Telstra Home ™
Typical dimensions for a modern TV or monitor, everything is familiar and understandable. But, since he called himself a load (smart), get into the box. Inside the full-fledged Android version 6.0.1., The developer's intervention was limited to installing a proprietary launcher and a small amount of software that can be replaced with any other from Google Play. Control is carried out by voice or habitually – with your fingers. On this it was possible to end the study, but it is impossible not to touch upon the most interesting, namely the use cases.
Women
The mirror has always been the best friend of girls, poor people have to spend hours in front of them. Do not blame them for this, because they want to be beautiful not only for themselves, but also for loved ones. Among other things, modern technologies offer their help in the form of special software for applying paint to the face. Previously, you had to hold a smartphone or tablet in front of your face, which showed options for coloring or built virtual lines on the reflection of the face, helping to apply mascara evenly. A smart mirror provides a traditional scheme – a girl stands in front of the mirror and calmly tidies herself up. This is especially true for a new hairstyle, which can be selected in advance and in the process can be compared with the standard right in the mirror. Selfies in a smart mirror are also provided, from the side it looks pretty cute:
Children
The presence, albeit not fresh Android, implies an increased interest in the mirror on the part of children. And then the parents face a dilemma. Place a 'parental control' system on the mirror or hang a fiber cloth next to it on the wall to teach kids how to keep order.
Animals
Dogs and hamsters will not be able to rip the mirror off the wall, and for cats, the area from above is too small to make an observation post on it.
Men
What would be the scenario for men to use a smart mirror? Most likely, everything will be limited to reading the news and watching the weather. You don't need advice and help to shave, and you can play on your smartphone. And this is perhaps a good reason to call such a mirror discriminatory. You will have an object at home that you will use from time to time, and other household members will stand in front of it constantly. But this is also his plus – while everyone is busy with the mirror, you can safely devote yourself to an important matter.
conclusions
Due to the low prevalence of such devices and, as a result, small batches of their production, they will always be more expensive than a smart TV, and inside there will be not the most powerful hardware and not the latest version Android. But this is hardly a disadvantage.
The price of the smart mirror Embrace ™ Smart Mirror at the moment is 1299 US dollars and for this money the buyer gets advantages:
- Mirror
- Giant Android – tablet behind a reflective layer
- Huge control panel for smart home systems
- Spacious (compared to a tablet) case provides good cooling for the chipset
- Wired LAN sets up the idea of turning a smart mirror into a home router
- Cause for pride
Minuses:
- Not for sale in our country
- Not the most recent version Android
- If you are not a woman, then you do not really need it.
It makes no sense to decide whether it is worth it or not, it is still a new type of product and the market is too small to draw any conclusions. However, it seems that almost any girl will be interested in this gadget. Especially if you put a program that answers the question 'Who in the world is sweeter than all, blush and whiter than all?' words from the fairy tale “You are the nicest in the world, all blush and whiter.”
Friends, please express your opinion, would you buy such a mirror for yourself? What other usage scenarios do you see other than these?