In recent years, with the popularity of smart phones, various smart devices have found an outlet to vent their value. However, most of the smart devices still stay at the connection level, and there is not much real intelligent expression. Of course, the road is to go step by step, and you can reach the other side only by continuous exploration. As the first speaker in the world that uses voice control, Xiaozhi smart speakers, It is a bold attempt to intelligentize traditional speakers. Music playback and intelligent device control are realized through voice. Let's see what experience this hands free smart speaker has.

The package is exquisite and ingenious, and the protection is in place

The packaging of the product is exquisite, the design is ingenious, and the overall style is low-key and calm, giving a sense of high grade. A large amount of shock absorption foam is used inside the product, and the protection of the product is in place. Compared with a few objects, the packaging is slightly complicated, which must also be a rogue act against many barbaric handling behaviors. PS： We would like to express our special thanks for the products provided by Bigeplay.

The black gift box has a blue Xiaozhi LOGO on the top cover, and the blue waist line of the inner box in the middle is particularly striking. The front side of the box cover is pasted with a very loving seal, the other side is pasted with a Himalayan FM label, and the bottom side is labeled with product information, which is relatively simple, without product introduction, etc.

The interior is divided into two layers. Xiaozhi is placed on the upper layer, and accessories are placed on the lower layer. Corresponding instructions are printed on the partition board and the box cover. The products and accessories are fixed with a lot of damping foam. I have to say, this package uses a lot of ideas, giving a good initial impression.

There are not many items, including the host computer, power adapter, audio cable, instructions, and warranty card. The touch panel of the host computer is pasted with a protective film to avoid scratches during transportation. In addition, an audio adapter cable is also provided to facilitate users to transfer. In addition, the instructions document is made in detail. A friend who just started suggested reading it carefully. The power adapter is 5V 4A, The same style as the speaker is black.

Special appearance, very good workmanship and details

From the packaging of the product, we can see that Xiaozhi has put a lot of effort into the details of this product, and the materials and workmanship of the speaker itself are also good, and the feel is very good. As for the appearance, it is not very beautiful, but it can not be said ugly. Each has his own preference. Xiaozhi is a speaker with personality.

UFO？ Blockhouse? An inverted bowl? I really can't find a good word to describe this special speaker. Its largest outer ring is 145mm, with a height of about 73mm and a weight of about 350g. It belongs to a relatively small speaker. Sometimes I think its appearance is incompatible with the environment, but it feels good to place it there.

The overall material of this speaker is mainly plastic, and the surface has been sanded. It feels good. The hollowed out lattice of the upper half of the speaker shows the internal blue sound cover, which echoes the overall style of the product. The imitation metal silver edge effect of the outer ring adds a sense of technology to the machine. The top touch panel is bright plastic. Although it is beautiful, it is also easy to get fingerprints, The three keys are Favorites, Play Pause and Delete in turn.

The bottom of the speaker mainly includes APP download QR code, product production information, key on and reset keys. In addition, there is a ring of anti slip pad on the outer ring of the bottom to reduce the vibration of the speaker and the contact surface, ensure good sound quality, and place it more firmly. However, the black rubber ring is more prone to dust.

The power interface, 3.5mm audio interface and Wifi indicator light adopt a simple hidden design. Through the audio interface, headphones can be connected or output to the audio to meet different appreciation needs.

In fact, there are many places for this speaker to be placed. It is not incongruous with the surrounding environment because of its special shape. On the contrary, it has a strong sense of vision.

The handling is very novel, and the use experience needs to be improved

As a speaker in the intelligent era, the functions of Xiaozhi speakers have greatly exceeded the scope of traditional speakers. However, although voice control has liberated both hands, the recognition rate of the machine is still a problem. The so-called intelligent screening song matching is not high, while the number of intelligent devices connected is relatively small, and the voice control appliances are not perfect, This makes Xiaozhi's main function is still playing music. In terms of sound effects, although Xiaozhi claims to use HIFI high fidelity, top speakers, top sound processing chips and professional sound cavity, bass diaphragm and power amplifier circuit design, the actual performance is really average, but as a small desktop speaker at this price, it is also good.

The Xiaozhi speaker has a built-in 2800mAh power supply. It uses the Android 4.4 system, supports wireless 802.11 b/g/n, Qplay, and DLAN protocols. Turn the switch to the green position, and the system will take a little time to start. If the blue light on the top is on for a long time, it is normal to start up. At this time, it can play, or use a mobile phone to connect.

The mobile phone connection is very simple. The first time you enter the Xiaozhi Assistant APP, there will be a simple operation introduction. Then, by default, you will enter the device list page, click the+sign in the upper right corner, enter the corresponding Wifi information, and follow the steps to quickly verify the successful connection. Select the connected speaker to enter the main interface of the speaker. The overall layout is simple and the functions are clear.

As one of the few Wifi speakers on the market, Xiaozhi is much more stable than ordinary Bluetooth speakers in connection. The green indicator light of Wifi indicates that Wifi is connected.

The player of Xiaozhi Assistant is very simple and does not have too many functions. However, Xiaozhi supports multiple wireless projection protocols such as DLNA and QPlay, and has no problem playing local music and music from other platforms. In terms of its own music source, Xiaozhi currently has cooperation with Tiantiandong, Xiami Music and Himalaya. The content of FM radio in APP is provided by Himalaya.

Click the+sign in the upper right corner of the main interface to pop up the function menu, where you can select to search songs, add speakers, settings and several details. The settings include personal information and detailed settings of the current speakers, while the settings include some basic information of the current speakers, including memory, software and hardware versions, serial numbers, and local song lists.

There are many ways to search songs. Through the search function in the above function menu, you can find your favorite songs. You can also press and hold the voice button at the bottom of the main interface to say songs. Of course, the most direct way is to press and hold the touch button at the top and middle of Xiaozhi to directly say voice commands. In addition, Xiaozhi has preset 200 popular songs, even if there is no Internet connection, These built-in tracks can still be played, but the built-in songs can't be customized or managed, which is a little less humanized.

Press the LOGO touch key in the middle of the top of the speaker, the backlight turns green, and the voice prompts "Please order". At this time, you can voice commands, such as listening to songs, listening to stories, telling jokes, and chatting. For example, "Xiaozhi, play a song by Jacky Cheung", "Xiaozhi, remind me to watch TV at 8:30 pm", "Xiaozhi, remind me to get up at 7:30 tomorrow", "Xiaozhi, Remind me to hold a meeting on Tuesday ", Xiaozhi will make corresponding operations after a short recognition, but from the practical point of view, the recognition rate still needs to be strengthened, and to improve the recognition rate, attention to the speed of speech and correct pronunciation will play a role.

In addition to playing songs, Xiaozhi speakers can also add voice notes. Based on Xiaozhi's understanding of natural language, the accuracy of simple voice commands is quite high, but it is affected by the speed of speech and accent, which still needs to be greatly improved for a speaker featuring voice control. As another key feature of Xiaozhi, voice control of intelligent devices, Although it is said that 28 manufacturers have connected, in fact, the author does not have a supporting equipment that can be experienced, which is a pity.

Even for the smart device manufacturers that Xiaozhi confirmed to access, not every smart product can be accessed. Take the two smart products in my hand, a WULIAN camera and a magic door magnet. Under the same LAN, the WULIAN camera will not be displayed in the smart device, nor can it be added. After logging in to the magic account and binding, In addition to a binding page, nothing happened. There was no hint of Xiaozhi's access in Phantom's APP, and I could not turn on or cancel the door magnetic alarm through Xiaozhi's voice control. This experience really needs further improvement. In terms of sound quality, Xiaozhi has a big gap from HIFI level, and the performance of bass and treble is not satisfactory, Of course, as a small and portable Wifi speaker, considering the cost performance, it is also acceptable.

summary

Xiaozhi smart speakers can recognize natural language by loading voice recognition technology, so as to achieve voice control of music playing. In addition, they can connect to smart devices and achieve voice control of smart devices at the same time. This is a new control experience, which can remove our hands from the mobile phone screen. From the perspective of technology itself, It should be very promising, but from the perspective of actual use at this stage, the intelligences that can hear and speak still need to be strengthened in terms of speech recognition rate, especially when the pronunciation is not very standard dialect, or the speech speed control is not good, it is a bit difficult to send commands correctly, and the number of smart device access manufacturers needs to be further increased, After all, the more devices connected, the richer the profiles, and the more convenient the smart speakers can bring.