【1987 Archives】

987 Archivesmarket is full of awesome smart devices. But when it comes to looks, many of them are hardly inspiring.

But it doesn't have to be that way, as demonstrated by Brilliant Control, a 2018 CES Innovation Award winner. Brilliant is a sleek, futuristic wall panel that doubles as a smart light switch and a smart home hub.

Brilliant, the product's parent company, announced at CES that the product will be integrated with Amazon Alexa.

SEE ALSO: iHome just launched a new Google Assistant-enabled clock radio

All products are welcome: Brilliant works with Sonos, Ring, Nest, and Hue, among countless IoT devices. By integrating all of your smart home services into your wall, the company claims they are "realizing the vision of 'ambient computing.'"

And since the device is on your wall, you can use it to control your devices without needing to display (or find a place to hide) an Amazon Echo or Google Home.

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It's the "most seamless way to add voice control to a room," according to the company.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Brilliant was inspired by the Amazon Echo Show, and its touchscreen uses Amazon Voice Services' Display Card API.

That's not the only way it's similar to an Amazon Echo or Google Home, however. People also use it in the same ways. The most common things pilot users have asked Brilliant for are (surprise) the weather, news, and the answers to fact-based questions.

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The product starts at just $199, so it's totally reasonable that you could have multiple panels to replace your boring non-smart light switches in multiple rooms of your house.

It's an exciting new development — your smart home system could soon stop living in a clunky trash-can shaped speaker, and become integrated into the home itself.

Brilliant has sold out of pre-orders, which will begin shipping in "early 2018." You can purchase it on the product's website after that time.

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