An honest review of Yandex. Light stations with Alice or how I "made friends" with a smart speaker

Now it is quite difficult to find a house in which one or another "smart" device would not be found. Recently, in addition to telephones and TVs, smart sockets, lamps, kettles, various sensors and even music speakers have appeared.

In this article I want to tell you about my experience of "communicating" with the most accessible, but no less functional Yandex. Light Station with Alice on board in a cheeky red. So let's go.

Price, functionality and appearance

By tradition, let's start with the most important thing - with the price. At the moment, the Light station is sold in all stores for 3990 rubles and is the most affordable smart speaker from Yandex. On the shelves, you can find six colors.

For me personally, it doesn't matter what color the speaker is (the main thing is quality and functionality), but, as it turned out, the “character” of the pre-installed voice assistant Alice depends on the color. This is how, according to the developers' idea, it is expressed depending on the color:

• PURPLE - a column for bright parties. Dances, sounds and rhythms all night long.
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• TURQUOISE - a column for the sophisticated. Candles, dinner, romantic music and the most gentle confession.
• RED - a column for those who accept challenges, go to records and achievements, are ready to overcome themselves.
• YELLOW - a column for those who are not like everyone else. Will support the most daring ideas and answer unexpected questions.
• BEIGE - a column for those who value comfort and tranquility. Soft music, light colors. A leisurely but pleasant path to yourself.
• PINK - a column for those who believe in magic. The most interesting trails will take you to a fairytale world.

I chose the one that I just liked externally and would look beautiful on my desktop, which is dominated by mostly black tones (yes, I like the combination of black and red).

What a smart speaker can do and why I liked it

Appearance, of course, matters, but it is much more important what the new station can do. So, the first activation was quick, and the configuration and updating are so intuitive and simple that I will not describe the whole process here in detail. Just grab the insert and follow the instructions clearly.

On the front side of the speaker there are simple controls: volume up and down buttons, microphone on and off buttons (for those who think that someone is eavesdropping on them).

Naturally, I didn't even have an idea to open the column and see what was inside.

At the first phrase "Alice, turn on the music", the virtual assistant launched a selection of the most popular tracks on Yandex. Music. But I am not a fan of the “pop” style, so I immediately asked Alice to make a selection of rock ballads, and she did it in just a couple of seconds.

I also liked that after my four-year-old daughter came up and said: "Alice, turn on normal music!" - a children's song was played. That is, Alice successfully recognizes a child's voice and includes the corresponding tracks.

Having “talked” with the station, I completely tuned the speaker for myself, namely:

1. Set the alarm for the day. I especially liked the function of setting the timer. I quite often forget to turn off the water in the bathroom, and this evening I decided to turn on the reminder. I said: "Alice, remind me to turn off the water in the bathroom after 10 minutes," and everything worked out great!
2. Generated a playlist with your favorite tracks. After the phrase “Alice, like,” the virtual assistant notes that he likes the track and adds it to his favorites. And with the phrase "Alice, dislike" we make it clear that this track has no place in our selections. So she remembers her preferences and offers only the music that I like.
3. I figured out how to find out the latest world news and get information about the weather and traffic jams.

By the way, I will say right away that those who like to listen to Yandex music very loudly. Light station will not work. It is ideal for background music during the working day, listening to spoken podcasts and receiving news without distraction from work.

Having used the station for just a few days, I can say with confidence that I am extremely pleased with the purchase and I am ready to safely recommend it to all my friends and acquaintances. And it doesn't matter what color the column will be.

I would like to note that the article does not cover even half of the skills that Yandex. Station with Alice on board. But, to be honest, this is even for the best. After all, if you decide to buy yourself this smart speaker, you yourself will open up new facets of communication with Alice.

Thank you for your attention.