Smart condo conundrum: Talk to appliances, or text them?

Silence is golden: Not everyone thinks the future of communicating with the Internet of Things needs to be vocal.

SINGAPORE: In today's so-called smart home, you can dim the lights, order more toothpaste or tell the kids to go to bed simply by talking to a small WiFi-connected speaker, such as Amazon's Echo or Google's Home.

This voice-first market – combining voice with artificial intelligence (AI) – barely existed in 2014. This year, Voice Labs, a consultancy, expects 24.5 million appliances to be shipped.