Testing My WellBe Smart Speaker
From all of WellBe’s features, I was most excited to try out the voice commands, and I was happy to find that it performed as advertised. Similar to Amazon’s Alexa, my smart speaker could be activated by saying a signal phrase. In this case, it was, OK WellBe. From there I asked it a variety of questions pertaining to insurance, health, and general knowledge.
Here is a sampling of queries and their responses:
- OK WellBe, what is Medigap?
- Medigap policies, sold by private insurance companies, can help pay for some of the remaining healthcare costs –– gaps –– that Original Medicare doesn’t cover.
- OK WellBe, what causes kidney stones?
- Diabetes and high blood pressure are the most common causes. Other things that can lead to end-stage kidney failure include kidney diseases and infections.
- OK WellBe, what is the weather?
- The weather is 76 degrees and sunny in Henderson.
Localized Advice: During your setup with the WellBe app, you’ll enter in your location information, allowing WellBe to give you updates on your weather or even provide local advice such as nearby restaurants.
Music and Audiobooks
My WellBe Smart Speaker could also perform some entertainment features. With built-in compatibility with iHeartRadio, I could access a variety of stations for free. For example, when I said, OK WellBe, play classical music, I was immediately serenaded by the sounds of Bach via a local channel. WellBe can also pair with your Spotify account for more specialized listening.
My speaker could also read me audiobooks. These, however, must be purchased through audiobookstore.com.
Healthcare Tracking and Reminders
Entertainment and general knowledge aside, where my smart speaker really shined was in its health-tracking features. After I completed my health profile through the WellBe app, I was able to track various metrics, check on medical reminders, and even communicate with my contacts list. Here are some commands I made use of:
- OK WellBe, do I have any reminders?
- You have one reminder. Ryan it was time for you to take your Atorvastatin at 9am. Have you taken this dose?
- OK WellBe, record my blood pressure as 120 over 80.
- I have recorded your blood pressure as 120 over 80. Your blood pressure is slightly above normal range. Healthy eating and exercise may help to lower your blood pressure.
- OK WellBe, call Dad.
Overall, I was pleased with the way my smart speaker performed. Even from as far as 20 feet away, my WellBe was able to hear my voice and respond to commands. Additionally, I appreciated how my activity on the smart speaker was recorded in the app. This way, if I missed a medication, one of my loved ones would receive a notification about this and be able to check in on me.
My main drawback, however, is that the smart speaker couldn’t be used to set appointments or reminders on its own. To do this, you’ll have to add them through your calendar on the WellBe app, which seemed a bit more complicated than it needed to be.