AT&T voice assistant helps you control your smart home

AT&T's Digital Life home automation service is supposed to make your life easier, but it's been lagging a bit in the control department. While Apple and Google let you command your home through your voice, Digital Life has required that you tap buttons... like an animal. Thankfully, the carrier is catching up: it's prepping a Digital Life Voice Assistant that controls some parts of the system through voice. You can ask if your security system is armed, for instance, or turn on the lights when you walk in. Optionally, the app can provide voice feedback if you want audible confirmation of what you've done. Just be prepared to wait, as the app won't be ready until sometime in the first half of this year.

[Image credit: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images]