Items15The creator’s order
  1. 1Amazon Echo ShowAmazon Echo ShowThe best hub for a home run by voice, because the screen covers the bad days too. Alexa controls compatible smart plugs, heating, cameras and lights hands-free, so the kettle and the thermostat stop needing a trip across the room. The reason to pick the Show over a plain Echo speaker is Tap to…0
  2. 2IOSIOSVoice Control on iPhone and iPad Not Siri, and far more useful for anyone who cannot rely on touch. Voice Control replaces the finger entirely: you say "tap", "swipe" or "type" and the phone does it. When you cannot name a button, saying "show numbers" tags every item on screen, and "show grid"…0
  3. 3Android (operating system)Android (operating system)Voice Access, Google's free hands-free control app The Android answer to Apple's Voice Control, and the reason nobody needs to switch phones to go hands-free. Voice Access opens apps, moves around the screen and edits text by spoken command, which covers most of what a thumb does all day. On…0
  4. 4Windows 11Windows 11Voice access, built into Windows 11 from version 22H2 For the computer, this is where to start before paying for dictation software. Microsoft built it so the whole PC can be run by voice: opening and switching apps, browsing, reading and writing email, and composing text, all without touching a…0
  5. 5Philips Hue Tap Dial SwitchPhilips Hue Tap Dial SwitchThe answer to light switches fitted at the height of someone standing up. The Tap Dial is battery powered and needs no rewiring, so it sticks on with adhesive or screws at whatever height suits a seated user, or lifts off to work as a remote on a tray or armrest. Its four buttons can be set up to…0
  6. 6SwitchBot Bot RechargeableSwitchBot Bot RechargeableThe cheapest way to make an old appliance obey a voice command. The Bot sticks beside a rocker switch or push button and physically presses it, so a coffee machine, an exhaust fan or a switch on a high wall becomes controllable without an electrician or a new appliance. This rechargeable version,…0
  7. 7Nuki Smart Lock ProNuki Smart Lock ProSmart Lock Pro (fifth generation) Getting to the door to let a caregiver in is one of the most draining small jobs in a day. This lock fits over the existing lock on the inside of the door, with no drilling, and lets you unlock from a phone or smart home routine, or automatically as you arrive or…0
  8. 8AutoSlide AutoSwingAutoSlide AutoSwingAn unlocked door is still a barrier if it is heavy and swings the wrong way for a chair. The AutoSwing is a compact powered operator for an ordinary hinged door that you fit rather than replace: it mounts on the header, or on the door itself where the frame is narrow, and handles doors up to 120…0
  9. 9IOS 18IOS 18Eye Tracking, added to iPhone and iPad with iOS 18 The free way to find out whether eye control suits you before spending on specialist hardware. It uses the front camera, with no extra accessories, and calibrates in seconds; you look at an item to highlight it and hold your gaze to select it with…0
  10. 10Tobii Dynavox PCEyeTobii Dynavox PCEyePCEye (fifth generation) When hands and voice both run out, this is the established route to running a whole Windows computer by looking at it. The slim bar clips under a laptop or monitor on a magnetic mount, plugs in by USB-C and comes with Computer Control software for clicking, typing and…0