Universal remote controls have been around for a while, but with a product like the Logitech Harmony Elite, simplicity and future-proofing go hand-in-hand. The Elite's Hub system lets you control IR, Bluetooth and even network-based products beyond your home entertainment system. Not only can you condense your media remotes into one easy-to-set-up package, but your power extends to connected home products like Philips Hue lights or Nest thermostats. That power goes one step further when you link a smart speaker like Google Home Mini to the Hub. Now that single remote can get a little dusty as you turn on your TV and navigate to preset channels using your voice alone.

Over the past few years there has been dramatic rise in the use of data, analytics, and most recently, artificial intelligence (AI). With AI rapidly moving into the daily operations of a rising number of uses and enterprises, the disruption to human capital and the labor workforce of tomorrow is inevitable. What's more, this change mostly likely will be amplified by innovation and commoditization that AI brings as it enters every aspect of the modern workplace. Modern industry stands on a precipice between platforms and automation. Uber, Lyft, Gigster, Deliveroo, and the multitudes of other platforms are still heavily dependent on human labor, but all are aggressively investing in artificial intelligence to automate processes and decrease risk in business operations.

When it comes to smart speakers, Amazon's Echo Show is one of the best on the market, and right now you can get one for $159.99, Powered by Amazon's Alexa AI assistant, this speaker gives you access to everything from weather forecasts to audiobooks all in one central voice-activated location. There's also another added benefit: the Echo Show includes a 7-inch screen, so you can see what's it's telling you. After testing every Echo device to date and comparing them against other smart speakers, the Echo Show is one of our favorites and easily the best in its class. Its many features and compatibility with other devices, as well as its solid sound quality, make it a top pick in its category. At $229.99, it's the priciest of the Echo family--and this deal doesn't change that--but the price cut brings it more in line with the Echo Spot, which retails for $129.99.

March is in like a lion, out like a lamb. But there's nothing like great prices on desktops, smart locks, and Segways to help you keep dreaming of sunnier times. With the help of our friends at TechBargains, we've pulled together some of the best deals from around the web to chase off the very last dregs of the winter doldrums. Dell's Inspiron 3650 desktops are a popular pick, and for good reason. With code INS599, you can pay $599, over $600 off the original list price of $1212. You get a fast, versatile desktop with 16 GB RAM and a 2 TB hard drive--plenty of space for your music, movies, and photos.

Xiaomi already offers laptops (the Mi Notebook Pro and Mi Notebook Air), but it's now getting into PC gaming with a new model for the Chinese market. The literally-named Mi Gaming Laptop offers decent performance for the price, with a 15.6-inch wide-gamut color screen, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 GPU, 7th-gen Intel Core i7 CPU and gaming keyboard, all for RMB 8,999 (around $1,440). Xiaomi didn't specify the size, but given the narrow screen bezels and brushed aluminum chassis, it should be compact and light for a 15.6-inch laptop. Other specs include 16GB of RAM, a 256GB NVMe SSD, and a 1TB hard disk. If the price is too steep for the high-end model, Xiaomi is also offering a variant with NVIDIA GTX 1050 Ti graphics, 8GB of RAM and a 128GB/1TB SSD/HDD.

Anyone who has been frustrated asking questions of Siri or Alexa--and then annoyed at the digital assistant's tone-deaf responses--knows how dumb these supposedly intelligent assistants are, at least when it comes to emotional intelligence. "Even your dog knows when you're getting frustrated with it," says Rosalind Picard, director of Affective Computing Research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Media Lab. "Siri doesn't yet have the intelligence of a dog," she says. Yet developing that kind of intelligence--in particular, the ability to recognize human emotions and then respond appropriately--is essential to the true success of digital assistants and the many other artificial intelligences (AIs) we interact with every day. Whether we're giving voice commands to a GPS navigator, trying to get help from an automated phone support line, or working with a robot or chatbot, we need them to really understand us if we're to take these AIs seriously.

In this article we are going to go over the key differences between these topics and clear up a few misconceptions surrounding them. We have heard a lot of talk about these subjects and as can be expected of buzzwords they can be a little confusing or even misleading at times. Otherwise referred to as AI, the original term was invented by John McCarthy circa 1956. This term is used to describe any machine or computer that can perform human like tasks. Chatting, recognizing objects, etc. Common examples include chat-bots and virtual assistants such as Amazons Alexa, Siri from Apple or Google Assistant on Android.

This column describes work being done at Nuance Communication in developing virtual personal assistants (VPAs) that can engage in extended task center dialogues and the involve the coordination of many complex modules, along with conversational and collaborative support to such VPAs.

If you make a purchase by clicking one of our links, we may earn a small share of the revenue. However, our picks and opinions are independent from USA TODAY's newsroom and any business incentives. Smart assistants are all the rage right now. Whether you like having Alexa, Google Assistant, or Siri answer your many questions and perform various tasks, having a hands-free smart assistant adds ease (and fun) to your everyday life. Smart speakers come in a range of shapes and sizes at a variety of price points, and the Echo Show sits at the high end of that range.

Q. Can I have a conversation with Google Assistant, or will there be an update in the future that will let me have one? A. Google Assistant, the company's voice-based helper software that is similar to Amazon's Alexa, Apple's Siri and Microsoft's Cortana software, can already hold basic two-way conversations based on spoken or typed questions and commands. However, more intricate interaction with all these virtual assistant apps is coming as companies expand their research into the scientific areas of artificial intelligence, machine learning and natural language processing. The Google Assistant software is available as an app for Android and iOS devices, built into Google Home and other speakers, Android-based wearables, cars, televisions, smart-home appliances and other gear. If you are not sure how to talk to the program, the Google Assistant site has a lengthy list of the questions, commands and topics that you can use with the software, complete with suggestions on how to phrase your requests.