How often do you forget to add something to your shopping list? Hiku is a new smart kitchen tool that acts like a shopping brain. It’s a digital assistant that you can control with your voice and use to build shopping lists so that you’ll never forget the kimchi again.
GearBrain was given a hiku device to test. My wife does all of the shopping in our household, so we asked her to test the device for us. We also wanted to get her friends’ perspective on hiku and verify whether it was a useful tool or just another gimmick. We were pleasantly surprised by what we discovered.
Setup
Before we could use hiku, we first had to download its companion app onto my wife’s iPhone 5S (hiku is compatible with both iOS and Android devices.) We used hiku’s easy-to-follow setup instructions to create an account once the app had finished downloading.
You must place your hiku on the screen of your smartphone with the its lens facing down in order to pair them. The hiku lens is the see-through window on the bottom of the device — remember to remove the protective film covering the lens!
Though setting hiku up was easy for the most part, pairing the device to a smartphone (or, at least, the iPhone 5S) may prove problematic at first. It seemed like we were not placing the hiku on the smartphone correctly. Consult the website or the help section on the hiku app if you run into problems. Both feature helpful setup videos.
Usage & features
Once you’ve paired your devices, you can use hiku to build shopping lists. However, know that hiku only supports 2.4 Ghz-networks, not 5 Ghz. Additionally, speak clearly and directly into the hiku device. Hiku adjusts to your voice and can understand multiple languages including English, French, Spanish and others.
The hiku produces two beeps when you scan products with it. These sounds mean that the scan worked and that the product was successfully added to your shopping list. If you hear three beeps, though, this means that hiku doesn’t recognize the barcode. Not to worry; just say the product’s name and hiku will add it to the list. Additionally, hiku will remember that product name the next time you scan that barcode, which is a handy feature.
Connect to major grocery stores
Anyone who wants to share lists must download the hiku app and frequent the same account, as well as use the same login information. We thought that this wasn’t a very secure feature — the account can easily be opened if anyone using it loses their phone. We’d also like to see hiku be able to push out lists via app or voice commands. That said, we did find it easy to delete items from a list. Just swipe, and the product is removed.
Another of hiku’s helpful features is its ability to connect to Walmart.com and Peapod. If those stores carry any items that are on your shopping list, you can buy them directly. This feature is easy to set up, too. Once your shopping list is complete, just open the hiku app and select a store button at the bottom of the screen. Hiku will then walk you through the purchase process. You’re going to like this feature if you’re already using either Walmart.com or Peapod for grocery shopping.
Test results
My wife and her friends become hiku power users in mere weeks. They found hiku both simple to use and great for daily or weekly shopping. Hiku’s battery also lasts a long time. My wife particularly liked that she could add to her list while cooking just by speaking into the device, without having to pause to find a pen.
What we didn’t like about hiku is how difficult it is to switch between lists. Hiku forces users to have at least one default list. What’s more, hiku assumes that any items added via verbal command are for that list, making logging into the app the only way to add items to other lists. You to scan or speak a product into your default list even if you normally keep it in another list, but you still have to manually add the item to a different list later on.
Neither my wife nor her friends liked this function. They want to add an item to any customized list at once rather than edit them manually within the app. My wife maintains multiple shopping lists during the holidays and said that it’d be cumbersome to have to remember which products go where. She’d prefer the ability to add an item to any list at that moment.
Another feature my wife wanted was the ability to share lists. You need to get another person to download the hiku app and log in with the same username and password in order to share a shopping list. My wife also wanted the option to email or text a list to someone from within the app as well.
Hiku does not charge any fees for storing lists in the cloud. It retails for $49 and is available through its website. Shipping is free for standard USPS service if you order hiku through its company website. You can also pay an extra $6 to receive priority mail shipping via USPS if you want your hiku sooner. Hiku is also available on Amazon and at Walmart.
Technical specs
There are not many technical specs for hiku. Besides designed for iOS (10 or later) and Android, hiku also works with Apple Airport, Apple’s fast wireless base station. Keep in mind that most Wi-Fi routers support 2.4 Ghz and 5Ghz (dual band), but some Wi-Fi routers may be configured to support only 5Ghz. Therefore, make sure that your Apple Airport is configured correctly. Hiku’s support section features an Apple Airport configuration tutorial.
The device itself is quite sturdy. According to hiku itself, it’s designed to live in the kitchen and be handled by anyone, including children. Hiku is water resistant and its round design makes it easy to hold even if your hands are wet. My wife thought hiku was very durable and easy to store in her kitchen.
Hiku can read a wide variety of 1D barcodes. It supports most popular symbologies like UPC-A, Code 128, Code 29, UPC-E, EAN-8, EAN-13 and more. Hiku has a barcode database of over 17 million records, most of which are for U.S. products. However hiku can be used in other markets around the world.
Summary
We found hiku to be a great addition to the smart kitchen. Many of us are moving so quickly in today’s connected world that we need help keeping track of the little things like not forgetting the milk. Whether you seem to forget everything on your shopping list or have trouble keeping track of dinner assignments, hiku is a product you should consider for your smart kitchen.
Hiku also makes a handy shopping assistant. Despite the aforementioned list-making issues, hiku is still a great help when it comes to managing shopping.
Though my wife wishes that it were easier to maintain multiple lists in hiku, she feels that hiku is still easy to use, useful and recommend it to her friends. GearBrain likes that hiku can be voice controlled and hopes that it might feature Alexa integration one day. An Alexa-enabled hiku would result a smart, affordable and voice-controlled kitchen tool.
Pros:
- Easy to use.
- Reasonably priced.
- Keeps track of multiple lists.
- Syncs to online food shopping sites.
- Voice controlled.
- No monthly fees.
- Long battery life.
Cons:
- Difficult to manage multiple lists.
- hard to share lists outside of app.
This article originally appeared on GearBrain and was syndicated by Mediafeed.org.
Image Credit: depositphotos.com
Image Credit: depositphotos.com.
