While smart speakers are appearing one after another from each company, LINE's smart speaker "Clova" series is running on its own route.
Although the original "Clova WAVE" had an orthodox appearance, the later released "Clova Friends" and "Clova Friends mini" have adopted the character appearance. While there are many products that aim for a design that does not float in the room, it is interesting to steer in the opposite direction to other smart speakers, which is to emphasize the presence.
This time, I would like to use the Doraemon model of "Clova Friends mini" released in a limited quantity to check what kind of product it is and how much it seems to be "Doraemon".
"Clova Friends mini (Doraemon)". The price is 5400 yen (tax included). It is a limited quantity model and is already sold out at LINE's online store, but it seems that it is still in stock at mass retailers. The author is a package of products that I got at Nojima since the beginning of July . The Clova Friends mini is a main unit and accessories with other LINE characters "Brown" and "Sally", and "MINIONS Bob" added at a later date . A USB adapter is also included, which is a nice comparison with the "Amazon Echo" (right). Comparison with "Clova WAVE" (right), which shows that it is very compact .This is not as compact as this product, but rather as tall as the "Echo Spot" (right) with a stand that highlights the hugeness of WAVE.The setup is general, the action button on the nose is interesting
The setup procedure is not much different from that of "Amazon Echo" or "Google Home". First, install the dedicated application on your smartphone and start it. Since this product is automatically recognized, you can set Wi-Fi.
By the way, the Wi-Fi of this product is also compatible with the 5GHz band, so it is safe for users (like me) who try not to use the 2.4GHz band for their home Wi-Fi as much as possible.
This product is automatically detected when you start the "Clova" app on your smartphone (image = left). You will be asked if you want to set it as a pair, so execute it (image = right). The network will be detected, so enter the password to connect (image = left). When authentication is complete, setup is complete (image = right) Home screen of the settings app. The screen is common to the Clova series, but the icons and layout are easy to understand.What is interesting as a function is that Doraemon's nose is a button (action button). You can play / pause by pressing this once, and you can omit the wake word "Hey Clova" by pressing and holding it. The alarm described below will stop when you press this nose. It is a good impression that the buttons are mounted in a natural shape without spoiling the design of Doraemon.
On the other hand, the yellow bell on the neck looks like it can be pressed and is not a button, and the red protrusion on the back that hits the tail is not a button but just a decoration, which is a bit confusing. I wanted consideration for interaction, such as a design that makes it easy to see that it cannot be pressed.
There are three LEDs on the front of the main unit, where there is a four-dimensional pocket, and the status is displayed in colors such as yellow when there is a notification and green when responding to a wake word. The volume control, microphone off, and Bluetooth buttons are centralized on the back, so it's good that the character's design isn't spoiled when viewed from the front.
In addition, this product has a built-in battery with a capacity of 2000mAh, and it can be driven wirelessly by disconnecting the power cable for several hours, so it can be carried to another room for a short time. There aren't many smart speakers with batteries, so it will be an advantage when compared to competitors.
The nose is a physical button. The yellow bell on the neck, which feels like a click when pushed in, looks like some kind of button and is not a button. In the pocket, there is a red protrusion that corresponds to the LED tail used for notifications, but it looks like it can be pressed, it is not a button in particular Volume adjustment, microphone off, Bluetooth buttons are concentrated on the back head Above, there is a microphone in an inconspicuous place. Traces of biting my ears ... It's not that the sound comes out from the bottom . Seen from directly behind. The power supply is USB Type-C, there is an earphone jack next to it, and there is a power button on the bottom.How to improve the listening performance of "Clova" which also describes the manufacturer name 1 | 2 Go to the next page