There are two kinds of AI assistants. The first turns up at your beck and call and indulges in chit chat and random conversations. The other is always around, even when you do not call for it and serves you information even before you have asked for it. Panasonic’s Arbo is in the second category. The world might talk a lot more about the likes of Siri, Cortana and Google Assistant, but if you are looking for an assistant that actually keeps a digital eye on you, then Arbo is in a different league. It comes as a special update on select Panasonic phones (The Eluga Ray Max and the Eluga Ray X at the time of writing) and is designed not to sing or tell you jokes but actually help you get through your day in the most effective way possible. Just check out these six amazing features of Arbo, Panasonic’s own assistant for smartphones:
1. It is ready to go out of the box – no need to say “Ok, Arbo”
Arbo comes via special OTA update on select Panasonic devices. It’s already available on Eluga Ray Max and will be available for the rest of Ray devices this month. All you need to do is simply log into your Google account to give Arbo access. That’s all. There’s no need to speak to it to make it understand your voice or get familiar with it.
2. No idle chatter, just work!
No need to go OK Google or Hey, Siri. Arbo instead floats all the time under your UI, working out your habits and noting down your app usage patterns. You don’t have to call out for it or ask it to do anything. It is already and always at work.
3. Don’t ask – it will tell you
Arbo keeps a track of your activities. So if there is a particular time of the day when you make a call or order something, after a while, you do not need to bother yourself about remembering it. Arbo will prompt you about it. It could be ordering a coffee from Starbucks or calling a person. Arbo remembers and will tell you that perhaps you need to make a call or check news on a particular app. Just give it time.
4. A sense of place
Arbo tracks not only what apps you use and when but also keeps an eye on your location. And what you do at different places. So when you get back home, it will simply suggest you switch from 4G connectivity to Wi-Fi or hook your device to your favorite wireless speaker set. Again, you do not need to ask it to do anything. It exists to serve.
5. It gets better…with age
Arbo keeps a track of how you use your device and the more you use it, the better the app gets. In a classic sense, it is a bit like friendship – the longer you know a person, the better you know them. Arbo is similar. The more you use your Panasonic device, the more it finds out about you and the better and more relevant will be the information it will send you. Want to get the most out of Arbo – just use your phone. A lot.
6. It stays with you
What if you move from one Panasonic phone to another? Well, you will not have to go through the whole process of getting Arbo used to your app usage methods and travel habits. All you need to do is start the new phone, log into Arbo using the same account you used on your previous device and you will be very much ready to go. It will simply pick up from where it left off on the previous device.