Olie is a crowdfunded smart lamp with a built-in voice assistant

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Pretty soon every electronic device you own will be judged on its integration with the ever-cleverer voice assistants being developed by tech’s giants. Nice hairdryer you’ve got there pal, but can you ask Alexa to tweak the heat settings and fill you in on the probably terrible weather forecast while she’s at it? No? Bin. The latest entry into the burgeoning category is Olie, a smart lamp currently funding on Indiegogo. Turning the lights on with your voice is nothing new, but Olie comes with your pick of either Google Assistant or Alexa built in, making even the famous Pixar lamp look talentless by comparison. If that wasn’t enough, its base doubles up as a Qi-enabled wireless charger for your smartwatch or phone. The earliest of birds can back the voice-assisted table version from $89.

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I'm fascinated by all things tech, but if you were going to leave me on a desert island, I'd probably ask for my Nintendo Switch, a drone, and a pair of noise-cancelling cans to block out the relentless seagull racket. When I'm not on Stuff duty you'll probably find me subscribing to too many podcasts, playing too many video games, or telling anyone who will listen that Spurs are going to win a trophy this season.