A few weeks ago it was discovered that Google’s popular Chromecast and Google Home devices were causing outages with wireless routers due to a bug. While router makers tried to fix the problem, it came down to Google to get a proper fix out, and now, that fix is rolling out to all users.
Do you use your Google Home as a bedside alarm clock? Do you wish you could be woken up by a specific song instead of an annoying alarm? Well, it’s possible and here’s how…
Google Home, and Assistant speakers in general, have only been on the scene a fraction of the time that the Amazon Echo family has. However, Google’s devices are starting to pick up steam, and they’ve really made themselves known in the market…
As promised yesterday, Google has begun rolling out a Google Play services update to users that should fix the reported Wi-Fi slowdowns and outages cause by Chromecast built-in devices (Google Homes, Android TVs, Chromecasts, etc.). In case it hasn’t reached your device yet, you can download the update below…
When reports came out that Home and Chromecast devices were slowing down or even causing temporarily Wi-Fi outages, Google gave us a statement that basically read that the company was looking into it. Now, the company has published an entire support page detailing the problem and what its plan is to fix it…
If you happen to own a router from ASUS, Linksys, Netgear, TP-Link, or Synology, there’s a chance that you’ve been experiencing Wi-Fi issues after setting up a Google Home and or a Chromecast in your house. While a fix is in works, there’s no quick or temporary solution for users having problems.
Have you experienced any Wi-Fi issues since installing a Google Home or Chromecast?
The Google Home Mini is a fantastic piece of hardware. It’s small, has a decent enough speaker for talking to Google Assistant or listening to music, and it’s inexpensive. The Home Mini’s biggest issue is just the fact that you must have it laying on a surface with a long cable trailing behind it.
While Google and Incipio have partnered together to create a wall mount for the Mini, it just isn’t ideal for those who don’t want to or can’t put holes in their walls. Thankfully, a third-party company has created the perfect solution, mounting the Home Mini to your electrical outlet.
Google’s suite of products in the past few years have been pretty awesome overall, with Chromecast and Home devices among the best. However, there’s now a confirmed issue with multiple routers where Google’s devices are the cause of temporary outages.
Back in November, we learned that for the first time in several years, Google would have an official presence at CES. The company today has taken wraps off its large booth and unsurprisingly it is mostly focused on the Google Assistant.
When Google Home launched, it was disappointing how few smart home devices it could control. However, a year later, the list has grown tremendously, and now, it’s expanded to over 1,500 different devices.
When I first heard that Google was working on a larger, Sonos-like Google Home, I couldn’t have been more excited. I’d never owned a nice home speaker until the Google Home Max, because I never really had the need — much less the desire — for a “fancy home speaker”. That changed when I saw the initial ad reel for the Home Max at Google’s event last year in San Francisco, and now I’ve had the joy of using the Max as my primary Home for a few weeks. It’s good.
Google and Amazon discounted their smart speakers so deeply in the holiday sales that they likely lost money on each unit, say analysts. Amazon discounted its Echo Dot to $29.99 in the run-up to the holidays, with the Google Home Mini also seen for the same price in various sales.
The two companies’ willingness to lose money on the hardware reveals their very different strategy to Apple with its upcoming HomePod speaker …
If you got your first Google Home for the holidays this year, chances are you had to make the tough decision of which room in your home it will be used the most. Those of us that have several Google Homes don’t have to think about that because, well, we have a Google Home in pretty much every room. But if you have just one Google Home, where do you like to keep it?
Ahead of CES 2018, which happens to be just a few weeks away, LG today has unveiled an entire lineup of new speakers. Included is a speaker bar, portable Bluetooth speakers, and much more. What’s exciting, though, is that one of them, the ThinQ Speaker, is powered by the Google Assistant…
The Home Max is now available for purchase which means Google now sells three different smart speakers, all serving separate purposes. The Max, being the largest of the three, is intended to be a premium quality speaker which just happens to have Google Assistant built-in.
But at $400, the Home Max can be a difficult purchase to make. Are you buying one for your house?
I got the Google Home Max yesterday. I bought the white one from Verizon in the minutes after it went on sale. I got the free shipping option which was about as fast as the 1 day shipping from Best Buy. It comes packaged nicely in a very Googley box pictured above.
Here we go:
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Earlier this year, Samsung was rumored to be developing a smart speaker to compete with likes of Google Home. Today, a new report provides the first concrete details on the device, as well as a possible launch date. Meanwhile, another report notes a possible launch for the rumored Google Home with a display.
With the Google Home Max being delivered to customers now, we figured it would be a good time to walk you through how to set up and get started with your new smart speaker. Thankfully, most of the set up process takes place within the Home app, which means the entire process just takes a few minutes.
Google Assistant is really powerful, and one of its best use cases is controlling smart home products. However, setting up smart home devices on Assistant can be a bit irritating. Now, Google is making it easier by adding a command to Assistant which pairs devices directly by voice.
Following the launch of the Home Max this month, Google’s smart speaker lineup for the year will be complete. However, rumors already point to the company working on a device with a touchscreen, while a new report today suggests multi-touch input for future devices.
Google Assistant is a very powerful tool, but its real power will be unlocked by developers working with the platform. Recently, eBay has jumped on board the Assistant bandwagon, bringing some welcome functionality to Assistant on your phone and smart speakers.
Google has publicly said that its new high-end Google Home Max speaker will be released in December, but until now we didn’t have any idea at what point within that month you might be able to trot down to a store and actually pick one up. According to Best Buy at least, that day will be December 11th, 2017.
Just yesterday I wrote a piece voicing frustration over the lack of progress Google has made in bringing features promised half a year ago to Home. Now, the company has added another new service from the promised list — Crackle.
Have you ever given Google Home a command and then immediately turned around to give it another? I do this on a pretty regular basis for things like controlling lights and playing media on Chromecast. Now, Google is making this easier by accepting multiple commands at once.
