Multiple user support is one of Google Home’s key differentiators from competing speaker assistant devices. After launching in the US earlier this year, it is now expanding internationally, starting with the UK.
Google announced it at the beginning of this month, and now it’s happening. More than 6 months after its United States launch, Google Home is available from Canadian retailers as of today, June 26th. Google announced that the device would be coming to six new countries over the course of the summer, and Canada is the first…
Amazon’s Echo is a powerful home assistant, especially thanks to its integration of hundreds of different skills. However, many were patiently waiting for Google to enter that field solely for the power that the company wields in search. Google Home has been available now for a while, but in general use, it can seem about the same as the Echo. Now, the two have been put to the test, and things went pretty much how you would have expected them to.
While Cannes is more well-known for its film festival, there is also a subsequent event focused on advertising and communications. At the 2017 Cannes Lions, the invasive and quickly shut down Burger King clip that hijacked “Ok, Google” won a top ad award, while Tilt Brush and Google Earth VR also grabbed honors.
Home automation is an idea straight out of an 80’s sci-fi TV show. Now, with Google Assistant, we can simply ask our phones or Google Home to turn on the lights or turn off a fan. The biggest issue with smarthome products, though, has long been their upfront cost. Thanks to the intelliPlug, a product currently being funded on Indiegogo, this might not be as much of a problem going forward…
Two of the most popular trends in the technology industry today are AI and machine learning. With that, some of the larger tech companies have created voice assistants such as Google Assistant, Alexa, Siri, and now Bixby. So that they can actually be useful, companies are attempting to add the assistants to everything, including speakers.
If Samsung were to one day create a smart speaker powered by Bixby, would you buy it over one from the company’s competitors?
The Google Home, if used and paired with other items correctly, can turn your ordinary home into a smart house. While many with a Home already know that, Google wants to make sure everyone knows just how useful and powerful it can be with a pair of new ads…
Today, at WWDC, Apple unveiled its long-awaited “Siri speaker” which it named the HomePod. Its strange name aside, the HomePod does offer much better sound performance when compared to the Google Home and the Amazon Echo thanks to its seven built-in speakers. Would you buy a Google Home that provided a more premium speaker setup?
I’ve been noticing a weird issue with Google Home off and on for the last couple weeks, but it has become particularly annoying this weekend. Basically, the device has been interrupting many of my queries with “Sorry, something went wrong,” and then asks me to try again in a few seconds. At first I chalked it up to a random glitch on my end, but it seems it’s a bit more than that.
If you’re experiencing this problem as well, just know that you’re not alone.
At I/O 2017 last month, Google announced that Home would launch in six more countries over the course of the summer. The first of those will be Canada on June 26th, with Google Assistant seeing a similar launch in both English and French for the device.
At I/O 2017, Sundar Pichai noted that computers are getting better at understanding voice input, with Google having achieved “significant breakthroughs” in speech recognition. In fact, Google’s machine learning systems are now nearly on par with humans.
I love using my Google Home to control smart devices in my home office, but I’ve yet to expand that to the rest of the home due to the cost. Options like LIFX and Philips Hue are undeniably fantastic, but nowhere near affordable. IKEA, maker of the best cheap furniture, is preparing to step into the smart home arena with extremely affordable new bulbs and more, and now, we’re finding out that the products will have Assistant compatibility.
Google Home is pretty good at hearing what you say, but sometimes, especially when using “Hey Google,” it doesn’t hear you. If your Home isn’t in a place where you can see the LEDs, you won’t have any clue that the device didn’t hear you. Thankfully, there’s a way to fix that.
Google Assistant’s various commands can really come in handy, especially when it comes to casting content to the TV or controlling smart home products. However, some of those commands can become pretty long and tedious, especially if you say them a lot. Now, Google is making it easier to perform commands with shortcuts.
Following an announcement from GE earlier today, LG is the latest appliance manufacturer to announce integration with Google Home and Assistant for a new lineup of connected appliances. The company made the announcement during the opening day of the Google I/O 2017 developer conference.
At I/O 2017, Google has announced a slew of new features for their Home connected speaker. Major new features include hands-free calling, Bluetooth support, and visual responses.
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Google Assistant was slow to kick off in terms of availability, with only Pixel users in the US officially supported. Over time, that’s changed with Assistant now available on just about every Android phone, an official SDK out, and more on the way.
Today at I/O 2017, Google has announced that the Assistant is expanding even further, with support for more new languages…
Google Assistant is a big deal for Google this year, and we’re expecting the company to announce quite a bit regarding its AI at I/O 2017, starting tomorrow. Personally, there are a few things I’m hoping to see, let me explain…
Since its launch last year, Google Home has received a steady stream of third-party smart home integrations and other new features. The latest is the ability to play ambient sounds that can help users relax.
Accessory maker iDevices is the latest to announce integration of Google Assistant with its lineup of connected home products, which were previously compatible with competing platforms, Amazon’s Alexa and Apple’s HomeKit.
After being reported on earlier this year, a new set of leaked images has revealed Amazon’s new Echo with a built-in display. With it being rumored that the next Home will also act as a mesh router, do you think it should also have a touchscreen?
Google has quietly added a number of new smart home integrations to Home and Assistant today. Meanwhile, one developer has already found a way to add Assistant to desktops using the recently announced SDK.
Google I/O is just around the corner and for those who aren’t lucky enough to be going, Google has plenty of options to tune in. It will offer up live streams for major events, and of course, 9to5Google will be there to bring you all the latest news and more from the Shoreline Amphitheatre. Along with those, though, Google also seems to have plans for a Google Home app for I/O 17, and it briefly went live early…
Back at launch, Google Home wasn’t very friendly with smart home products, but over the past few months, Google has worked with more new companies to expand what Home is capable of. Personally, I love using smart home products, and I do so quite often in my home office. Here’s what I’ve been using.
