Google Home

sesevans · 30 Sep 2016 at 21:12

Alphabet previewed its new Google Home device at I/O in May and seems to be working hard to launch it, perhaps on 4 October, with other hardware such as the Pixel smartphones and a new Chromecast. Rumour of a price point on Home is $ 129, cheaper than a similar product from Amazon, its Echo, priced at $ 179. Home will be integrated with Google's ecosystem (eg, Nest) and Google Assistant.

Google revealed the basic functionality at I/O, which seems amazing. Reminder: https://youtu.be/VmGmrJdcBwc[

It will be interesting to learn about Home's compatibility with other third party services, such as Spotify, Uber, news apps, etc. Out of the box Home will be compatible with Smart Things, a Samsung owned platform for home automation products, according to Android Police.

Will be interested in UK pricing, what it supports and its capabilities.

sesevans · 2 Oct 2016 at 20:39

Although Amazon has a lead in this category with the Echo, Google should have the advantage with Search and machine learning.

sesevans · 7 Oct 2016 at 14:06

For comparison, Alexa review from today's Daily Telegraph:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technolo...review-the-most-exciting-new-gadget-in-years/

sesevans · 7 Oct 2016 at 14:46

Kainz said:
I don't really 'trust' Google to cater for the UK though on the Home front of things. Amazon have done it well but Google tend to focus on the US moreso. Do we even have any ETA's on Home or is it just a paper launch?

Some of the third parties/partners that are working on Home in the US with Google are either affiliated or international. For example, Google indicated that it is working with Uber, Nest, Spotify and Phillips. Nest is owned by Google and sells here. The others all operate here. That gives me reason to think that the Home introduction here can be sooner rather than later. When launching Home in the US the other day, Google mentioned when asked about the UK, "hopefully soon". As for the many other services that are possible beyond these names, I suggest stay tuned.

Remember that Home is an extension of their work on Chromecast (same team worked on Home) and Chromecast has been operating successfully in the UK for some time.

Kainz said:
I don't really 'trust' Google to cater for the UK though on the Home front of things. Amazon have done it well but Google tend to focus on the US moreso. Do we even have any ETA's on Home or is it just a paper launch?

I will be interested to learn about reactions and comments from US users of Google Home very soon.

I noticed that Google Home began shipping out yesterday in the US at the stated price of $ 129, approximately $ 50 cheaper than the Amazon Alexa. Google has not given a UK launch date yet but if I recall a comment made at the time of its announcement, it was not expected until after New Year.

Hope others will post reviews when they see them.

sesevans · 3 Nov 2016 at 14:03

Glaucus said:
my issue with these is they are so stand alone.

when I can place a speaker in each room, and the music follows me around automatically and adjusts for ambient noise level, then it'll suddenly get very interesting.
the other issue, is there so many standards and companies fighting for home automation, I get smart lights, or auto locking doors etc, its unlikely to be compatible with either system.

the show on tv function is interesting, if you fitted a display in kitchen, and could say show x recipe, and then had voice control for showing each stp etc. but again it doesn't have that much control yet, or maybe ever, as they all seem to hate filling out easy to program but small niches.

Thinking some more about your comments about music, I can see the US launch features mentioned in their FAQs about this as follows:

"1. Working with Google Chromecast Audio, Google Home is a Cast-enabled speaker. You’ll be able to cast from over 100 Cast-enabled music apps.

2. So in answer to the question can I Cast to multiple speakers, Google Home supports Multi-room, and can be grouped with other Google Cast speakers. Google Home also lets you cast music to groups of speakers you’ve set up — using only your voice."

With regards to casting onto other Google Cast devices through Google Home to say Sony speakers, Google say they are working on the ability to start playing content on other Cast connected devices in your home.

Hope this FAQ list answers some other questions we are bound to have leading up to the eventual UK launch:

https://support.google.com/googlehome/answer/7123739?hl=en

Note we will have to wait for next year before it launches outside the US.

sesevans · 3 Nov 2016 at 17:17

Glaucus said:
it works with multiple speakers but doesn't follow you, if I walk from lounge to kitchen s=to start cooking you need to tell it to play on the other speaker.

got to start somewhere, but think its still a few years away for me.

I understand and would be surprised if they are not working on exactly that. For example, the review today from Engadget:

"And the good news is that Home plays with Google's ecosystem of Chromecast devices, so if you have a pair of good speakers, you can just add the $35 Chromecast Audio and start telling Home to play music through that rather than its own internal speaker. I'm already dreaming of setting up a few pairs of nice speakers with Chromecast Audio and having a multi-room, voice-connected music system."

One of the potential issues I thought about, namely a conflict between two Google devices using Google Assistant, seems to be solved already. Recently I purchased the Pixel XL and find Assistant to be a really good feature. For example, try saying to your Pixel: "OK Google, Good Morning" and Assistant will respond with a greeting, a weather forecast and your calendar followed by a choice of podcasts such as BBC news and NPR Radio, etc. However, if I had Google Home I wondered if both the Pixel and Google Home would respond, something that apparently happens with Apple devices. Here is what was mentioned in another review today on ZDNet:

"Using Assistant on a Pixel and Home when the two devices are in the same room is a non-issue. When using the wake phrase, both devices naturally begin to listen. On a Pixel, that means the screen lights up and the Assistant interface is displayed. For Google Home, the indicator lights are activated.

However, as you continue with the interaction, Assistant on Pixel realizes a nearby Home device is responding and your phone stops listening. A brief message is displayed on the phone, stating "Answering on another device".

One of the issues I encounter using Siri on my iPhone and Apple Watch is that both devices listen for and respond to voice commands without ceding power to whichever one makes more sense to use based on the command."

I agree with you that it will be nice to have a number of further advances to Home by the time it comes to the UK.

sesevans · 30 Nov 2016 at 08:19

Still patiently waiting for Google Home to make its debut in the UK (no update beyond "2017") while noting reviews and comments and updates about its recent $ 129 USA launch recently. I expect many third party services to be added to Home before too long and that the UK launch will benefit by this additional "learning."

Therefore as it is only the Echo from Amazon available so far in the UK, I found the research note from CIRP (Consumer Intelligence Research Partners LLC, Chicago) dated 21 November, 2016 of interest. I attach the note below. What struck me was that although growth in more than 2 years since launch has reached 5 million units and awareness among Amazon customers is high, approximately 40% of Echo purchasers use the device mainly as a music speaker while 30% use it for information and 10% use if to control the home.

This seems a problem because if the device becomes mainly just a music speaker, it will be hard to see really big growth ahead. So you have to ask yourself why the device is mainly a music speaker only and the answer appears to be that Alexa currently is not great. From reading some reviews, it appears the device is not that intuitive to use.

It seems to me that this is why Google Home has some real potential.

First it has the smart Google Assistant inside which currently resides on my Google Pixel and soon a growing number of Android smartphones. I use it frequently to obtain info and perform tasks.

Also Google is generally considered a world leader in natural speech recognition and in processing that speech (eg Google Translate, Voice to Text, etc) and Home should therefore reflect this capability superbly well. I understand that the Echo often leaves users frustrated due to either an inability to understand the voice or not executing the command even if the words are understood.

Will be watching the competition between Amazon Echo and Google Home.

With the Echo on sale in the UK, does anyone who has bought one have a review to offer?

Here is the CIRP note:

http://files.constantcontact.com/150f9af2201/70c07fdd-a197-4505-9476-e83aa726f025.pdf

sesevans · 9 Dec 2016 at 03:00

Becoming clearer how Google will open up conversational interactions for Google Home for third parties. Google will keep tight control of direct actions however.

http://www.theverge.com/2016/12/8/13878444/google-home-developers-actions-ecosystem-app-store

sesevans · 15 Dec 2016 at 23:15

When Home arrives in the UK in 2017, looks like it will be loaded with Actions. Check some of these just introduced to Home in the US: Domino's Pizza, WebMD, Tender for cocktails, Chill for films, games and news.

http://venturebeat.com/2016/12/15/g...port-for-webmd-quora-dominos-and-dozens-more/

sesevans · 19 Dec 2016 at 23:54

At the rate Google are moving along on Home, I would not be surprised to see Home introduced into the UK sooner rather than later.

Found this article today on the setup procedure for Home and some tips on use.

http://www.pcmag.com/article/350255/how-to-set-up-your-google-home

sesevans · 20 Jan 2017 at 10:47

Wave 7 research is reporting that 500,000 units of Google Home were shipped in the fourth quarter of 2016 in the US, the only country that Google has introduced Home into so far. Amazon, which has had a two year head start on Google Home has reportedly shipped between 750,000 to 1 million units of the Echo device. The Echo is available in more countries.

They believe that only 2% of Amazon customers who are aware of the Echo have bought one (primarily as an additional Bluetooth speaker). Hence it seems that Google Home (tied to Google Assistant) has done quite well in the first quarter of its existence. In order to get more volumes, I expect Google to make a major assault on the developer community to get Home integrated with more third party devices (read: smart home devices) , esp before what I expect to be a launch soon in the UK (Google has already said "2017").

sesevans · 8 Feb 2017 at 18:49

Pers;30481898 said:
So I really want to get one of these but no clue when it's out in the UK. I've found a place in the US who will sell for the 129$ and deliver for $40. It's not one of those agents you have to pay to get a US address with. Just straight up order and deliver.

Works out less than an echo provided the Spanish customs don't get me on delivery. One of the guys at work got one in Spain and seems everything works on it.

Interesting! I have thought about doing the same---in fact I was visiting the US recently. I have said previously that I would always choose Home over Alexa due to the superior search functionality, a major use for me.

There are two reasons I hesitated:

1. I own (and really like) the Pixel XL (purchased immediately upon release) and I enjoy using Google Assistant and its voice activation. The voice capabilities and functionality of Assistant keep getting better and it does incorporate therefore some of the Home functions. I believe Google's ability to "infer" intentions (eg follow up questions without the subject header) is a function of the years of effort they have invested in machine learning and artificial intelligence. In this regard, I believe they are a market leader.

2. In previous posts exchanged with Andy CR15, we both appear to agree that third party functionality will be very important to Home's success. The list of third party functions built into the US launch of Home keeps growing. As you will have read, this list includes turning on home appliances, dimming your home's lights, ordering your Uber, ordering home delivery of your pizza and much much more. Clearly Google is working on third party features in the UK prior to launch.

The other day you may have seen during the NFL Super Bowl game their new ad in the US for Home, and while this ad reminded me largely of the initial video they showed at Google I/O last year, there were a few new wrinkles.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQn5wiDyUHo

Please share with us your impressions of Home if you elect to purchase.

sesevans · 16 Feb 2017 at 17:47

Pers said:
Ordered it yesterday from https://www.bhphotovideo.com/ They have taken the money already so I hope they dispatch it today. Read some decent feedback on them so went for it. One of my colleagues also ordered one.

Sorry Mods if the link is not allowed.

I'll update once I get to test it.

I look forward to your feedback.

Looking ahead what to expect Google Home to morph into in the UK when launched this year, I was surprised to learn that it now links through to shopping at the large number of shopping "partners" in the US. Google Express (local delivery service) now covers 90% of the United States---a much larger percentage than I had realised. So using Google Home in the US allows you to shop and use payment via your designated credit card. This creates head-on competition for Amazon I believe. Any thoughts on whether Google would try to launch Google Express here or work through a third party delivery service? I assume Google Express would be a prime target for Google to launch together with a possible autonomously-driven vehicle service:

https://9to5google.com/2017/02/16/google-home-express-purchases-retailers/

sesevans · 5 Mar 2017 at 23:24

Google Home arriving in UK very soon!

According to today's Sunday Express, it is due very soon. Details to follow:

http://www.express.co.uk/life-style...home-amazon-echo-rival-uk-launch-release-date

I understand that Google Home is soon offering multiple users on the same device too.

sesevans · 7 Mar 2017 at 05:12

Scam said:
How will this work? Voice recognition? E.g. if my girlfriend asks to play music will it be through her Google Play Music account? What's to stop her asking to see my calendar appointments? p).

I'd love to have one for the sake of it, but in reality beyond playing music ("OK Google, play the Foo Fighters") and asking questions I can't see much use.

It was this article in Verge that caught my eye on multiple accounts.

http://www.theverge.com/2017/3/2/14795834/google-home-multi-user-support-possible-development

Perhaps this amusing Reddit list might help: https://www.reddit.com/r/googlehome/wiki/commands

For example, in my home I have Nest Thermostat and CO detector. Voice commands to Home would help me manage them. Also I expect upon launch in the UK, there to be multiple buy/request options available.

sesevans · 28 Mar 2017 at 12:53

Father Ted said:
Coming to the UK on 6th April...
Link: https://store.google.com/product/google_home

Yes, very excited about its arrival and I will certainly buy at least two Home devices. One for living room, one for bedroom and possibly one for kitchen. I will also be interested in the reviews of Google WiFi and its ability to provide points to increase coverage to hard to reach areas of the house.

Will this make it unnecessary to have a BT or Virgin router?

sesevans · 28 Mar 2017 at 13:12

stuie said:
I believe its just an advanced access point so will still need a router to work

I assume this is a case where Google could have supplied their own router too but avoided direct competition with its clients--BT and Virgin sell Android devices. It will be interesting to see if third parties like Virgin and BT are distributors of Home as well.

sesevans said:
I assume this is a case where Google could have supplied their own router too but avoided direct competition with its clients--BT and Virgin sell Android devices. It will be interesting to see if third parties like Virgin and BT are distributors of Home as well.

I spoke to customer services and learned more.

Google WiFi is compatible with Virgin Media modem (I assume with BT modem as well) as Google WiFi uses the modem part of the Virgin modem/router box and replaces the router part, as it acts as a router with multiple points.

I expect to buy the two WiFi pack to put one unit in the modem box and one in a room in the home to create the mesh network.

You activate each unit in the Google WiFi app. You can then run a mesh test after setting up the two units.

sesevans · 6 Apr 2017 at 09:59

Ordered 2 Home and the 2 pack Wifi from Play Store today.

Confirm says delivery Saturday to Tuesday.

sesevans · 7 Apr 2017 at 00:41

JamesM said:
There is talk of them doing that.

I'm tempted to grab a Home but not sure whether to wait and see how they handle multiple accounts

I already have Nest and Hue stuff, this would be a good base for it all

Also, with lazy mode enabled, asking it to play films via Netflix is pretty cool

One of the reasons I bought two GH is because one device will sync to my Google account and the other, in another part of the home, will sync to my partner's account---for calendar, emails, etc. Yet GH works for either voice, just not for the account synced info. When a software update eventually makes multiple accounts possible (and there has been talk for a while) that will be great too, but does not do away with my need to have more than one GH in the home.

Pigeon_Killer said:
First thoughts...

It was very easy to configure, the microphone is excellent even at max volume, the assistant sounds more natural than I was expecting and it's way smaller than I thought it would be. Unfortunately, there's next to no app integration at the moment for UK users and the speaker isn't great.

Expect it to improve over the coming months, I'm really looking forward to the Logitech Harmony support, but the novelty will wear off very quickly unless Google add more features.

I was fortunate to visit the Google store within a store at Currys Tottenham Ct Road today and tested GH. The store had one all set up and fully loaded. I thought the speaker was excellent when playing Classic FM or Kiss FM via TuneIn radio. The quality of the sound from a YouTube video was also excellent. They had a Phillips Hue light set up and instructions including turn it on, turn up the brightness, dim the light, turn off the light, worked flawlessly. The link to Chromecast also was superb for playing video onto a TV nearby, all the the command of your voice.

Google seems to be pulling out all the stops here to get app developers to create Tasks on GH and I expect a rapid increase in the number of third party devs signing up to GH.

sesevans · 9 Apr 2017 at 07:58

glen8 said:
Google Home is rubbish

I have all philips hue lights and a nest thermostat. The nest is perfect, the lights however are shockingly bad.......

That said, the inner geek in me still kinda likes it. Does anyone know of any wireless curtain/blind rails? Somfy do some good looking ones, but unsure about compatibility with google home. I have a wireless video doorbell on order and have the nest smoke detectors and two security cameras ready for fitting. Might do them this weekend.

My WiFi and Home arrived yesterday, even though my previous message said delivery on next business day! That was great news as I had Saturday to play around with both after set-up. Setting up WiFi two pucks took less than 20 minutes. A call to Virgin Media allowed them to turn off the router from the Virgin hub and make it Modem only. I figured that would be quicker than re-setting the Virgin Admin page myself--that took less than 5 minutes, although Virgin rep tried to talk me out of it! When I asked why, he said they had the worlds best router (ahem!) and could no longer see my router activity!!

I agree the Nest Thermostat and Nest Protect work perfectly with Home. Thanks for your comments about Philips Hue and the problems you are having with a number of the rooms in your home. I was thinking of getting the Philips Hue starter pack and lights but will continue to study other forums about it first.

I mentioned that I visited the Google store-within-a-store at Tottenham Court Road on Thursday (launch day) and they had a Philips Hue light set up near their live display of Home. They also had Chromecast play YouTube on a nearby TV monitor. Both worked flawlessly. The single Philips Hue light dimmed and changed colours on the voice command. You might consider speaking with them if you are near the shop soon.....I was told they were setting up similar live displays at two other London shops, including Fulham Road.

In Google Home Services menu they list about 100 tasks and I noticed that they highlight the August Smart Lock and August Connect Wi-Fi Bridge to lock your door and check its status. You have to set up each August Smart Lock with the Bridge and link August to your Google account. Then it says you can use Home with it. Is this the device you have "on order"? If so, perhaps you can share its cost, and once you receive, how easy is install and integration with Home?

I hope you can find answers to your Philips Hue problems. I did not see Somfy blinds as listed as a Service on Home. Perhaps you can achieve a link with IFTTT? I read that IFTTT than help with such simple things like finding a lost phone within the house. As to the camera/security, and I presume you are talking about the Nest camera solution, what features are you trying to get to work with Home? I thought watching video play live or on replay is the reason to get the Nest camera?