Google Home
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Soldato
Has anyone got one of these but their devices are mostly Apple? How does it perform, whats the eco system like, etc
Funny you should ask. Last weekend, I bought a GH for my daughter who uses an iPhone. Installation could not have been easier. Found Google Home app in Apple app store easily, added her to the Google Play Music family membership (£ 15 per month for up to six family members living in same country) and she loves it. I made Google Music her default music player but I noticed that Spotify is also available to be added. I also set up for her a Google Chromecast on her TV so that she can easily cast photos and videos to her big screen. I expect soon she will buy the Nest Thermostat and perhaps Philips Hue lights to build her smart home. All linked seamlessly to GH.
Incidentally, the GH costs £ 129 but there is currently an offer that gives you a free Chromecast (worth £ 25) with the GH purchase. I understand this offer is available not only at PCWorld Currys but also at Argos and perhaps at other retailers like John Lewis who sell GH and Google WiFi, their latest hardware offerings.
Yes
Soldato
Not sure why my thread about GH in GD was closed as it's surely better to merge this thread with it. How many folk carry their Google Home about or use it as a tablet?
So £119 for Google Home and a Chromecast? Argh why are you tempting me so much
Wut? I think you'd look a bit mental carrying a GH around and talking to it... (not to mention doesn't it need to be plugged in?)
Soldato
Thanks for that.
I've got a Pixel at the moment but am toying with the idea of switching to an iPhone perhaps next year and didn't fancy stumping up for a Home if they didn't work 'well' together.
I already have a Chromecast which I stream stuff to via my phone and tablet which works lovely
Thanks for that.
I've got a Pixel at the moment but am toying with the idea of switching to an iPhone perhaps next year and didn't fancy stumping up for a Home if they didn't work 'well' together.
I already have a Chromecast which I stream stuff to via my phone and tablet which works lovely
By the way when you are considering an iPhone next year, you will have the Pixel 2 (likely two options) to compare starting around October if rumours are correct. I think OLED screens (like the Samsung 8 recently launched), no bezels, virtual home buttons, wireless charging, waterproofing, Artificial Reality/AR, etc will likely be common to both the iPhone 8 and the two Pixels. If the Pixel 2 looks an improvement in these areas to my Pixel XL version 1, I will likely give my current Pixel to one of my children and switch to one of the Pixel 2s. I think Google put a toe in the water this year with Pixel and getting a better than expected reception, leading me to think that they will really go all in for the Pixel 2s.
I expect we might get a glimpse of what Google has in store for the Pixel 2 in a couple of weeks at the I/O developer conference. Certainly more about Android O will be featured. I am thinking O for Oreo?
Associate
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Is there not a way of listening to music on this without a subsription?
Soldato
Exactly, so why is this in the mobile phone and tablet forum? There could be more contribution/visibility if it was in a more appropriate forum.So £119 for Google Home and a Chromecast? Argh why are you tempting me so much
Wut? I think you'd look a bit mental carrying a GH around and talking to it... (not to mention doesn't it need to be plugged in?)
How? Why? You can play the radio..
True. But I guess this forum is more of a general 'gadgets' forums if anything. The discussion would get lost in the GD nonsense too quickly.
Sure, you can cast music from your phone or tablet onto GH for example.
Soldato
The Echo thread managed to do okay.
I messaged Deezer today to see if they have any plans to support GH. They said they weren't aware of any but will pass it on to the developers.
Also you might find this article on playing music on GH to be very useful:
https://support.google.com/googlehome/answer/7030379?hl=en
From the other thread:
I had somehow convinced myself that there was new tech involved in chromecasts since I last used one. I imagined it had either better interaction with various smart TVs - like opening up the built in netflix app - or at least an interface. None of that, and I couldn't see a single jot of difference between this new circular one and the stick type one I had before - except for Home compatibility... (the old one doesn't work)
As for Harmony v Chromecast - the Harmony can actually do integrated things with your TV and AVR like turn it off, or open up smart features, change inputs, etc. Chromecast does none of this. GH doesn't even support turning it off via voice and the screensaver prevents my TV from sleeping. Enjoy that burn-in.
GH may have the upperhand on Echo with it's casting potential, but unless I'm missing something, that potential is extremely poor and there are myriad better ways to experience the apps it casts.
Scam said:D3K probably should have checked thatAnd I don't see many mainstreamapps that don't stream via Chromecast. Netflix, Google Play, Spotify, Google Music, BBC iPlayer etc, YouTube
Even Pocketcasts does.
I'm supremely tempted to get a GH. Even more so as I'm about to buy an AV receiver so I'm tempted to get the Harmony to go with it and use it as the OP does. I'd love to see some videos of it in action like that *goes off to trawl YouTube* But is the Harmony really necessary? If you use Chromecast to play music/video, if you tell your GH to do that via Chromecast then surely most modern amps will switch to that input automatically no?
I had somehow convinced myself that there was new tech involved in chromecasts since I last used one. I imagined it had either better interaction with various smart TVs - like opening up the built in netflix app - or at least an interface. None of that, and I couldn't see a single jot of difference between this new circular one and the stick type one I had before - except for Home compatibility... (the old one doesn't work)
As for Harmony v Chromecast - the Harmony can actually do integrated things with your TV and AVR like turn it off, or open up smart features, change inputs, etc. Chromecast does none of this. GH doesn't even support turning it off via voice and the screensaver prevents my TV from sleeping. Enjoy that burn-in.
GH may have the upperhand on Echo with it's casting potential, but unless I'm missing something, that potential is extremely poor and there are myriad better ways to experience the apps it casts.
I would like to see just one thread on GH rather than it spread over a few topics. I suppose it started in Mobile phones and tablets because before GH there was Google Assisant on mobile phones like my Nexus 6 and then on my Pixel XL. Apple has its own section. Perhaps it is time to do the same for Google? Now with the GH, Google WiFi, Pixel phones, Android watches, etc? Just sayin....
Caporegime
Become pretty frustrated with this over the last few weeks. It's noticeably less responsive to questions, it no longer works with IFTTT and my Logitech Harmony and I'm feeling pretty cheated about the complete lack of services compared to America. As far as I'm concerned, I should be being paid to Beta test it.
Edit: Sorry, I don't understand.
Sorry, I don't understand.
Sorry, I don't understand.
Sorry, I don't understand.
Sorry, I don't understand.
Sorry, I don't understand.
Can it say anything else FFS.
Edit: Sorry, I don't understand.
Sorry, I don't understand.
Sorry, I don't understand.
Sorry, I don't understand.
Sorry, I don't understand.
Sorry, I don't understand.
Can it say anything else FFS.
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I would not be surprised for Google to address the "lack of services compared to America" when Google holds its annual developer conference (I/O) in 10 days. Perhaps to obtain maximum media impact rather than to drip feed services? After all, the UK is the only market outside the US where Google has introduced GH so far so clearly they want to get it right before a wider distribution.
At I/O Google will have many of the same devs who have worked to make Android so successful and who can make GH a great success too. Already Google Assistant is on many more devices than when it first started, helping to get engagement and traffic generation.
I expect Google to introduce tweaks to GH to make it more user and developer friendly.....eg, work with microphone could improve voice recognition and giving more devs access to the GH microphone could also accelerate development.
One obvious service area that will improve GH for me will be making it into a phone, able to receive and place calls. Why not make GH able to answer my phone, like an Assistant would, screen and schedule calls, take notes for me and perform other tasks like scheduling and managing meetings? Let's also say that the caller is a telemarketer. Why not have GH answer the call, hang up when it determines that it is a telemarketer, report the number and block my number for such future use by the telemarketer?
Compare that to a call from your wife, which GH identifies by her voice and tells you about before passing you through. Or compare to a scheduled business call, which when finished results in GH taking notes of important items, call participants and action points to follow up. GH sends you the summary by email. During that business call, you receive another call which GH answers and tells the caller that you are in a business meeting and will tell you the message the caller leaves when you finish your business call.
Seems to me the future of most phone calls is as a virtual assistant function rather than an app on a phone. Will it come to a point where we will not ever need a mobile phone as we know it, just a virtual assistant device whose form is evolving?
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Slight twist to the thread, but i've been using the google assistant on my phone in the car quite a bit recently (so exactly the same functionality as the GH device). I've noticed that even with muting the music, google doesn't always pick up on me saying "ok Google", and sometimes if i'm speaking out a message, i've noticed later on when i've stopped that certain words haven't been correct.
Bottom line is, i'm finding the accuracy pretty poor. Is there a way of training it to recognise your voice better.
Bottom line is, i'm finding the accuracy pretty poor. Is there a way of training it to recognise your voice better.