Google Home

Yeah I've noticed when I go into my history in the Google Home app on my phone, the log of phrases it thinks I have said usually have at least one word wrong, and yet it still sometimes performs the command.
 
Nice to see that almost magical reaction when a person sees the options available on Google Home.

Set up Home at my daughter's family and the first time she was able to instruct GH by voice to cast her photos to her TV was one of those "Wow" moments. So many other actions and questions pleased her too.

Refreshing to see a first impression.
 
Semple said:
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.
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I find the expression "ok google" very cumbersome. 'Hey google' is a slight improvement, but neither flows as nicely as 'Alexa' does. That said Alexa is much worse overall at voice recognition, but I'm happier with the price and bluetooth music ability.

Since I returned GH and started using echo, I'd like to compare them both using Google Assistant on my phone, but I cannot find the option anywhere in my settings despite meeting all the pre-reqs https://support.google.com/pixelphone/answer/7314909?co=GENIE.Platform=Android&hl=en
 
D3K said:
I find the expression "ok google" very cumbersome. 'Hey google' is a slight improvement, but neither flows as nicely as 'Alexa' does. That said Alexa is much worse overall at voice recognition, but I'm happier with the price and bluetooth music ability.

Since I returned GH and started using echo, I'd like to compare them both using Google Assistant on my phone, but I cannot find the option anywhere in my settings despite meeting all the pre-reqs https://support.google.com/pixelphone/answer/7314909?co=GENIE.Platform=Android&hl=en
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I would not be surprised that there are some tweaks coming on the wake words (OK Google, Hey Google) as I saw this week that Google is changing the voice on Waze from IceT or Morgan Freeman to your own voice with variations and funny interpretations. So all this is entirely possible but it is worth remembering that other problems might arise when the wake words are changed (you no doubt heard about the Burger King ad that attempted to wake up GH with a TV ad using the words OK Google, what is a Whopper?).

I am not surprised that Alexa struggles with voice recognition as Google has years more experience with voice recognition, accents, translation, etc. Also Google uses Google Search which Alexa cannot use. We take for granted that everyone searches on Google so having Alexa use Bing is already a sub-standard experience.

I am surprised that your phone cannot use Google Assistant. Are you using a Pixel or a relatively new version of Android software? You can always live chat with a Google Home customer service agent.

Meanwhile, I assume everyone has read about the screen coming to the next Alexa, with an expected US launch only in late June of the Echo Show--US price of $ 230 is likely to mean a UK price at some point of £ 230. This follows on from the Amazon Look, a rather ugly looking device which is Alexa with a camera. I suppose I can see the logic of the screen but I find that I do not spend to much time looking at my GH, just speaking to it. Sure the screen will for example allow video calling (Hangout/Skype, etc) and act more like the telephone that I predicted the other day in an earlier posting. Clearly a screen will also allow for advertising that pays for many other services and no doubt Google will follow with a screen as its comms app that a newer GH will use will be compatible with Android devices.

Bottom line: if as I assume Google will launch a new version of GH with a screen, Google Assistant has a huge advantage over Amazon because GA has been designed to run with a screen (smartphone) and Google dominates this space.
 
Is it possible to set reminders on GH? If you're cooking a roast, rather than set a timer say "Ok Google, remind me to put the veg on at 6.30pm" ?

And different.. but even better "Ok Google, when I get to work remind me to call Sarah" ? :confused:

I had a quick look but only found a video of a guy trying to use IFTTT to set calendar appointments which wasn't great.
 
Scam said:
Is it possible to set reminders on GH? If you're cooking a roast, rather than set a timer say "Ok Google, remind me to put the veg on at 6.30pm" ?

And different.. but even better "Ok Google, when I get to work remind me to call Sarah" ? :confused:

I had a quick look but only found a video of a guy trying to use IFTTT to set calendar appointments which wasn't great.
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Do you have any doubt that the answer to your questions is: it is on the way? With Google's work in machine learning and artificial intelligence and with their Developer Conference, I/O, next week, seems like there should be some significant advancements.
 
Mine's back in the box now. It's even worse than it was since my last rant and it rarely recognises 'Ok Google' now even though I'm only sat 60cm away from it.

I imagine it's like having a retarded PA that doesn't speak the same language as you and having to constantly repeat the same thing over and over again just becomes boring.
 
Pigeon_Killer said:
Mine's back in the box now. It's even worse than it was since my last rant and it rarely recognises 'Ok Google' now even though I'm only sat 60cm away from it.

I imagine it's like having a retarded PA that doesn't speak the same language as you and having to constantly repeat the same thing over and over again just becomes boring.
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I wonder if others are having the same frustration you had? I have had no problems at all with voice on GH. It works perfectly well with voices of other members of the family too.

At Google I/O yesterday, one of the first points Google keynote speakers made was that when they developed Home, a year ago they thought they would need 8 microphones to pick up voices from near and far but due to deep learning and something they call neural beam forming, they were able to achieve the same results that 8 microphones gave them with just 2!

Just last week Google announced a new service (first offered in the US) that they are able to now distinguish up to 6 different speakers in a room and deliver the tailored information unique to each. All this while the "word error rate" has fallen to 4.9% from over 6% in the past few months. And this has been achieved even in a "noisy" environment where many speakers are having natural conversation.

Anyone else having problems with voice on GH? And some of the new services look really good. I liked the introduction of hands free, voice calling as I had previously posted was rumoured. I also liked Proactive Assistant which notifies you of important messages. And Visual Responses (eg for maps and other visual data) that uses your other screens (eg large tv screen) seemed more sensible than introducing a GH with a small display screen.
 
sesevans said:
I wonder if others are having the same frustration you had? I have had no problems at all with voice on GH. It works perfectly well with voices of other members of the family too.

At Google I/O yesterday, one of the first points Google keynote speakers made was that when they developed Home, a year ago they thought they would need 8 microphones to pick up voices from near and far but due to deep learning and something they call neural beam forming, they were able to achieve the same results that 8 microphones gave them with just 2!

Just last week Google announced a new service (first offered in the US) that they are able to now distinguish up to 6 different speakers in a room and deliver the tailored information unique to each. All this while the "word error rate" has fallen to 4.9% from over 6% in the past few months. And this has been achieved even in a "noisy" environment where many speakers are having natural conversation.

Anyone else having problems with voice on GH? And some of the new services look really good. I liked the introduction of hands free, voice calling as I had previously posted was rumoured. I also liked Proactive Assistant which notifies you of important messages. And Visual Responses (eg for maps and other visual data) that uses your other screens (eg large tv screen) seemed more sensible than introducing a GH with a small display screen.
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The problem appears to be the UK get a fraction of the functionality the US (and Canada) get. The phone calling you refer to above, US and Canada only.
 
sparkymark75 said:
The problem appears to be the UK get a fraction of the functionality the US (and Canada) get. The phone calling you refer to above, US and Canada only.
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Noted. You may have noticed that yesterday Google announced they are bring Google Home to 5 other countries this summer including a few in Europe. I expect this functionality to increase significantly as they gear up for this expansion.
 
sesevans said:
Noted. You may have noticed that yesterday Google announced they are bring Google Home to 5 other countries this summer including a few in Europe. I expect this functionality to increase significantly as they gear up for this expansion.
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I did, but there's equally the chance that by releasing in other countries, they spread their resources even thinner.
 
sparkymark75 said:
I did, but there's equally the chance that by releasing in other countries, they spread their resources even thinner.
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I say doubtful. A company with more than $ 90 billion in cash would be hard pressed to "spread their resources even thinner" in an area of mission critical importance to their future.

Why? Here is my take away message from yesterday's keynote speakers......Google is trying to create an interface out of Artificial Intelligence. This is such a huge paradigm shift in the way we interact with information that it seems to me that Google is really just getting started here--but in a world where everyone expects everything instantly, this change will take time. This stuff is hard to do.

Historically and even now you mostly needed a keyboard or a mouse or touch to get to interact with your source of data or entertainment. Now the distance between input and output has shrunk. Soon you will do away with icons and text input boxes and swipes on your device. But my point goes even further than just using your voice in GA or GH as input.

It shows that Google can present its growing skills in AI and machine learning in the User Interface so that the result is just given to you immediately rather than you having to do anything with touch, keyboard, an app, etc. And by launching GA on the iPhone too, Google is basically saying that they are bringing voice interaction to everyone. Seems to me that while AI implementation is really hard to achieve, Google is laying the groundwork for GA's ubiquity (and hence functionality) in a very direct way. Saying they are now an AI company first, not a mobile company first is pointing the supertanker in an unmistakeable direction.

The signs of their push into AI and machine learning are everywhere at Google I/O. They have reduced their voice error rate dramatically in the last few months (4.9%). They have dramatically improved their AI/machine learning skills with the ProActive Assistant in GA to notify you of what they think you believe are important messages, they have opened GA to 3rd party developers, they have increased the number of smart home companies they are working with to more than 70 (eg recently LG and GE appliances), they have determined that they do not need to introduce a screen on GH (unlike what Amazon plans) because now Visual Responses uses the many screens you already have---phone, TV, etc, they have introduced Suggested Sharing into Google Photos, with Google Lens that have determined that their image recognition is better than a human's and can now have the human point their phone to an object to get better information than you already know.

For enterprises, they are making available to Google Cloud customers their Tensor Processing Units to infer information that companies can find valuable in interpreting their data. Their TPUs have dramatically improved performance in Google's own services including Search, Maps, YouTube, Google Play, etc.

Spreading too thin? I think not. Rather full charge ahead.
 
I'm a big fan boy of Google but even I would admit they are damn slow at rolling stuff out to anyone apart from their domestic market. Hugely frustrating. How long it did Android Pay to release in Europe after the US?
 
Scam said:
How long it did Android Pay to release in Europe after the US?
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Android Pay is probably not the best example to use to complain about the speed or lack thereof of Google rolling out a new idea outside the US because unlike say GMail or GPhotos, it is a service that requires Google to depend also on third parties, namely banks, retailers and card companies. For example, if you use Android Pay in a high street shop, Google provides the front end of the service but the middle and back end requires assistance from the retailer, the card company and a bank. Say you use it in PC World Currys:

it requires the retailer, the card companies and the bank to recognise Android Pay as a safe intermediary and from an app store free of malware or other defects/virus infections that could affect the retailer's computer system;

it requires PCWorld Currys to have the appropriate card reader (contactless) which some retailers still do not have;

it requires PC World Currys to accept Android Pay as a payment option;

it requires say Visa or Mastercard or a bank to accept your request, process the payment, check the limits on your account, be willing to guarantee payment to PC World Currys within seconds, credit PC World Currys for the net amount after deducting fees, etc.

And what if the retailer wants to offer loyalty points or discounts or special offers? These need to be recognised as having come via a payment on Android Pay and requires further code to be written.

Bottom line: setting up Android Pay is not simply asking Google to pull a switch and presto, on comes the service. It takes time, money and investment in infrastructure and support from many parties.

The same constraints were faced by Apple when they launched Apple Pay. Writing the app into the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store is only one small part of the entire implementation process.
 
I understand that the UK will get some features later than the US.

Here is a link to what I think we should expect to arrive on Google Home in the near future. Some of these new features are really useful. My favourite is an alert when Google thinks you will need to know about something that changes your plans. And it tailors it to a particular individual which might be another member of your family.

https://www.yahoo.com/tech/google-homes-mastermind-no-intention-losing-amazon-162617512.html
 
How about the $ 2500 Japanese version of Google Home/Alexa known as Gatebox, marketed by the Japanese company to single Japanese men? Gatebox is an artifically intelligent character that lives in your home in a glass tube. The star character is a woman called Azuma Hikari that is both a provider of information as well as a companion.

Surely not thinking outside the box. Rather thinking inside the glass tube.

http://www.businessinsider.com/gate...se-company-named-vinclu-created-the-gatebox-1
 
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