Welcome to the latest iteration of #TechTuesdays! It’s been a while since we have updated you in the latest and greatest in technology, and this week we would like to kick it off by introducing you to a new product coming into the market called:
Google Home.
Google Home: What is it, and how it can increase your daily productivity?
In old movies, the idea of a smart home was depicted as this sleek, high tech, future-tech looking building with automated stoves and robot assistants to touch upon your every whim. While we may be lacking that self-serving coffee maker delivering your drinks straight to you at the start of a busy work day, that dream of a fully connected home is not far off and Google seeks to bring that dream far closer into the light of day.
Really, what IS it?
Google Home is a sleek looking, low form factor speaker designed by the technicians in Google’s Research and Development team that runs on Google’s proprietary “Google Assistant” software. It is a multifunctional, multi-connected device designed to expand on the productivity of small tasks in our day to day environment, as well as to create connectivity among all of our devices.
How does it achieve this, you may be asking? Well, Google Home features a multidirectional, always-on microphone activated by a key phrase; “Ok, Google”. Some reads may be familiar with this phrase, as it is used for activation on most Android smart devices to utilize the Google Now feature.
Home works in a very similar manner, allowing you to browse the web vocally to utilize services such as YouTube Music and Spotify for music, ask it questions to deliver results from Google’s expansive knowledge base, or to update your Calendar, check traffic with Maps, and a broad variety of other Google apps across your devices. Quite a stunning resume of features, admittedly.
How does this help me?
By working closely with other partners such as Nest, SmartThings, Philips Hue, and IFTTT, Google Home has launched with an expanse of integration into the web of smart technology. Integration with proprietary devices from these manufacturers means that Home could become an essential part of YOUR home.
Control your Nest to update your preferred settings or change the temperature of your house. Perhaps you would like to change the lighting in your lounge while you settle down for the evening by dimming it with just a few words that interact with your Hue lights. Maybe you would like to add some ambiance to your office with some music, where you could utilize multiple purchases of your Google Home through multiple rooms using the multi room audio feature integrated right into the system. You could even use the Home to create a last minute shopping list or reminder by voice, all of which would be available on any device where you can access your Google Applications.
The applications offered by this product are truly endless, when you consider everything being offered. Coming from a company such as Google, whom has a track record for innovation in technology, the Home could grow to become a very valuable asset in your connected home or office.
But wait, isn’t this just the same as the Amazon Echo?
Some might make the distinction that this product does share a striking similarity, and we don’t deny that! This isn’t the first foray into Connected Life technology. Foremost, while the two do have a spectrum of similar features and functionality, the Google Home is priced at merely $129, as compared to Amazon’s Echo coming in at a staggering $179; a very prominent $50 difference in costs. But with the steps that Google is taking, it definitely has created its own contender with Amazon’s technology through the use of the multi room functionality, the multi Home synchronization, and the affordability factor that allows it to be more available as a lower cost, equally powerful solution.
Let us know what you think; Has Google made a strong advancement in the Connected Life field, or is this just a knock off of Amazon’s Echo technology?
