Google Home
Google Home | |
---|---|
Category | Intelligent Personal Assistants |
Developer | Google, Inc. |
Announced | 4th October 2016 [1] |
Released | Developers: N/A
Consumers: 4 November 2016 [2] |
Price | 129 USD [3] |
Operating system | Android, iOS [4] |
Controls |
voice, button |
Data available | good |
Risk factor | |
Not offline | |
Device | |
https://madeby.google.com/home/ |
Google Home is a "smart home" device developed by Google, Inc.. Similarly to Amazon Echo, it is a voice-activated intelligent personal assistant speaker designated as a standalone device for use in households, unlike other personal assistants, such as Cortana or Siri, which require a smartphone or a computer to work. It is powered by Google's own intelligent personal assistant software, Google Assistant.[5]
It provides the user with various services, ranging from alarm, calculator, or a weather forecast, through translator, daily news, playing music, or TV streaming, to traffic and travel information, shopping, thermostat and light control, as well as many others.[6] It also offers access to a number of partner services, including YouTube, Spotify, Netflix, IFTTT, WeMo, Google Calendar and Google Photos.[7]
Google Home was released on 4 November 2016 in the United States of America for $129,[8] and on 6 April 2017 it was also made available in the United Kingdom for £129.[9] On 2 June 2017 it became available for pre-order in Canada for $179.00 CDN[10] with a retail date of 26 June 2017.[11] So far, it has not been released in any other countries, but Google aims to expand it soon also to Australia, as well as Germany, France and Japan.[12] In addition to English, it is also gaining support for multiple languages: French, German, Brazilian Portuguese and Japanese soon with Italian, Spanish and Korean coming later.[13]
Contents
Main characteristics
Google Home is a cylindrically shaped device approximately 14.3 centimeters high, and 9.6 centimeters in diameter. The top surface of the device has a touch-capacitive control panel and four multi-colored LED lights indicating that it is working. The device consists of two parts: first, the main white-colored body equipped with the control panel, two microphones with far-field voice recognition, and an integrated high-excursion speaker (2" driver with dual 2" passive radiators), and second, the base that can be customized with different colors and finishes to reflect the user's personal style (the default base comes in slate fabric, while the other colors need to be bought separately). The device connects to the Internet via Wi-Fi and cannot work offline.[14][15][16] It is not battery-powered and thus needs to be connected to a power outlet.[17]
The user can activate the device either by pressing the top panel for a couple of seconds or saying the wake word ("OK Google" or "Hey Google"). If done correctly, the four LED lights on the top of the device turn on indicating that it has caught the user's attention and is ready to listen to his or her demands. After that the user can begin issuing commands using plain language. These are received by the device's two microphones, and processed by its software, which then generates appropriate response in synthetic voice and, if the user asks for more than just some sort of information, performs the desired action.
Unlike its rival, Amazon Echo, it is even capable of recognizing different voices, and thus generating personalized answers for different people. In the official video provided by Google, this is illustrated by a young man coming to kitchen in the morning saying "Ok, Google, tell me about my day", with the device responding with "Good morning, Alex. Traffic to work is heavy. It is forty-five minutes by car", and then his partner saying "Hey, Google, tell me about my day", followed by the device's response "Good morning, Ross. By 10am you have your first meeting".[18] It is possible to link up to six accounts to the Google Assistant built into the device via the Home app. When adding a new account, the device needs first to learn to recognize the new voice, which is done by saying "OK Google" and "Hey Google" - the wake words for the Home - two times each. Google Home will then use this training to distinguish between voices when receiving a command and respond accordingly. It can play customized playlists, in addition to telling the user about his or her schedule and commute. Non-recognized voices can of course still ask the device to look up information, play trivia, set a timer, control smart home devices etc.[19]
Google Home is setup by the Home app in Android or iOS. After that it could be controlled by voice, app or remote control. It is linked with the devices via Bluetooth. It is supposed to work well even in a noisy environment due to its microphones' far-field voice recognition tech, but according to the review on TechRadar, its performance in this regard is a little weaker than Amazon Echo's, possibly due to its reliance on two microphones rather than its Amazon rival's five, meaning that the user may "end up repeating [himself or herself] or raising [his or her] voice to get its attention more".[20] The review on CNET[21] including a video demonstration of the two devices' listening and voice-recognition skills speaks otherwise, however, so their comparative performance is probably dependent on various factors and the overall differences are mostly negligible.
Similarly to Amazon Echo, Google Home can also be used to control other compatible household appliances such as the smart lightbulbs from Philips or Belkin, or the smart WeMo coffee maker, in addition to its personal assistant functions.[22]
Since its release on 4 November 2016, the device has received several new features, such as the multi-user support mentioned above, and further upgrades are currently under development. These include hands-free calling, proactive assistance (e.g. warning the user of bad traffic before a commute), visual responses (via the user's smartphone or television), shortcuts (triggering multiple app commands and devices at once with a single command), and various entertainment upgrades.[23]
Purpose
Google Home is a voice command-driven household smart speaker that allows the user to search for information, play music, stream TV, set tasks, make hands-free calls, shop, control various household appliances etc., as well as access various partner services, such as YouTube, Spotify, Netflix, IFTTT, WeMo, Google Calendar, Google Photos, and several others.
Company & People
Google Home has been developed by Google, Inc. based in Menlo Park, California, a leading subsidiary of Alphabet, Inc. based in Googleplex, Mountain View, California.
- Larry Page - co-founder of Google and CEO of Alphabet
- Sergey Brin - co-founder of Google and President of Alphabet
- Sundar Pichai - CEO of Google
- Mario Queiroz - VP of product management at Google, "the man behind Google Home"[24]
Important Dates
4 October 2016 - the announcement of Google Home at the company's hardware-announcing event[25]
4 November 2016 - the release date of Google Home for the United States of America[26]
6 April 2017 - the release date of Google Home for the United Kingdom[27]
26 June 2017 - the release date of Google Home for Canada[28]
Enhancement/Therapy/Treatment
https://www.cnet.com/how-to/google-home-complete-list-of-commands/
https://www.cnet.com/news/google-home-vs-amazon-echo/
https://www.cnet.com/news/the-only-way-to-save-the-smart-home-hub-is-to-kill-it/
Ethical & Health Issues
Public & Media Impact and Presentation
Public Policy
We have not recorded any public policy that regards Google Home yet.
Related Technologies, Projects or Scientific Research
https://www.wareable.com/google/google-home-august-smart-lock-logitech-harmony-4190
https://www.cnet.com/products/google-home/compatibility/
References
- ↑ Zacks Investment Research. Google Home Unveiled: Will It Beat Amazon Echo On Price? Investing.com [online]. 2016, Oct 04. Available online at: https://www.investing.com/analysis/google-home-unveiled:-will-it-beat-amazon-echo-on-price-200157310 (Retrieved 2017, Jan 5).
- ↑ Zacks Investment Research. Google Home Unveiled: Will It Beat Amazon Echo On Price? Investing.com [online]. 2016, Oct 4. Available online at: https://www.investing.com/analysis/google-home-unveiled:-will-it-beat-amazon-echo-on-price-200157310 (Retrieved 2017, Jun 13)
- ↑ Google Home - Smart Speaker & Home Assistant. Google Store [online]. Available online at: https://store.google.com/product/google_home?gl=us&hl=en (Retrieved 2017, Jun 13).
- ↑ Google Home - Smart Speaker & Home Assistant. Google Store [online]. Available online at: https://store.google.com/product/google_home?gl=us&hl=en (Retrieved 2017, Jun 13)
- ↑ Google Home. Made by Google [online]. Available online at: https://madeby.google.com/home/ (Retrieved 2017, Jun 14)
- ↑ Features - Google Home. Made by Google [online]. Available online at: https://madeby.google.com/home/features/ (Retrieved 2017, Jun 14)
- ↑ Apps & Partners - Google Home. Made by Google [online]. Available online at: https://madeby.google.com/home/partners/ (Retrieved 2017, Jun 14)
- ↑ Zacks Investment Research. Google Home Unveiled: Will It Beat Amazon Echo On Price? Investing.com [online]. 2016, Oct 4. Available online at: https://www.investing.com/analysis/google-home-unveiled:-will-it-beat-amazon-echo-on-price-200157310 (Retrieved 2017, Jun 13)
- ↑ ALLISON, Conor. Google Home smart speaker finally gets a UK launch date. Wareable [online]. 2017, Mar 28. Available online at: https://www.wareable.com/smart-home/google-home-uk-launch-release-date-2017 (Retrieved 2017, Jun 13)
- ↑ ETHERINGTON, Darrell. Google Home now available for pre-order in Canada. TechCrunch [online]. 2017, Jun 2. Available online at: https://techcrunch.com/2017/06/02/google-home-now-available-for-pre-order-in-canada/ (Retrieved 2017, Jun 14)
- ↑ MOON, Mariella. Google Home will arrive in Canada on June 26th. Engadget [online]. 2017, Jun 2. Available online at: https://www.engadget.com/2017/06/02/google-home-canada-launch-june-26th/ (Retrieved 2017, Jun 14)
- ↑ PRIEST, David. 5 ways Google Home just got better. CNET [online]. 2017, May 17. Available online at: https://www.cnet.com/news/google-home-gets-a-slew-of-new-features/ (Retrieved 2017, Jun 14)
- ↑ PRIEST, David. 5 ways Google Home just got better. CNET [online]. 2017, May 17. Available online at: https://www.cnet.com/news/google-home-gets-a-slew-of-new-features/ (Retrieved 2017, Jun 14)
- ↑ Google Home. Made by Google [online]. Available online at: https://madeby.google.com/home/ (Retrieved 2017, Jun 14)
- ↑ Google Home - Smart Speaker & Home Assistant. Google Store [online]. Available online at: https://store.google.com/product/google_home?gl=us&hl=en (Retrieved 2017, Jun 13)
- ↑ PINO, Nick, PORTER, Jon. Google Home review. TechRadar [online]. 2017, Jun 2. Available online at: http://www.techradar.com/reviews/google-home (Retrieved 2017, Jun 14)
- ↑ WAGONER, Ara. OK Google, give me a portable Google Home. Android Central [online]. 2016, Nov 8. Available online at: https://www.androidcentral.com/ok-google-give-me-portable-google-home (Retrieved 2017, Jun 14)
- ↑ Google Home. Made by Google [online]. Available online at: https://madeby.google.com/home/ (Retrieved 2017, Jun 14)
- ↑ GEBHART, Andrew. Google Home gets an edge on Alexa with multi-user support. CNET [online]. 2017, Apr 20. Available online at: https://www.cnet.com/news/google-home-gets-an-edge-on-alexa-with-multi-user-support/ (Retrieved 2017, Jun 15)
- ↑ PINO, Nick, PORTER, John. Google Home review. TechRadar [online]. 2017, Jun 2. Available online at: http://www.techradar.com/reviews/google-home (Retrieved 2017, Jun 14)
- ↑ GEBHART, Andrew. Google Home review. CNET [online]. 2017, May 25. Available online at: https://www.cnet.com/products/google-home/review/ (Retrieved 2017, Jun 15)
- ↑ Apps & Partners - Google Home. Made by Google [online]. Available online at: https://madeby.google.com/home/partners/ (Retrieved 2017, Jun 14)
- ↑ PRIEST, David. 5 ways Google Home just got better. CNET [online]. 2017, May 17. Available online at: https://www.cnet.com/news/google-home-gets-a-slew-of-new-features/ (Retrieved 2017, Jun 15)
- ↑ BERGEN, Mark. Meet the product chief Google picked to fight Apple and Amazon for control of your home. Recode [online]. 2016, Jun 29. Available online at: https://www.recode.net/2016/6/29/12055270/google-home-chromecast-mario-queiroz (Retrieved 2017, Jun 14)
- ↑ Zacks Investment Research. Google Home Unveiled: Will It Beat Amazon Echo On Price? Investing.com [online]. 2016, Oct 4. Available online at: https://www.investing.com/analysis/google-home-unveiled:-will-it-beat-amazon-echo-on-price-200157310 (Retrieved 2017, Jun 13)
- ↑ Zacks Investment Research. Google Home Unveiled: Will It Beat Amazon Echo On Price? Investing.com [online]. 2016, Oct 4. Available online at: https://www.investing.com/analysis/google-home-unveiled:-will-it-beat-amazon-echo-on-price-200157310 (Retrieved 2017, Jun 13)
- ↑ ALLISON, Conor. Google Home smart speaker finally gets a UK launch date. Wareable [online]. 2017, Mar 28. Available online at: https://www.wareable.com/smart-home/google-home-uk-launch-release-date-2017 (Retrieved 2017, Jun 13)
- ↑ MOON, Mariella. Google Home will arrive in Canada on June 26th. Engadget [online]. 2017, Jun 2. Available online at: https://www.engadget.com/2017/06/02/google-home-canada-launch-june-26th/ (Retrieved 2017, Jun 14)