Google Home or Amazon Echo?

[Red Squirrel]

Thank heavens it was just your lights and not the smoke detectors.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpsMkLaEiOY

Hahaha reminds me of Mr. Robot when that smart home goes all nuts.

 

[DCal430]

I received an Echo as a gift/prize from work. I wasn't sure I'd use it much, but I do ask it about the news and to play music almost daily. I wish it was better at answering questions (Google would probably be better at this).

I'd love to use it to turn off lights and stuff like that, but I don't like the way it's implemented yet (too bulky, too expensive), so I'm waiting on it.

I use the Echo a lot more than I thought I would.

Curious as to what you mean by too bulky? I have a combination of hue bulbs and smart switches in my house, and while I agree they are expensive, I don't see how they are bulky.

 

[slag]

Are you using smart dimmer switches or smart bulbs like the Hue?

smart dimmer switch. We have several throughout the house but it looks like ours was the only one that turned on.

 

[DCal430]

Lol

smart dimmer switch. We have several throughout the house but it looks like ours was the only one that turned on.

Odd. If you use a hub to controll the switches does it have a log of events, showing what triggered the light?

 

[slag]

Lol


Odd. If you use a hub to controll the switches does it have a log of events, showing what triggered the light?

Great point. I was wrong on the time, but here's the log from that night.

 

[quikah]

Google Home now with more Google: http://www.theverge.com/circuitbrea...me-assistant-advertising-beauty-and-the-beast

 

[MaxDepth]

Whoa, ads. I guess it begins.

 

[Fritzo]

Google Home is better in Personal assistance. It works perfectly when you are searching for information. Amazon echo works better when you are purchasing something online. I think it is always better to do a complete comparison between Google Home and Amazon Echo. You may take a look on this article to get complete comparison.
https://www.homesecuritylist.com/amazon-echo-vs-google-home/

Echo is better with home automation too. They were first to the game and have more device support.

 

[Mike64]

Thanks for sharing, nice post! Post really provice useful information!

Well, I suppose spam reanimating a zombie is better than a zombie reanimating spam. What with all those random little bits and parts from who-knows-how-many pigs in any given can, that could get really messy...

 

[dainthomas]

I'd like to see a celebrity named "Aleksa" just to mess with people.

My ex's sister is named Alexa. I'm guessing she wouldn't get one.

 

[Craig234]

My ex's sister is named Alexa. I'm guessing she wouldn't get one.

You can change the name to "Echo".

 

[Anubis]

i have no use or desire for either

poll needs that as an option

 

[richaron]

Google Home without a doubt. I hated the concept of expensive novelty voice devices but my father asked for a "cheap shelf FM radio" for Christmas. Since he's even more annoyed by the concept of novelty techno-products I decided to buy him a "novelty voice device" instead. Since they can also play music.

I've always known he was into music. But after a little digging I realized his cheapskate nature had made him put up with a crappy Hi-Fi my techno-noob mother had sprung on him maybe 20 years ago. He could have easily afforded a nice setup but his "if it aint broken..." attitude had kept him from replacing it himself.

The Google home has a great little speaker. Easily better than his crappy old Hi-Fi and easily up there with the premium radios or speakers in the same price range. And without a doubt the speaker is the most important part of these devices. It might not be as important to people who only use them as "novelty voice devices" but if you use them as "smart speakers", especially to play music, then the Google Home is unrivalled.

 

[Fritzo]

My ex's sister is named Alexa. I'm guessing she wouldn't get one.

On that new Ellen primetime gameshow a week or two ago, one of the contestants was named Alexa, and it kept setting off our Dots

 

[deadlyapp]

Google Home without a doubt. I hated the concept of expensive novelty voice devices but my father asked for a "cheap shelf FM radio" for Christmas. Since he's even more annoyed by the concept of novelty techno-products I decided to buy him a "novelty voice device" instead. Since they can also play music.

I've always known he was into music. But after a little digging I realized his cheapskate nature had made him put up with a crappy Hi-Fi my techno-noob mother had sprung on him maybe 20 years ago. He could have easily afforded a nice setup but his "if it aint broken..." attitude had kept him from replacing it himself.

The Google home has a great little speaker. Easily better than his crappy old Hi-Fi and easily up there with the premium radios or speakers in the same price range. And without a doubt the speaker is the most important part of these devices. It might not be as important to people who only use them as "novelty voice devices" but if you use them as "smart speakers", especially to play music, then the Google Home is unrivalled.

I don't use my Echo plus for high quality sound, although it does a pretty good job of it, but I will admit the new devices coming out from Sonos, Bose, etc are very intriguing for people looking for a good sound in small package with easy ties to their streaming services.

I've got two echo dots that power full fledged stereo systems that are godsends - one in the garage and another in the bedroom. My main stereo in the living room is powered by a mix of chromecast audio, spotify (through PS4), and a record player.

 

[richaron]

I don't use my Echo plus for high quality sound, although it does a pretty good job of it, but I will admit the new devices coming out from Sonos, Bose, etc are very intriguing for people looking for a good sound in small package with easy ties to their streaming services.

I've got two echo dots that power full fledged stereo systems that are godsends - one in the garage and another in the bedroom. My main stereo in the living room is powered by a mix of chromecast audio, spotify (through PS4), and a record player.

Yeah I'm not even trying to pretend Google Home is the be all and end all in audio quality. Sounds like you have a pretty sweet setup, and obviously one would want a proper audio setup rather than one of these devices. Personally I have my recent android phone hooked up via Bluetooth to a small set of "studio monitors" which give me a decent approximation of a "smart speaker" if I feel inclined.

What I was mostly trying to point out was the value of the Google Home vs competitors in the "good sound in small package" arena you mentioned. As a basic stand alone device I think it's in a league of it's own.

Admittedly I'm not up to date with the new stuff coming in, but if there's more items which prioritise quality sound I'd be totally behind them as well.

 

[Starbuck1975]

None of the above, I have no need for intrusive tech

 

[Kaido]

I am a big fan of the Alexa VUI system. The voice recognition is stellar. I currently have 3 types of units:

1. Amazon Echo (living room - integrated speaker; note - the 2nd-gen Echo has bad reviews on the speaker)
2. 10" Fire HD tablet (kitchen - the 10" HD is the only model that offers hands-free Alexa, super useful when your hands are messy from cooking)
3. Echo Dot (in every other room - luckily snagged them on that Whole Foods mega-sale for cheap; also including bathrooms, which are wirelessly connected to Bluetooth speaker/nightlight/exhaust fan combos)

Right now, I am using a Wink Hub, but I am thinking about upgrading to Smart Things for the Action Tiles interface:

https://www.actiontiles.com

 

[FelixDeCat]

i have no use or desire for either

poll needs that as an option

The poll has been updated.

 

[Kaido]

None of the above, I have no need for intrusive tech

You know, I held off from getting the Amazon Echo for a long time. And then I realized I had my phone on me at all times, and after reading Snowden's info on how remotely accessible smartphones are, I realized that even if I ditched my smartphone, everyone around me still had one, so I'd be hosed either way haha. So, screw it, got an Echo, couldn't be happier

 

[sportage]

Echo is best with home automation.
Amazon has the resources to invest in Echo i.e. Echo Show, Echo mini (and Amazon/Echo was the first to do a mini. Google has now followed but Amazon was FIRST).
What soured me on Google Home was entertaining the pets left home alone.
With Echo I can just say PLAY JAZZ or PLAY HOLIDAY MUSIC or whatever and the Echo starts playing random music for hours.
With the Google Home, you can also ask HOME to play random music but HOME will most likely STOP after playing one or two songs. Then dead silence. Dogs were NOT happy. They wanted to party hearty.

Now I can just say ECHO, CALL JULIE and Echo calls JULIE. Like a speaker phone on demand. I don't know if Google Home can do THAT, but I do know ECHO CAN.
But the bottom line is all about features, updates, new products, and the integration of video.
Echo thru Amazon have all that.
Google "might" someday, but Amazon will always be several steps and products ahead of anything Google or Home can do.

PS. I still have problems talking into the air, out loud.
I'd rather use an app on my phone or iPod to control heating/cooling or lighting.
Talking is only a last resort.
Guess that comes from my days in Hollywood and Hollywood Blvd. A lot of people on the streets talking to themselves back then and that was before cell phones or bluetooth.
When people were seen walking and talking, they were most likely looney.

 

[Fritzo]

I am a big fan of the Alexa VUI system. The voice recognition is stellar. I currently have 3 types of units:

1. Amazon Echo (living room - integrated speaker; note - the 2nd-gen Echo has bad reviews on the speaker)
2. 10" Fire HD tablet (kitchen - the 10" HD is the only model that offers hands-free Alexa, super useful when your hands are messy from cooking)
3. Echo Dot (in every other room - luckily snagged them on that Whole Foods mega-sale for cheap; also including bathrooms, which are wirelessly connected to Bluetooth speaker/nightlight/exhaust fan combos)

Right now, I am using a Wink Hub, but I am thinking about upgrading to Smart Things for the Action Tiles interface:

https://www.actiontiles.com

Tell you what- got a Philips Hue color set for Christmas, and it's a life-changer with Alexa. Voice controlled color lights in every room sounds weird at first, but then you wonder how you lived without it. Scenes, music sensitivity, moods...very cool tech!

 

[Fritzo]

Echo is best with home automation.
Amazon has the resources to invest in Echo i.e. Echo Show, Echo mini (and Amazon/Echo was the first to do a mini. Google has now followed but Amazon was FIRST).
What soured me on Google Home was entertaining the pets left home alone.
With Echo I can just say PLAY JAZZ or PLAY HOLIDAY MUSIC or whatever and the Echo starts playing random music for hours.
With the Google Home, you can also ask HOME to play random music but HOME will most likely STOP after playing one or two songs. Then dead silence. Dogs were NOT happy. They wanted to party hearty.

Now I can just say ECHO, CALL JULIE and Echo calls JULIE. Like a speaker phone on demand. I don't know if Google Home can do THAT, but I do know ECHO CAN.
But the bottom line is all about features, updates, new products, and the integration of video.
Echo thru Amazon have all that.
Google "might" someday, but Amazon will always be several steps and products ahead of anything Google or Home can do.

PS. I still have problems talking into the air, out loud.
I'd rather use an app on my phone or iPod to control heating/cooling or lighting.
Talking is only a last resort.
Guess that comes from my days in Hollywood and Hollywood Blvd. A lot of people on the streets talking to themselves back then and that was before cell phones or bluetooth.
When people were seen walking and talking, they were most likely looney.

Google Home can call in a similar way as well.
However, Alexa is better with automation. I can tell it to do complex commands, such as "Alexa, turn bedroom lights to romantic" and it will put on my pre-set blue and purple sexy-time lights Or "Turn on coffee maker at sunrise" and it knows what time sunrise is.

Google will only turn the lights on and off, dim them, or to a set them to a specific color, or perform specific commands. It's not quite a smart in that aspect.

Google is a lot smarter with conversation though, and its information results are more accurate.

 

[Malogeek]

I bought into Google Home and a Mini for Xmas and enjoying it so far. The kids love it of course. I had also got a Samsung SmartThings USB hub for my Nvidia Shield on sale for $15, which saved me a ton of money and allows direct control over all the smarthome appliances without any other hubs, including the Hues. Google Home integrated with it immediately without issue. I'm just starting off in the home automation world but I really like having the Google services at voice control.

 

[richaron]

Google "might" someday, but Amazon will always be several steps and products ahead of anything Google or Home can do.

Cool, I get you have your preference and all. But I make a point of correcting biased and sweeping generalisations.

What you said is just narrow minded and wrong. I'm not saying either is better, and I don't want to get all negative and all, so just don't say silly generalisations and people like me won't feel like they should correct you on principle.