Google Home or Amazon Echo?

[FelixDeCat]

Which home assistant do you / would you use?

edit: 05/02/2020 - Finally got an Echo Dot for $9.99.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

I have 8 Amazon Echos currently and use them heavily for voice control of lights and other devices around the house. I'm not opposed to Google Home and may even buy one if I find a deal, but Amazon is super aggressive with the Echo, adds new features almost weekly, and with Google's record on hardware, I'm a little skeptical of this first version.

 

[FelixDeCat]

All I really wanted was search and maybe shopping. I have not considered device control as of yet as I am somewhat paranoid.

Should I be paranoid?

But more importantly, have you ever become annoyed with the voice controlled interface of devices?

 

[IndyColtsFan]

All I really wanted was search and maybe shopping. I have not considered device control as of yet as I am somewhat paranoid.

Should I be paranoid?

But more importantly, have you ever become annoyed with the voice controlled interface of devices?

Sometimes you might have to repeat the command twice when Alexa doesn't understand, but no, I find it extremely useful. I hurt my ankle a couple of days ago and it is nice telling Alexa to turn on my lights rather than having to hobble over and do it myself.

If you just want search and shopping, the Echo Dot is by far the cheapest option.

 

[purbeast0]

I went to get the Amazon Echo last night for my mom for Christmas and those fuckers are backordered until after Xmas. It says back in stock on the 28th but I did contact support and they said they expect to get shipments on the 21st. I did not know at all that these were in such high demand and thought there was no way an Amazon product could be sold out on Amazon. They did have the Tap and Dot in stock but after doing research, the OG Echo looks to be the best one. Sucks that we're exchanging gifts this weekend though so she won't have it this weekend!

EDIT:

After randomly seeing on slickdeals that you can purchase the Echo at other stores, I found one at a Bed Bath and Beyond right down the street from my house yay!

 

[JTsyo]

Alexa commands. I think where Alexa shines is the skills that can be enabled. My kids enjoy the Magic Door, basically a choose your own adventure.

I don't know much about the Google Home. I've already had the Eco since it was released. Google was late to the game and now has to catch up.

 

[clamum]

I have an Echo (pre-ordered it when it was $100) but don't use it extensively. I mainly use it for listening to music or the radio occasionally if I'm doing a chore around the apartment, and it's handy to ask it "What's the weather?" or "What's the news?" or "What movies are playing?"

Like IndyColtsFan said they constantly are adding additional "skills" (basically apps that extend the functionality of the device, like apps for mobile devices) which is nice. If I ever get ahead in the multiple projects I'm working on I'd like to take a shot at working on one of these apps. Anyway I've found the device to work very well although occasionally you do have to repeat things but that's to be expected IMO (as long as it is not constantly). I will say I've had issues trying to add things to a shopping list; no matter how I said it or careful I pronounced things it just kept fucking up. I might've been doing something wrong though.

Overall I'd recommend the Echo if this sort of thing interests you. I haven't even begun to utilize mine as much as I could and I still think it was worth what I paid for it.

 

[Kazukian]

Echo.

 

[gorcorps]

Obviously since I don't have one I don't have a good idea of what's possible, but ever since I've heard of these things I struggle with what they do that the voice control on my phone doesn't already do.

 

[poofyhairguy]

I am all in on the Google Home. It is amazing. I have one and a house full of Chromecasts (audio and video) plus a Harmony Hub so I can easily say "Play Girls Just Want to Have Fun in the Kitchen" and that plays on the kitchen speakers or "Play Jessica Jones on my Kitchen TV" and it connects and plays Netflix on my kitchen TV. No hacks no fuss. My wife could have set up that part of the functionality it was so easy.

I have friends who all have Echos, in fact I have bought a few for gifts and I have helped set them after giving them. Unlike an Echo a Google Home is smarter when it comes to parsing what I say even when I stutter or I am not exact. Unlike Echo it doesn't have mulitple profiles and only works with a set amount of devices.The limitations of the Echo is why I waited for a Google Home to get either.

The way I see Echo vs Google Home is how I see iOS vs Android- one platform has more options and choices but often resorts to hacks (I think about my friend who uses the unreliable IFTTT for his Hue setup and the Echo), vs the other option with limited choices that "Just Works" if you stay within those options (I never have to repeat commands to the Google Home for example- if it hears me it works every time).

 

[John Connor]

I have an Amazon Echo. I don't know much about Google's variant, but Amazon has a lot of Apps and being able to add things to my shopping list via voice that goes to my smartphone is nice. I can hear my Twitter feed and play iheartradio or Pandora. Plus, I can beam Bluetooth to the Echo from my laptop so I can play my audio book CDs in the laptop and the audio comes out of the Echo. I do this because I bought 10 watt speakers for the Echo. They're just Logitech AC wired speakers. I didn't want Bluetooth and mess with batteries. This is more of a permanent setup in the living room. I may buy another for my bed room.

 

[poofyhairguy]

So I made a video showing off the contextual awareness of the Google Home. As one can see the Google Assistant is a bit ahead of the curve compared to Siri, Cortana, Alexa, or anything else really:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQNuzCOIc4U

 

[TwiceOver]

My only problem with Echo is that Alexa is an idiot. If you don't phrase your command right she gets so lost. Search is near worthless being stuck with Bing as the back end.

But, it works for my day to day stuff. Endlessly entertaining. It's really nice to just ask/tell alexa to increase the thermostat or add items to the shopping list.

 

[Linflas]

Sometimes you might have to repeat the command twice when Alexa doesn't understand, but no, I find it extremely useful. I hurt my ankle a couple of days ago and it is nice telling Alexa to turn on my lights rather than having to hobble over and do it myself.

If you just want search and shopping, the Echo Dot is by far the cheapest option.

I know you are into this in a big way so you are the guy to ask. Where would you suggest I start to learn a bit more about setting up things in my house to do this? So far I mostly use the Echo to turn my entertainment system on/off through IFTT and my Logitech Harmony hub.

 

[Aharami]

So I made a video showing off the contextual awareness of the Google Home. As one can see the Google Assistant is a bit ahead of the curve compared to Siri, Cortana, Alexa, or anything else really:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQNuzCOIc4U

I was leaning toward google home. This sold me. Thanks

 

[nakedfrog]

No interest whatsoever in this kind of product. I don't want to talk to most people, why would I want to talk to a computer?

All I really wanted was search and maybe shopping. I have not considered device control as of yet as I am somewhat paranoid.

Should I be paranoid?

But more importantly, have you ever become annoyed with the voice controlled interface of devices?

If you're paranoid, you shouldn't be interested in any of them...

 

[poofyhairguy]

I was leaning toward google home. This sold me. Thanks

Glad I could help. I plan to make another video soon showing off the connectivity with the Google Home in my kitchen, but I need to clean the kitchen tonight first lol.

 

[slag]

So I made a video showing off the contextual awareness of the Google Home. As one can see the Google Assistant is a bit ahead of the curve compared to Siri, Cortana, Alexa, or anything else really:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQNuzCOIc4U

Great video. They've come a long way in comprehension of what we are asking in terms of contextual awareness.

 

[Imp]

I gotta go with the Amazon Echo even though I have none of them. It's got a bit of a history and appears to be functional from "marketing" materials.

Concerned about Google pulling a Google Glass or Google Plus.

 

[poofyhairguy]

Concerned about Google pulling a Google Glass or Google Plus.

Maybe, but I doubt it:

“What this does, this Google assistant… this is Google,” Michael Sundermeyer (Google Home Project Leader) said.

“This is what Google’s been working on for 18 years.”

He paused briefly when his mention of “Google” brought the nearby Google Home to life, before adding: “Where other companies, the voice assistant may be a part of what they do, for Google it is Google.”

http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-38193676

I would love for them to release a Dot competitor though. I think I will need about four Google Home devices total to cover my entire house, and that is a chunk of change for the current models.

 

[purbeast0]

So I made a video showing off the contextual awareness of the Google Home. As one can see the Google Assistant is a bit ahead of the curve compared to Siri, Cortana, Alexa, or anything else really:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQNuzCOIc4U

That is pretty sweet. Makes me question if I should have gotten the Echo but my mom saw "Alexa" at a friends house and the way her friend was using it she really liked, so that's why I got her that. She probably doesn't even know what Google Home is.

 

[lxskllr]

I walk the 10', and turn the lights on myself. It's an egregious burden, but I feel it builds character.

 

[QueBert]

Love my Echo, I've never used the Google one so I have no idea what it can and can't do. But the Echo has a lot of 3rd party shit. I added one that controls my Kodi media center, and I can totally control it with just voice. I use Kodi all the time so that alone made it worth it to me.

 

[thestrangebrew1]

I voted for Echo but not opposed to GH. I just have 2 Echo Dots, mainly use it for turning my Hue lights on and off and I'm currently trying to learn how to integrate my Harmony Hub a little better with it. I'd love to be able to tell Alexa to cast a show from my phone to my tv, I'm not sure it can do that the way it sounds like GH can. I'm still trying to figure out how to adjust my volume on Alexa lol.

 

[MrSquished]

Microsoft is throwin it's hat into the ring with a Harmon Kardon smart speaker: http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2016...on-echo-competitor-will-be-available-in-2017/

I would personally choose Google because I feel their technology for voice recognition and predictive algorithms has got to be the best. However, as others have pointed out, Google abandons hardware more so than its competitors, so there is that risk.