New Features Make Google Home a Worthy Echo Rival

Google Home was announced a year ago equally an Alexa competitor that would serve as the foothold for the company'south new ambience search feel. The Home seemed likely to be a powerful competitor for Amazon Repeat given the resources at Google'southward disposal.

That didn't happen. When the Home launched, it was indeed stylish and produced well-rounded sound. But we at PCMag were confounded by its seemingly obvious shortcomings. It could stream music from a variety of sources, but it didn't work equally a standalone Bluetooth speaker. Its coolest tricks required not simply a commitment to Google's media platforms, but Google hardware like the Chromecast. Arguing its claim to iPhone users or Echo devotees was a tall lodge.

Oddly, Abode's shortcomings extended to its use of the Google platform. You could non, for example, tell Google Home to set a reminder, which made it hard to recommend, Sascha Segan said in his review.

We hoped for a slow arc of comeback with Google Home, and new features like 200+ new third-party actions helped enormously to brand it an bodily Echo competitor. Adding the ability to detect multiple users on a unmarried Dwelling house device was critically important. But all this would accept been too picayune also late, had Google not raised the bar this week for its noble, conical device.

At Google I/O, 1 of the Home's major missteps was quietly rectified: Google Home will, going frontwards, work equally a Bluetooth speaker. This simple act frees the Domicile from being bound to Google media services, and could attract those in the market place for a uncomplicated speaker.

Home volition also now work with screens; ask it questions and encounter results on the TV.

The biggest coup for Home, though, was Google's announcement of hands-free calling, without the demand for a phone. Using multi-user detection, Home tin can make up one's mind who y'all want to call by voice command, and place the phone call using a private number. You tin can opt to add together a phone number to your business relationship, but it'due south completely optional. Calling with the Habitation will work for any number in the Usa and Canada, for free, with more than countries to follow shortly.

With the alluvion of new features and capabilities coming to Google Domicile, it of a sudden feels infinitely more competitive than before. That said, we however have to bring it to PC Labs and see if it lives upwards to the hype.

Source: https://sea.pcmag.com/opinion/15641/new-features-make-google-home-a-worthy-echo-rival

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