We¡¯ve gotten really used to digital assistants on our smartphones. Both the Google Assistant and Siri have spoiled us rotten, allowing us to vocalize questions and orders and having our phones execute them without lifting a finger. The obvious next logical step is to find a way to have them around the house, without having to keep our phones in our hands all the time.
That¡¯s where smart speakers come in. And the much anticipated Google Home smart speaker finally becomes available for purchase in India from today. We got a chance to try it out in advance. Does the brand new Google Home give Amazon Echo (& Alexa) a tough fight? Let's find out...
As far as setting up the Google Home smart speaker goes, it¡¯s a piece of cake. All you have to do is plug it into a power source, download the Google Home app on your phone (Android or iPhone), and follow the steps. The device even uses your saved passwords to access the Wi-Fi in your home without you having to type it in -- how convenient is that?. All you¡¯re going to have to do figure out how to do on your own is set up the voice recognition for your other family members, because you only register one voice at the beginning. Yet, even that is a pretty easy task, even if you¡¯ve never seen a smart speaker in your life.
What¡¯s going to take some time familiarising yourself with it are the device¡¯s quirks; the millisecond to keep between two different commands, to speak loudly and clearly. Aside from that, you¡¯re golden. Obviously, Google Home's deep integration into Google Assistant and Google services feels a more natural extension of your Android phone or if your virtual life revolves around Google -- something that Amazon Echo & Alexa can't compete with.
If there¡¯s one thing that can be said about Google Home, it¡¯s certainly the best-looking of the smart speaker group. It¡¯s small enough to sit unobtrusively on a table, without taking up too much space, and the combination of bone-white shell and quad-coloured LEDs make for a modern, classy aesthetic. Not to mention it¡¯s shorter than the Amazon Echo Plus, so it¡¯s not likely to tip over if your dog¡¯s wagging tail or your kid¡¯s wandering hand bumps against it. Google Home's predominantly white with a unique shape, whereas the Amazon Echo's largely black (albeit it comes with textured sleeves). For your living room's decor, the Google Home feels more lively and will definitely be a centre-piece, whereas the Amazon Echo obsidian looks might be a bit foreboding.
Also Read: Alexa vs Google Assistant vs Siri vs Bixby: Which Voice Assistant Is The Best Of Them All?
As far as the audio goes, the Google Home isn¡¯t exactly blowing your roof sky high. Don¡¯t get me wrong, it¡¯s a pretty good audio system on its own. The sound is pretty much what you¡¯d expect from a Bluetooth speaker of a similarly small size, and the Google Home's audio quality is clear enough. It¡¯s just that we¡¯ve seen some amazing portable sound systems recently, and this doesn¡¯t reach those lofty standards. However, it¡¯ll keep your little weekend house party going just the same. The Amazon Echo Plus is definitely a lot better than the Google Home in the sound department.
When it comes to getting work done, however, no one does it like the Google Home. With all the natural language processing and Google search engine power at your disposal, it¡¯s not often that you¡¯ll have a request it can¡¯t fulfill. And with the addition of English (India) compatibility, the assistant can almost perfectly understand you, no matter how strong your accent. A pity the voice used for Google¡¯s India assistant is so accented it¡¯s almost a caricature, because that¡¯s what had me reaching for the option to switch her over to British English.
But there¡¯s a ton of stuff Google Home can do for you. With a linked music service account, you can play songs off Google Play Music, Gaana, Saavn, Apple Music, and more. You don¡¯t necessarily need to ask for a specific song either. Just pick pick a broad genre (¡°Play me some jazz¡±) or playlist (¡°Play me the top 10 hits) and the Google Assistant will take care of the rest. With your default music app and language set, your music request is just one line.
She can also initiate a photo slideshow or start Netflix, as long as you have a linked Chromecast, can make calendar appointments, read out cooking recipes, and even do quick Google searches. Really, the list is almost endless. And sometimes, you¡¯ll find yourself exploring just to see what Google Home¡¯s limits are. It¡¯s a load of fun.
Just don¡¯t ask her for any jokes. Like Siri and Alexa, she loves bad puns way too much.
Google Home and Google Home Mini are now officially available on Flipkart in India. The Google Home smart speaker is priced at Rs 9,999, while Google Home Mini is priced at Rs 4,499.