Arthur Posted March 28, 2017 Posted March 28, 2017 Google Home will cost £129 and Wifi costs £129 or £229. Source: Google Google Home is a hands-free smart speaker powered by the Google Assistant that does just that. Whether you want to get answers from Google, turn up the music, sort out some everyday tasks or control compatible smart devices in your home, all you have to do is say “Ok Google.” And now, Google Home is coming to the UK. Get answers from the Google Assistant Ask Google Home a question, and it will give you the answer by tapping into the power of Google—Search, Maps, Translate and more. A combination of our natural language processing, machine learning and voice recognition expertise allow users to interact naturally with the Assistant on Google Home. It can also help you with translations and calculations, or deliver a news briefing from publications such as the BBC, The Guardian, The Financial Times, The Sun, The Telegraph, Huffington Post, Sky News, Sky Sports and others. Using the Google Assistant, Google Home can answer questions about your interests, the weather, traffic, sports, finance, local businesses and more. You could ask “Where is the nearest petrol station?” and then follow up with,“When does it close?” The Assistant can also have fun—it can tell you jokes, play trivia or make animal sounds. Enjoy your music Google Home helps you listen to your favorite things, whether you're in the mood to listen to a podcast or dance around the living room with your little ones. With a simple voice command, you can play songs, playlists, artists and albums from Google Play Music, Spotify, TuneIn, live radio from the BBC and more.* If you have multiple Google Home devices, Chromecast Audio or Chromecast-enabled speakers, you can blast the same tune around the house or group them by room with the multi-room feature. Your everyday tasks and your connected home There’s never a shortage of things to do in the home, and sometimes it’d be good to have a bit of help with them. Google Home is there for those times—like setting alarms, starting timers, or adding items to your shopping list—and, if you choose, it can even tell you about your schedule. Plus, if you have smart devices in your home, you can control your lights and switches from brands including Nest, Philips or Samsung SmartThings. If you have a Chromecast, you can also use voice commands to play Netflix and YouTube on your TV or binge watch your favorite show.** Simply say, “Ok Google, Play ‘The Crown.’” Your home, your rules With your permission, Google Home can assist you in planning your day, based on information like your calendar entries or flight information from your Google account. But if you'd rather keep things to yourself, you can turn off personal results any time in the Google Home app with a single swipe. We know the UK has been patiently waiting for Google Home to arrive and we’ve been working with our favorite partners to give you the best possible experience. We’ll partner with more of your favorite apps and services to help you do more with Google Home over time. And of course, we’ve hidden a few British treats for you to discover. Just try asking Google Home about its hobbies or favorite foods. Google Home will be available in stores on 6th April for £129 from the Google Store and is also available from Argos, Dixons, John Lewis and Maplin and coming soon to EE. Colored bases will be available for £18 for fabric and £36 for metal on the Google store helping you customize to fit your home. That’s not all... Introducing Google Wifi We all know how frustrating it can be when wireless connectivity fails at home, especially if you're streaming your favorite TV show. Today we’re also introducing Google Wifi to the UK. Google Wifi is a home Wi-Fi solution that works with your modem and internet provider to bring you reliable coverage. Traditionally Wi-Fi routers haven’t always been built to support the increasing number of devices we use or high bandwidth activities like gaming or watching videos. Google Wifi is a connected system that replaces your current router to bring smarts, security and simplicity to home Wi-Fi to give you consistently strong coverage in your home. Google Wifi uses a technology called mesh Wi-Fi (something usually only seen in expensive commercial installations). Within our mesh network, each Google Wifi point creates a high-powered connection, and the different Wifi points work together to determine the best path for your data. The result is Wi-Fi coverage even in hard-to reach areas, not just right next to the router.*** To make sure you’re always in control, Google Wifi comes with an app that lets you do things like pause Wi-Fi on kids’ devices (when it’s time to come to the dinner table) and is built to help keep your data safe and secure. Google Wifi will be available online on 6th April for £129 in a 1-pack and £229 in a 2-pack from the Google Store. It is also available from Dixons, Argos, Maplin and John Lewis and coming soon to Amazon. Find out more about Google Home and Google Wifi here.
ZeroHour Posted March 28, 2017 Posted March 28, 2017 (edited) One thing to note with Home, it will spam you with ads: Google Home, the web giant's internet-connected talking personal assistant, has started spamming audio adverts to unsuspecting folk today. Never before have we witnessed a technology giant destroy a product with such precision-engineered idiocy. Don't be evil? Do us a favor. Promos for Disney's new Beauty and the Beast flick, released in American cinemas today, are being mixed into Google Home's responses to questions. In a test with a Home owned by a Reg writer, the chatbot device started touting the kids movie in between telling the time and news headlines. This is with the default configuration: no opt-ins or opt-outs. In a car-crash video, uploaded to Twitter by Bryson Meunier, a Google Home is asked: “Okay Google, what’s my day like?” The chatbot answers the question by telling him the time, the weather and what his commute is like. So far, so good. But then, it sneakily adds: “By the way, Disney’s live action Beauty and the Beast opens today.” Soft piano music is played, and the ad continues running. “For some more movie fun, ask me something about Belle. Have a good one,” it cheekily concludes, referring to the movie's character. Now, we're aware of the irony of complaining about ads spouted by a device, only to then offer to play the ad to you, but it's honestly so creepy and stupid, it'll make you reconsider the myth that Google hires only the smartest people on the planet. Read more and see the video: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/03/16/google_home_audio_adverts/ Google's initial response was: This isn't an ad; the beauty in the Assistant is that it invites our partners to be our guest and share their tales. But they have claimed later: This wasn’t intended to be an ad. What’s circulating online was a part of our My Day feature, where after providing helpful information about your day, we sometimes call out timely content. We’re continuing to experiment with new ways to surface unique content for users and we could have done better in this case. The question is did Disney know about it and pay anything to Google for it to be done. Edited March 28, 2017 by ZeroHour
Arthur Posted March 28, 2017 Author Posted March 28, 2017 The question is did Disney know about it and pay anything to Google for it to be done. Probably, although it looks like the "ad" was just a one-off for the moment at least.
hardtailstar Posted April 11, 2017 Posted April 11, 2017 Bought one last week on release. Arrived Friday afternoon. Not heard an advert yet. It's been great so far, some things still cant be done yet but if you install the app IFTTT (If This Then That) and use the Google assistant channel its a work around. The speaker has a nice sound. Overall I am really happy with it. I'm sure as more stuff is developed for it then it'll get better.
DalekSec Posted April 11, 2017 Posted April 11, 2017 Thinking of getting one, one down side is i still live at home, so i wouldn't use it and i know for a fact my parents won't!
hardtailstar Posted April 11, 2017 Posted April 11, 2017 Thinking of getting one, one down side is i still live at home, so i wouldn't use it and i know for a fact my parents won't! Mine is in my bedroom, I still live at home with parents.
DalekSec Posted April 11, 2017 Posted April 11, 2017 Mine is in my bedroom, I still live at home with parents. Most important questions, Does it understand Monty Python references? Like Cortana knows the answer to 'What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?"
hardtailstar Posted April 11, 2017 Posted April 11, 2017 Most important questions, Does it understand Monty Python references? Like Cortana knows the answer to 'What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?" It does then adds extra.
DalekSec Posted April 11, 2017 Posted April 11, 2017 It does then adds extra. ...Ok now i'm really tempted to get one, i like the idea of connecting it to my chromecast to stream
hardtailstar Posted April 11, 2017 Posted April 11, 2017 ...Ok now i'm really tempted to get one, i like the idea of connecting it to my chromecast to stream Its connected to my chromecast too. Not used Google home to watch films yet but its good for Youtube.
gshaw Posted April 11, 2017 Posted April 11, 2017 What's the thoughts on Google Wi-Fi? Was just about to do a new place with homeplug extenders but this looks interesting although expensive.
DalekSec Posted April 11, 2017 Posted April 11, 2017 Was looking at Google wifi as well, we have a house that goes far back and conventional wireless extenders don't work! But i don't want to go spending £240 on 2 units and then move out in about 6 months!
hardtailstar Posted April 11, 2017 Posted April 11, 2017 What's the thoughts on Google Wi-Fi? Was just about to do a new place with homeplug extenders but this looks interesting although expensive. It is expensive Im currently looking at similar things but all seem much more expensive. All reviews I have seen are good
gshaw Posted April 11, 2017 Posted April 11, 2017 At £250 for a 3-pack the BT version looks handy - BT Whole Home Wi-Fi | BT Shop
DalekSec Posted April 11, 2017 Posted April 11, 2017 UniFi came out with a home solution a couple of months back as well that looks awesome https://amplifi.com/
Arthur Posted April 11, 2017 Author Posted April 11, 2017 This review might be of interest (Google Wifi vs Ubiquiti's AmpliFi HD)... https://arstechnica.co.uk/gadgets/2017/03/google-wifi-review-compared-amplifi-plume
gshaw Posted April 11, 2017 Posted April 11, 2017 Was expecting the UAP disc designs in a mesh product not those big ugly things, shame
DalekSec Posted April 11, 2017 Posted April 11, 2017 Was expecting the UAP disc designs in a mesh product not those big ugly things, shame Also having a Mesh system where each extension have to connect back to the hub seems like a bit of a over sight, limits the range quite a lot! I thought the whole point of a mesh system was to get over a large area without having to be close to the hub!
gshaw Posted April 11, 2017 Posted April 11, 2017 Also having a Mesh system where each extension have to connect back to the hub seems like a bit of a over sight, limits the range quite a lot! I thought the whole point of a mesh system was to get over a large area without having to be close to the hub! Urgh yeah I'll pass on that system then. BT product winning at the moment then...
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