Last month, I wrote about the large disparity of third-party apps and actions between Amazon Echo and Google Home devices, which prompted a great comment from Chris K, who said: It seems like many of these skills are there just because it is easy to … [Read more...]
Google Assistant needs more “action” if it wants to challenge Amazon’s Alexa Skills
It’s 2019 and after several years of growing smart speaker sales, the top two contenders — Google and Amazon — are now fighting back and forth for the top sales spot each quarter, even though Amazon's first-mover status provides it more lifetime … [Read more...]
Hey Google, ask Alexa, Siri, and Cortana what’s up with Bixby in the smart home
With 2019 underway, I think it's safe to say that 2018 was a big year for digital assistants and smart speakers in the home. And the coming years will likely continue that trend based on usage forecasts: eMarketer suggests a 15 percent increase in … [Read more...]
I was wrong about the Google Home Hub: It’s ideal in certain rooms
I was at the Google hardware event in October when the company launched the diminutive Google Home Hub for $149. And my first thought was "This is a miss. The screen is too small and the price is too high compared to existing smart displays that have … [Read more...]
Is it time to merge Google Home and Google WiFi?
Today, Google Home and Google WiFi products are completely independent of each other. One is for your smart home controls and digital assistant needs while the other forms the backbone of a mesh network for all of your devices. Should they … [Read more...]