Home Digital Assistants

[CouchCoach]

I am thinking of joining the hip crowd since some friends have these things and are on me to get with it but don't know which one to get. I have read all the comparisons and still am not clear. Amazon, Apple or Google?

Which do you have, what do you like about it and would you buy the same one?

I have a PC but am Apple everything else, phone and pad, so the Home Pod looks to be the one; however, it seems to be the one lacking in the most features for one of these devices. And it is the most expensive and most proprietary one. I have a Bose IPod dock and SoundLink so the need for just a speaker isn't great but the HomePod gets the highest marks for the speaker part.

So, here's my real question. Is one of these things really even a borderline necessity? Or is this really a toy? If you have one, could you have lived without it? What do you really do with it?

 

[Runwildboys]

I am thinking of joining the hip crowd since some friends have these things and are on me to get with it but don't know which one to get. I have read all the comparisons and still am not clear. Amazon, Apple or Google?

Which do you have, what do you like about it and would you buy the same one?

I have a PC but am Apple everything else, phone and pad, so the Home Pod looks to be the one; however, it seems to be the one lacking in the most features for one of these devices. And it is the most expensive and most proprietary one. I have a Bose IPod dock and SoundLink so the need for just a speaker isn't great but the HomePod gets the highest marks for the speaker part.

So, here's my real question. Is one of these things really even a borderline necessity? Or is this really a toy? If you have one, could you have lived without it? What do you really do with it?

Don't do it, CC! Aside from the fact that it'll probably just frustrate you, there's a limit to how much convenience is good for you...besides, what's next, doors that slide open when you get near them? (Star Trek reference)

If those reasons aren't enough, have you ever noticed how you can be talking to someone in the room about, say Pringles potato chips (an example I cite from experience), and the next time you use your phone online there's an ad for Pringles?.... They're listening, and just imagine the things they'd hear with one of those contraptions!.....Yes, they'd be sorry they heard it, but nonetheless.......

 

[YosemiteSam]

I have two Amazon Echos and three Google Homes. (Two full size homes, and one home mini)

Current setup:

• Echo - Kitchen: used to help cook (set timers, temperature / times of cooking, etc), music, recipe questions, conversions (C->F, grams to ounces, cups to millimeters, etc), current events / news, audio books, add things to my shopping list, and make hands free calls.
• Echo - Bathroom: Music, morning news, audio books, get daily calendar events, etc while getting ready in the morning.
• Google Home - Living Room: Music, casting to the TV, voice search for stuff to watch on TV. You can literally say, Okay Google. Play Tommy Emmanuel from YouTube on 4Kcaster (my 4k Chromecast connected to my TV) and my TV will automatically turn on and a Tommy Emmanuel video from YouTube will start playing. I also make hands free calls.
• Google Home - Office: I use this to turn on / off my office lights, play music, asked it questions, get current events, start casting to my office TV's Chromecast, add things to my calendar or shopping list. Hands free calls.
• Google Home Mini - GF's daughter has it in her room. She mainly listens to music, turns her lights on and off, and just asks it questions with her friends.

Is it a toy? It most certainly is, but it's a damn useful one.

One of my favorite things about my Google Home is I can group them, then ask Google to play music on that group. Then all the Homes in that group will play the same music making basically full home audio system. So, I can go from the office to the living room and the music is playing in both places.

Which is better? They both have their own strengths and weaknesses. The full size Echo has a better speaker, but asking it questions. Google Home blows the Echo out of the water. It has the full power of Google search behind it.

If I had to choose one, I would go with the Google Home. Understand for music purposes, I have Google Music which is unlimited music. The other upside to Google Music is you get YouTube Red free with Google Music which is basically YouTube with no advertising or banners. If you use YouTube much at all. This is worth the price by itself.

Good luck!

 

[CouchCoach]

I have two Amazon Echos and three Google Homes. (Two full size homes, and one home mini)

Current setup:

• Echo - Kitchen: used to help cook (set timers, temperature / times of cooking, etc), music, recipe questions, conversions (C->F, grams to ounces, cups to millimeters, etc), current events / news, audio books, add things to my shopping list, and make hands free calls.
• Echo - Bathroom: Music, morning news, audio books, get daily calendar events, etc while getting ready in the morning.
• Google Home - Living Room: Music, casting to the TV, voice search for stuff to watch on TV. You can literally say, Okay Google. Play Tommy Emmanuel from YouTube on 4Kcaster (my 4k Chromecast connected to my TV) and my TV will automatically turn on and a Tommy Emmanuel video from YouTube will start playing. I also make hands free calls.
• Google Home - Office: I use this to turn on / off my office lights, play music, asked it questions, get current events, start casting to my office TV's Chromecast, add things to my calendar or shopping list. Hands free calls.
• Google Home Mini - GF's daughter has it in her room. She mainly listens to music, turns her lights on and off, and just asks it questions with her friends.

Is it a toy? It most certainly is, but it's a damn useful one.

One of my favorite things about my Google Home is I can group them, then ask Google to play music on that group. Then all the Homes in that group will play the same music making basically full home audio system. So, I can go from the office to the living room and the music is playing in both places.

Which is better? They both have their own strengths and weaknesses. The full size Echo has a better speaker, but asking it questions. Google Home blows the Echo out of the water. It has the full power of Google search behind it.

If I had to choose one, I would go with the Google Home. Understand for music purposes, I have Google Music which is unlimited music. The other upside to Google Music is you get YouTube Red free with Google Music which is basically YouTube with no advertising or banners. If you use YouTube much at all. This is worth the price by itself.

Good luck!

Wow, Yosemite, thanks for such a complete answer to my request. However, you are most definitely more tech savvy that I am or will ever be.

 

[CouchCoach]

Don't do it, CC! Aside from the fact that it'll probably just frustrate you, there's a limit to how much convenience is good for you...besides, what's next, doors that slide open when you get near them? (Star Trek reference)

If those reasons aren't enough, have you ever noticed how you can be talking to someone in the room about, say Pringles potato chips (an example I cite from experience), and the next time you use your phone online there's an ad for Pringles?.... They're listening, and just imagine the things they'd hear with one of those contraptions!.....Yes, they'd be sorry they heard it, but nonetheless.......

You have one, Runny? And you're dead on about the frustration part, I hyperventilated just reading Yosemite's response.

I am caveman first seeing fire with these things.

I forgot to ask the most important question, will it talk dirty to me? And with different female voices and languages? I am not even bilingual, except for cussing, but do know a lot of foreign naughty words.

 

[Runwildboys]

You have one, Runny? And you're dead on about the frustration part, I hyperventilated just reading Yosemite's response.

I am caveman first seeing fire with these things.

I forgot to ask the most important question, will it talk dirty to me? And with different female voices and languages? I am not even bilingual, except for cussing, but do know a lot of foreign naughty words.

No, I don't have one.....but now ya got me thinking: Can I get one with an Asian accent?...a muffled Asian accent?

 

[CouchCoach]

No, I don't have one.....but now ya got me thinking: Can I get one with an Asian accent?...a muffled Asian accent?

"No Runnyson, you too big, you too big".

 

[Runwildboys]

"No Runnyson, you too big, you too big".

Maybe I should just have you call me!

 

[CouchCoach]

Maybe I should just have you call me!

Well, I've got a deep voice but if that turns you on, more than happy to help out a bud.

 

[Runwildboys]

Well, I've got a deep voice but if that turns you on, more than happy to help out a bud.

Oh, I meant a female Asian accent. My fault, I should have been more clear.

 

[wrongway]

Have Amazon echo, use the hell out of it. Timers, alarms, math help for kids, sleep sounds.

Can even make phone calls and send text messages with it. Great sound with music as well.

 

[lukin2006]

Don't do it, CC! Aside from the fact that it'll probably just frustrate you, there's a limit to how much convenience is good for you...besides, what's next, doors that slide open when you get near them? (Star Trek reference)

If those reasons aren't enough, have you ever noticed how you can be talking to someone in the room about, say Pringles potato chips (an example I cite from experience), and the next time you use your phone online there's an ad for Pringles?.... They're listening, and just imagine the things they'd hear with one of those contraptions!.....Yes, they'd be sorry they heard it, but nonetheless.......

That’s why I’d never own...but if I did I think it’d be Apple...google and amazon I don’t trust...