I use Alexa currently and it’s just okay. My “Ok Google” responses on my phone typically gives better answers but I cannot get added hardware like I can with Alexa such as controlling my lights and appliances.
@cengland0 I control my kitchen lights hooked up to a Wink switch and the 2 hue lights in my bedroom that I bought off of meh, all with my voice, and I can do it using my Google Home or saying “ok, Google” to my phone.
@cengland0 actually home integrates directly with Harmony, but I still think a hub device is important to a “smart home” It looks like insteon is pretty locked down unfortunately.
@Jeshua Really? I have a Harmony Remote in the closet, not set up yet. Would I be able to use voice commands on Google Home to turn on my home theater set-up via the Harmony hub? That would be worth me finally getting that device set up.
@alextse Harmony Hub is supported directly by Google Home but it’s a little convoluted in use. You have to say, “OK Google, ask Harmony to turn on the TV” for example (where “Watch TV” is one of the activities you set up"). All Harmony commands have to be prefixed by “ask Harmony to” because it’s not a direct integration like SmartThings or Hue.
The good news is Google recently added shortcuts so you can create a shortcut for “Turn on the TV” to “Ask Harmony to turn on the TV” and Google Home will translate it into the long version automagically. You would want to create a shortcut for all of your commonly used activities (turn on X, turn off . I don’t bother with volume and channel voice controls but you could add shortcuts for those too.
We use the other roundabout method which is having Harmony activities exposed as virtual switches in SmartThings which does have direct integration. My wife asks Google to turn on the TV when she gets up in the morning and by the time she gets across the living room and sits down the TV and receiver have fired up and are ready for her to use the remote to browse the guide or start the Netflix app on the TV.
@cengland0 I’ve got a fair bit of Insteon kit and I use a Harmony Hub. Alexa works with the latest Insteon hub, no love from Google Home. The only ways are to use IFTTTTTTT (how many T’s?) or an ISY hub…which are supported but more complex to integrate. For Insteon, Alexa is the way to go. I use a Dot.
According to Logitech, the Harmony hub is supported by Google Home.
@cengland0 IMO, these are way better than Alexa (which I switched from). Here’s why I switched:
Home’s speakers are way, way, way better. I’m satisfied with Home audio quality without using another speaker - I was not with Echo (ymmv).
Home was much less expensive than Echo. Echo costs have come down and now they are competitive.
Home can sync between devices (I now own 3 echos + 1 ChromeCast Audio). Echo still can’t do this, right?
Google Music is better (IMO) than Spotify. YouTube Red is a great added feature, the music selection is comparable, and the $15/month family option is great for sharing the music and YouTube red benefit.
Both integrate with SmartThings. It’s true Echo can often integrate with a bunch of “smart” devices without a hub, but if you really care about home automation, you’re probably going to regret not having a zwave/zigbee hub (for the range, low power, and variety of devices you can integrate) vs. the junk that cobbles together through Echo.
OP already has Insteon stuff and that’s a big commitment to back out of just for a switch to some smarthome tech that is sympatico with Google Home.
Not sure what you mean by junk cobbled together with Echo. GH is no better at it than anyone else at this point.
The big Pro for Insteon is it has been around a good long time, is robust, and is well thought out. It uses both powerline and RF mesh signalling. It integrates at the wiring level (if you want that). This means you never have to leave an existing switch turned on so some stupid bulb already has power (looking at you Hue) and only then can the bulb be controlled.
Insteon also has a shit ton of modules etc. and you can go from simply linking a few devices all the way to very sophisticated setups with ISY etc. without going full on with something like Crestron.
The Con is that it can complicated to setup (but stable once you do) and less “open” than some other stuff like the $25 TP Link wifi switches.
@cengland0 There’s Wink support for the Google Home now, for what that’s worth. I have that set up with both my Google Home and the Echo, and it works fine.
@sammydog01 those novelty voices get pretty grating after a short while. i’ve experienced both the mr. T voice and snoop dogg. (“take a leff, nephew!”)
the only one i didn’t tire of was c-3po and r2d2 but of course it was one of the ones you couldn’t keep. (that one was on waze.)
Doesn’t this send everything it hears to Google? It’s basically like spending $80 to let a huge corporation that specializes in searching data eavesdrop on your every conversation.
Google Home listens in short (a few seconds) snippets for the hotword. Those snippets are deleted if the hotword is not detected, and none of that information leaves your device until the hotword is heard. When Google Home detects that you’ve said “Ok Google,” the LEDs on top of the device light up to tell you that recording is happening, Google Home records what you say, and sends that recording (including the few-second hotword recording) to Google in order to fulfill your request. You can delete those recordings through My Activity anytime.
basically this works like ‘ok google’ does on your androids or ‘hey siri’ does on your iphone or ‘alexa’ does on amazon devices.
@RedOak It’s easy for anyone with a little technical skill to tell when the device is or isn’t sending data to Google. As to whether the data you delete on Google’s My Activity page is really deleted, yes, an audit could work. Personally I just count on the mega-large class action lawsuit that would result if it turned out Google was lying so boldly about the use of people’s personal data. For example, last year I got a check for $750 because the Cosmopolitan hotel in Vegas was recording customer service phone calls without proper notice.
@RedOak I just watch my router device traffic personally. What advantage would they have to lie? Google is one of the only companies that actually let you control your data. I think you have them confused with Facebook.
If people are really worried about evesdropping they should update their phones or buy new ones, because that broadcom wifi bug is far more dangerous than voice activated services’ accidental siphoning of conversations while you are requesting a service.
OK, so I still don’t understand why any one would want to install a bug in their own home, so Google can listen 24/7 and sell even more information about your family to unknown people.
@medz If you have a smartphone, why would you need this? A smartphone has apps that work with every variation of ‘smart home’ (well, except Windows phones, but if you bought one of those, a smart home is the least of your worries). These little useless devices only link to a few brands and do nothing that your phone doesn’t already do (and does better).
@davidfast tinfoil has tiny imprinted circuit boards that are powered by radio waves. Nobody is sure what they do yet. Edit: that’s why they tell you not to microwave it
@ycarter what they’re looking for is the unexciting data. As much of it as they can manage to record. Probably nearly every detail of your personal life has some relevance to products you might be interested in, or terms within which you could be marketed to more effectively. If not you, then people who are statistically similar to you.
You don’t need nefarious motives for nefarious ends.
I have a Google Home and find it useful, and fun. I got it for a little less than the list price at someone’s promotion, but I have never seen it near this price.
I have one of these and a Chromecast. The only good thing it can do is show stuff on my TV via voice. Ex: show me pictures of my cats-it will access my Google photos and cast my cats to the tv. I guess it also has more search engine type answers than Echo.
Everything else I do for home automation and such, I used Echo devices.
I’ll put it in my bathroom so Google can hear the sounds I make while working out a particularly difficult poop.
I would be happy to know that some tiny little slices of Google’s vast storage infrastructure contain a few megabytes of assorted grunts, sighs, and splashes.
Did I just buy this solely because was a much lower price than anywhere else, and not because I actually want it? I guess there’s that’s why I’m still a VMP…if only PT Barnum had the internet to reach us suckers…
@sammydog01 Yea I know but it’s more fun to bitch, and I’ll never buy one anyway. Other then monitoring medical conditions and alarms, internet accessible home gee gaws are a pretty dumb idea.
@cranky1950 Maybe if I could put one of each in a room and ask for something and have them bid one another down it would be cool. But more likely they’ll form a secret club and screw me out of home.
@cranky1950 that’s what I thought before I got my first Echo as well. Now, having not touched a light switch in 18 months, I find the thought of having to do so multiple times a day simply barbaric.
I am tempted. I should probably just get some Dots, but right now I’ve got my Hue lights working with Google so I can just say “OK, Google” to my phone and control them.
But my cheap Chinese RGB bulbs only work with Google Assistant by saying, “OK, Google, talk to Smart Life”, which is a pain in the ass, and I think they work natively with Alexa. And at this point Alexa supports more devices, I think.
So I guess I’ll think about it until morning, when they will be sold out. And maybe if I think of it at four I’ll get one.
I already have a decent bluetooth speaker, so I hooked up my old Droid phone to it, set the phone on “always on” and plugged it in- and right there is literally a Google Home unit, already paid for (several dozen times when I think about the phone bills). I can use Skype to call anywhere, miracast to the TV (lousy quality, but hey…) and generally be happy with it.
@alacrity So, basically, you can’t use your phone for anything else while it’s in use as a makeshift home device… Can it hear you from across the room over music or tv noise?
@medz it’s an old deactivated phone linked in via wifi like the Home unit would be, not on a cell network- and yeah, most of the time it picks up commands from almost anywhere unless the background noise is too much.
It’s not listed at $129. Google currently has a sale that seems to be going on indefinitely (the price has lowered, but they won’t admit it) and you can get your in-home spy for the low low price of $109!
@caryrh so what you’re saying is Google woke up, recognized if they wanted to gobble market share they needed to move the price downward since the early adopters (arrows in backs) are now mostly harvested.
So by Christmas, Google will be selling these direct for $79.
The Meh buyer who hooked into this deal got tired of dealing with California regulations, taxes, and cost of living… quit Google and moved to Texas where they joined Meh.
So this is actually a sanctioned price test by Google.
@caryrh - You say “low price of $109”, but if you pay that much, you’re crazy. Heck, they were recently offering a google home PLUS a chromecast for $99. I’d bet dollars to donuts meh was paid to post this, and that the discount is coming out of google’s marketing budget, by design.
Somehow I keep putting these things into more and more rooms… I have 4, er make that 5, to cover a large house and they work great. Note that I tried that other brand, but I sent it back. Alexa is NOT smarter than a fifth grader. Home is much more functional.
I really adore Google Assistant because when you force it to say anything containing a harder swear word like fuck or shit it has a very satisfying and funny censor bleep.
You can also do Mad Libs with them and naturally they are always vulgar or unfunny, plus i had to ask what an adverb was and it quickly explained then
went back to asking me for an adverb which was neat. https://goo.gl/photos/LwR72kkaJRS1d5AY9
It’s rumored that there’s a smaller version being announced soon, and these are going on this big of a sale for that reason and the fact Amazon has their Echo on for $100.
@sohmageek Really? A device that costs almost 3 times as much and does the same thing - in a market that is already saturated by Google and Amazon (as well as other 3rd party companies with Alexa devices). I think if anybody is running scared, it’s Apple at this point. Almost three years behind the eight ball again. It will probably sell worse than the iWatch!
@narfcake Microsoft is even worse than Google at abandoning stuff. Google tends to spend money to buy a startup and then grow tired of it and shut it down.
With the primary exception being Nokia, Microsoft tends to design/invent internally before giving up on a product/idea.
@gdibig I think that’s why they’re marketing it as a “smart Sonos” as opposed to an “Echo with better sound”. Though for people with a lot of HomeKit devices, it’ll be fantastic.
@RedOak Invoke isn’t abandoned; it’s just late to the party … again. Very very late.
MS Surface has garnered a huge following with digital artists – desktop computer power, a great screen, and the prerequisite pressure sensitive pen in a tablet form factor. An iPad couldn’t run full applications.
@narfcake didn’t claim Invoke was abandoned. The point is - Microsoft has taught me not to adopt their hardware. Don’t bet on them not dropping Invoke.
The most recent example before Nokia was the Surface RT.
You’ll notice I didn’t dump on them for making crappy hardware - the Surface RT was really nice hardware - magnesium case.
They simply seem to have forgotten how to innovate timely and build market share.
While the current Surface line is very nice, they’ll need more than artists to make it long term profitable.
The Surface RT was disaster in the making. The hardware and build was fine, but already in an era in which phones were already becoming tablets and tablets were becoming computer replacements, NOT giving it either the desktop or the mobile OS meant it wasn’t going to replace or even supplement one or the other.
… and we own a Surface RT. But we took advantage of their folly when Microcenter did a one time promo jointly with Microsoft for the Surface RT + the entry level keyboard cover for, I think something like $159 or $179.
It actually still works fine as a Microsoft office platform. (RT included MS Office just like Windows phone did/does(?)). And it networks fine with our “real” Windows machines for file sharing.
@RedOak They got college students too, It’s great to take notes in long hand with onenote. you can open your hp emulator while your writing and work out the board work. I needed bifocals for that. Couldn’t see the board and my screen.
Meh customers seem like a smart target for Google to get these devices out there. Amazon’s Alexa is cheap and Apple’s HomePod is coming soon. So no time to waste. Good move Google. And very smart by the Meh buyers if they were the ones who reached out to Google to get this to happen. This is a win win situation.
Looks like Google is probably going to release a smaller, lower-price Home soon, in response to the Echo Dot: Engadget, Android Police.
But the Home will probably stay at its current price, while the new, smaller (with a smaller, cheaper speaker) version will probably be $40-50 - since the 2nd Gen Dot retails for $49.99 and is currently on sale for $44.99. Which means this is still a good deal, as Google reduces their supply of these and divides their stock between two different models.
I’ve had an Alexa dot for about 6 months. I tried and failed to get a smart switch to talk to it. Failed connecting to my nest (thermostat AND cameras). It can be a lot of fun but it tends to lose it internet connection at least once a day… glowing red eyed like HAL. Now it can go upstairs to the kitchen. Let it chat with NPR all day haha. Since I have a chromecast and Google Fiber this just makes sense for me.
@aerosquid I haz an echo dot, echo, and echo wand. They talk to my ecobee thermostat, smart outlets, and home security system just fine.
Our Google Home isn’t really compatible with any of our existing stuff. (other than the chromecast) I suppose it really depends on the brand of devices you have.
@medz I’m far more Google centric. I do have Amazon prime however. I hope they figure out a way to use Google Home with my Fiber TV… that would be cool. Alas i’ll stick with my chromecast for now.
So maybe we’re suckers but we intentionally went with Echos.
Somehow we trust Amazon more than Google.
For one thing, they’re a commercial selling operation dealing with the security issues of billions of financial transactions. That means they have to focus on security. Not claiming they don’t sell data - but it is a mindset.
Google’s primary source of income is harvesting data and advertising. Their focus is one letting data out the door, not keeping it in. It’s a mindset - how can we make money with this info?
And then there’s that we try to diversify our IoT. We use all three email providers. We use WhatsApp (FB) for messaging - it has device to device 128 bit encryption and works great across the world. Our various other stuff is spread across Google, Apple, Skype, Dropbox, Pandora, and Evernote.
Admittedly we give up some integration. But we can weaken our separation a bit by granting connections between these services without completely blowing the IoT diversity.
Admittedly, Alexa’s skills are a bit shallow at this point. We wish they’d focus on more depth in question answering (clearly a Google advantage - nobody does that better) and other actually useful skills. Rather than the silly games, and how smart am I stuff. Even the weather skill is far too shallow.
So in the meantime we (very happily) use it for various streaming services, setting reminders/alarms, and some questions.
Supposedly Echo to Echo room to room integration is coming - a good thing.
@RedOak I just recently learned I could “drop-in” from one echo to one in another room to use it as an intercom. Fun stuff. We can also drop-in from my phone to eavesdrop on grandma when she’s babysitting.
But, yes, one echo still needs to be able to control the music streaming on the other echo connected to our in-home speakers. That way, regardless of what room we’re in, we can control the music via voice and not just the app.
@RedOak i agree - we have an echo/alexa and love it. we use it to control our lights, get the weather (though i would like it to give the dew point - temperature alone is not super useful info in the warmer months here in boston), listen to the radio, and to tell us when the next hockey or football game is. but the q&a is pretty bad. we’ll ask it simple things every now and again but it’s a novelty and after trying a few different ways we just give up. in the future i hope it improves to be able to access the internet and return basic info. (say from wikipedia or imdb, etc.)
@RedOak I disagree about Google’s commitment to security. They are extremely concerned about it in their various platforms, including Chrome. They are, also, the people who have discovered zero-day exploits in various applications of other companies, including HeartBleed and some in Windows. They pay people who find flaws in their products. So, they do sell data, but they are very serious about security.
@andyw I don’t think I claimed Google “doesn’t care about security”.
Only that when the management (Amazon) is all about operating an e-comm business, because there are billions of financial transactions going on, the security priority tends to bleed down from management that security is critical.
On the other hand, a company like Google explicitly states taking risks by its emplyees is a goal. “Fail well.” More shooting from the hip. Lots of beta stuff intentionally let loose in the wild - presumably to see what sticks. That likely leads to a different priority coming down from management.
@RedOak Yes, Google encourages its employees to take risks, but not in the area of the security of data or proprietary information. They also are highly invested in e-commerce (ie. they sell Google Home, cellphones and cell phone service, among other things), although I am sure they have fewer transactions than Amazon. I have no direct connection to Google ( except email, phone, phone service, Home, maps, Play, etc etc). Until recently lured away to another company, I had a relative who was on the Chrome security team and who was very impressed by the other members and Google’s commitment to security.
addendum: I also have a Google mesh system with three pucks that was easy to set up in 5-10 minutes.
This was much faster than previous router setups (I am not a professional!) and it works flawlessly and faster.
@medz wow. I watch those what’s new emails closely loooking for this feature - didn’t see it went live either. All I recall was a pre announcement it was coming.
But the following is a deal killer for me:
inability to stream the same music to multiple rooms at once
Hopefully there’ll add that soon.
(My first test was going to be “Alexa, play Brian Ferry channel in living room and office”… oh well.)
im a bit of a Google guy, but with that out of the way, i love this thing. even if you don’t have any smart devices, it works with your Chromecast to pause and rewind any streaming services on your TV if you ask it to.
personally i have TP Link stuff. a multicolor light bulb in the living room, a pair of switches controlling the bedroom TV and a kitchen Crock-Pot.
pretty cool stuff. i like asking for the weather in the morning or random trivia questions.
I have both a Google Home and an Echo, and I’ve noticed a few nice differences.
The Echo is a much more matter-of-fact system when it comes to responding to your requests and can get kinda pedantic and overly explanatory. The Google Home on the other hand, is a little more conversational and can mix up responses to things. It’s a much better device if you’re going to use it like we do, to set and track cooking timers, as it doesn’t respond the same exact way every time.
The Echo has much better microphones. It’ll hear you around corners pretty easily, and also has a better sounding speaker for music, if somewhat more limited.
The Google Home works well as a Chromecast audio target, and that’s a big plus as is being able to stream other apps to it.
Long story short, give me a Home with the Echo’s microphone array and I’m happy.
Only 22. Can you guys save more for the VMPs? That’s about 4% that you left us. I waited too and I also got to check out and there were none left. This was like a fuko.
@OldCatLady Trust me, I usually do but the last two night before were a disaster, candy plus a knife and earrings…meh. Yeah, the one night I forget and sign on an hour late and this happens! I was actually on the fence anyway so this isn’t too bad. Also, I just found out today from another poster that Apple will release it’s own smart device. I can wait and/or just be happy with my other smart devices.
@OldCatLady i would, but im working then four nights a week. I was going to wait for the 7am central sale, but work was hard last night so i passed out as soon as my shoes came off. I didn’t make the vmp sale because apparently the five seconds it took from “buy” to “just buy it already” was juuuuust a hair too long.
@RedOak If I were going to lie to you about my spending habits, don’t you think I would hide my profile? So the answer to your question is pretty simple; I order from another account. Barney does the talking and the other account does the buying.
And, yes, I am very fortunate that I have a lot of dear friends on this forum. I treasure every one of them.
@Barney 'sorry you took offense. I simply looked at your profile (before my original comment) and and saw no orders. It was an innocent query based upon that info. Not knowing someone had a second account you wouldn’t be curious why they’d want VMP?
While I can see how you might take my second comment as acusing you of lying, I promise, that was not my intent. I (apparently poorly) wanted to explain the first comment.
@RedOak No, no need for you to apologize. You asked a simple question, I should have given you a civil answer. You are the second person I have gone off on, in the forum, during the past two weeks.
I can’t seem to be around here without snapping at people. I’m sorry.
I’ve been wanting one for a while, but the price point wasn’t there. There are a few plugins I’ve been wanting to play around with that work with it and tasker.
I thought about it for too long this morning & kept refreshing it from 358 to 4 & as soon as deal wasn’t paused anymore, I clicked buy & they were already sold outfml
I was tempted to buy one but I already have 2 Echos, 5 Dots, and a Dash wand. So instead I added the Google Assistant skill to my Alexa skills. It takes a while to set up but it seems to work pretty good.
@whogots But you’re missing the chance at full band width coverage. I mean everything,these are not competing trinkets, they are complementary trinkets.
@michaelgj2002 Actually the Google Home is not limit 2 and not in store only. I believe you can order it and have it shipped. I was looking at the Firestick TV with Alexa that is 29.99 and has those restrictions.
My Google Home arrived today. It’s slightly bigger than I expected (I never bothered to read the dimensions, apparently). The speaker arrangement looks like one speaker and two passive radiators. It sounds very good for its size. The best sound is while playing music at moderate to loud volume until above 3/4 volume, at which point the bass drops out. At low volume the sound seems really bass heavy. So far it has no problem hearing commands even while playing loud music, which I’ve had trouble with on my Dots. Hopefully I’ll get to spend some quality time playing with the assistant functionality soon.
Mine won’t be arriving for a while. On 9/5, it arrived at the FedEx office in a town 45 minutes south of me. On 9/5 it departed that location and was in transit to… another state. Today (9/7) it arrived back from whence it came, Fort Worth, TX.
The “scheduled delivery” date is still tomorrow (9/8) but since it took five days to go from Hutchins, TX, to a town 45 mins away, it’s not going to go from TX to here in a day.
This is why I hate FedEx in general and FedEx Snailpost in particular.
Should I request a chargeback on my credit card since I won’t be getting my order?
@sjk3 I would wait until the end of the estimated delivery timeframe as show on the item’s sale page.
FedEx SmartPost: Monday, September 11th - Monday, September 18th
If you don’t have it by the end of the day 9/18/17, you might contact meh support.
Sounds like a carrier issue. I once had a package sent the wrong way and FedEx had to essentially ship it back to the original FedEx hub and start over.
@medz That may be what happened here. Someone read the mailing label wrong and got the “from” and “to” lines reversed. (Wasn’t that a joke on an episode of “Family Guy”? Maybe Peter Griffin works at FedEx now.)
As of this writing, it has arrived at the FedEx facility at Coppell, TX. The delivery date has been updated to Saturday, 9/9.
Looks like the box may have been damaged during shipping, which caused the misrouting. I got an update it will be delivered tomorrow. It is currently back at a city 45 minutes away with a note “Barcode label unreadable and replaced”.
Specs
What’s in the Box?
1x Google Home
1x Power adapter
Pictures
Home
Plug
Back
Phone
Silo I guess?
Price Comparison
$129 List
Warranty
1 Year Google
Estimated Delivery
Monday, July 13th - Monday, July 20th
FBI wire tapping included?
Glad it isn’t stolen. I was worried for a sec.
@BillLehecka That was pretty funny wasn’t it.
@BillLehecka but only people who stole it would go out of their way to say that.
@BillLehecka I’m a true penny-pincher, so I think I’d prefer to wait for the stolen version that badge clearly implies is going to be listed later.
/giphy it’s what’s not said that matters
I use Alexa currently and it’s just okay. My “Ok Google” responses on my phone typically gives better answers but I cannot get added hardware like I can with Alexa such as controlling my lights and appliances.
@cengland0
Smartthings has Google home integration.
@Jeshua That’s an additional piece of hardware to buy. Can it integrate with my Insteon lights and appliances? How about my Harmony Hub?
@cengland0 I control my kitchen lights hooked up to a Wink switch and the 2 hue lights in my bedroom that I bought off of meh, all with my voice, and I can do it using my Google Home or saying “ok, Google” to my phone.
@Lister Thanks but none of those are Insteon or Harmony products.
@cengland0 I control all my lights and appliances with a finger. Much the way I control my failed relationships
@mydrivec Please, I need to know which finger works.
@cengland0 actually home integrates directly with Harmony, but I still think a hub device is important to a “smart home” It looks like insteon is pretty locked down unfortunately.
@cengland Ive had an Echo for a week now. I am liking it so far. Alexa teaches me new skills daily.
@cengland0 Alexa is a goddess of light, music, knowledge, and jocularity.
@Jeshua Really? I have a Harmony Remote in the closet, not set up yet. Would I be able to use voice commands on Google Home to turn on my home theater set-up via the Harmony hub? That would be worth me finally getting that device set up.
@alextse Harmony Hub is supported directly by Google Home but it’s a little convoluted in use. You have to say, “OK Google, ask Harmony to turn on the TV” for example (where “Watch TV” is one of the activities you set up"). All Harmony commands have to be prefixed by “ask Harmony to” because it’s not a direct integration like SmartThings or Hue.
. I don’t bother with volume and channel voice controls but you could add shortcuts for those too.
The good news is Google recently added shortcuts so you can create a shortcut for “Turn on the TV” to “Ask Harmony to turn on the TV” and Google Home will translate it into the long version automagically. You would want to create a shortcut for all of your commonly used activities (turn on X, turn off
We use the other roundabout method which is having Harmony activities exposed as virtual switches in SmartThings which does have direct integration. My wife asks Google to turn on the TV when she gets up in the morning and by the time she gets across the living room and sits down the TV and receiver have fired up and are ready for her to use the remote to browse the guide or start the Netflix app on the TV.
@plastrd +1 for “automagically.”
(∩ ` -´)⊃━━☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟ
@cengland0 I’ve got a fair bit of Insteon kit and I use a Harmony Hub. Alexa works with the latest Insteon hub, no love from Google Home. The only ways are to use IFTTTTTTT (how many T’s?) or an ISY hub…which are supported but more complex to integrate. For Insteon, Alexa is the way to go. I use a Dot.
According to Logitech, the Harmony hub is supported by Google Home.
@cengland0 IMO, these are way better than Alexa (which I switched from). Here’s why I switched:
Home’s speakers are way, way, way better. I’m satisfied with Home audio quality without using another speaker - I was not with Echo (ymmv).
Home was much less expensive than Echo. Echo costs have come down and now they are competitive.
Home can sync between devices (I now own 3 echos + 1 ChromeCast Audio). Echo still can’t do this, right?
Google Music is better (IMO) than Spotify. YouTube Red is a great added feature, the music selection is comparable, and the $15/month family option is great for sharing the music and YouTube red benefit.
Both integrate with SmartThings. It’s true Echo can often integrate with a bunch of “smart” devices without a hub, but if you really care about home automation, you’re probably going to regret not having a zwave/zigbee hub (for the range, low power, and variety of devices you can integrate) vs. the junk that cobbles together through Echo.
@slipperyp
OP already has Insteon stuff and that’s a big commitment to back out of just for a switch to some smarthome tech that is sympatico with Google Home.
Not sure what you mean by junk cobbled together with Echo. GH is no better at it than anyone else at this point.
The big Pro for Insteon is it has been around a good long time, is robust, and is well thought out. It uses both powerline and RF mesh signalling. It integrates at the wiring level (if you want that). This means you never have to leave an existing switch turned on so some stupid bulb already has power (looking at you Hue) and only then can the bulb be controlled.
Insteon also has a shit ton of modules etc. and you can go from simply linking a few devices all the way to very sophisticated setups with ISY etc. without going full on with something like Crestron.
The Con is that it can complicated to setup (but stable once you do) and less “open” than some other stuff like the $25 TP Link wifi switches.
@cengland0 There’s Wink support for the Google Home now, for what that’s worth. I have that set up with both my Google Home and the Echo, and it works fine.
Amazing that the FBI is now getting us to pay for its bugs these days.
@norman8 you don’t want Mr. Trump to know you giggle about him?
@norman8 hahaha! Thinking the same thing, Norman. Chip implants for ur protection next.
@norman8 Big Brother is like Dracula, you have to invite him in.
That’s what I paid for mine new…
And I use it almost never. My seven Alexa devices are my God, that does my bidding, usually.
@michaelahess I love Alexa. If they just gave her a sexy male voice…
@sammydog01 Exactly! When I had a Garmin I always set it to a guy with a British accent
@michaelahess Where did you get it for that price?
@heartny You could buy one of the gps’s with Mr T’s voice. I really wanted that one. “Turn right, fool!”
@cengland0 Best Buy during Black Friday or something, with some coupon and an Amex discount. I stack like a Jenga Master!
@cengland0 Yeah, this is what I paid too, right when it first came out. This is the best price I’ve seen it since.
@sammydog01 those novelty voices get pretty grating after a short while. i’ve experienced both the mr. T voice and snoop dogg. (“take a leff, nephew!”)
the only one i didn’t tire of was c-3po and r2d2 but of course it was one of the ones you couldn’t keep. (that one was on waze.)
@michaelahess Thank god I’m not the only one with 7 Alexa devices… 1 Echo and 6 Dots
Doesn’t this send everything it hears to Google? It’s basically like spending $80 to let a huge corporation that specializes in searching data eavesdrop on your every conversation.
@jandrese its called “the internet”. everything you do is eavesdropped…
@jandrese Please, sir, take me into your home…
@jandrese
https://support.google.com/googlehome/answer/7072285?hl=en
basically this works like ‘ok google’ does on your androids or ‘hey siri’ does on your iphone or ‘alexa’ does on amazon devices.
@jandrese But it doesn’t send video back to its masters like surveillance cameras do.
@thismyusername your link is from Google, the maker and collector. We trust it why?
I sense a market opportunity for independent third party security validators/auditors for home automation devices. Or do they already exist?
@RedOak It’s easy for anyone with a little technical skill to tell when the device is or isn’t sending data to Google. As to whether the data you delete on Google’s My Activity page is really deleted, yes, an audit could work. Personally I just count on the mega-large class action lawsuit that would result if it turned out Google was lying so boldly about the use of people’s personal data. For example, last year I got a check for $750 because the Cosmopolitan hotel in Vegas was recording customer service phone calls without proper notice.
@RedOak I just watch my router device traffic personally. What advantage would they have to lie? Google is one of the only companies that actually let you control your data. I think you have them confused with Facebook.
If people are really worried about evesdropping they should update their phones or buy new ones, because that broadcom wifi bug is far more dangerous than voice activated services’ accidental siphoning of conversations while you are requesting a service.
I have bought three of the four examples of Meh merchandise listed as inferior to this. I feel so used.
Got an echo dot. Hmmm…should I have two devices “home assistants”??
Now if one of those “home assistants” could vacuum and do the laundry…
Ok Meh, you got me. Under $80 makes me a sucker to try it out.
I bought first, researched later. Was expecting a refurb or something. Props to the meh buyer that made this possible.
@djslack Yeah, surprised this is for NEW, was totally expecting a refurb at this price.
I was hoping I could get a Google Home that was dropped in a vat of molasses. Oh well. Guess I’ll have to stick with my Alexa Tap.
I already have Echos at home. Should I get this too so that they can fight it out?
@heartbleed
/youtube infinite looping between Alexa, Google, and Siri
OK, so I still don’t understand why any one would want to install a bug in their own home, so Google can listen 24/7 and sell even more information about your family to unknown people.
@Steve7654 do you have a smart phone? If so, why for your own reason?
@Steve7654 Because my life is not that exciting that anyone would find any benefit from anything they could hear within my home…
@medz If you have a smartphone, why would you need this? A smartphone has apps that work with every variation of ‘smart home’ (well, except Windows phones, but if you bought one of those, a smart home is the least of your worries). These little useless devices only link to a few brands and do nothing that your phone doesn’t already do (and does better).
@Nitewatch These devices have much better microphones, so they pick up the voice commands better than your phone.
@JonCBK @Nitewatch And it doesn’t drain my phone battery when streaming music and such.
@Steve7654 How much tin foil do you go through in a year?
@davidfast tinfoil has tiny imprinted circuit boards that are powered by radio waves. Nobody is sure what they do yet. Edit: that’s why they tell you not to microwave it
@Nitewatch Hey now, WP has almost a 0.1% market share! They’re a force to contend with!!!
/s
(Disclaimer: Am a WP user.)
@medz
/image tinfoil circuit boards
@medz nope; no cell phone.
@ycarter what they’re looking for is the unexciting data. As much of it as they can manage to record. Probably nearly every detail of your personal life has some relevance to products you might be interested in, or terms within which you could be marketed to more effectively. If not you, then people who are statistically similar to you.
You don’t need nefarious motives for nefarious ends.
@davidfast @Steve7654 @medz
This?
@Kidsandliz
I have a Google Home and find it useful, and fun. I got it for a little less than the list price at someone’s promotion, but I have never seen it near this price.
I have one of these and a Chromecast. The only good thing it can do is show stuff on my TV via voice. Ex: show me pictures of my cats-it will access my Google photos and cast my cats to the tv. I guess it also has more search engine type answers than Echo.
Everything else I do for home automation and such, I used Echo devices.
“Everybody, come over and watch as I say ‘Hey Google, show pictures of my pus…I meant cat!’”
Those Wirecutters are pretty kinky…
My Android seems to have all the features that this device does. Why do I need this?
@mehgrl Better speakers
/giphy Okay Google
These don’t have some kind of funny backstory, but they do drop ship from Ft. Meade…
I’ll put it in my bathroom so Google can hear the sounds I make while working out a particularly difficult poop.
I would be happy to know that some tiny little slices of Google’s vast storage infrastructure contain a few megabytes of assorted grunts, sighs, and splashes.
'Lexa? Play “Digger Digger”.
@QuietDelusions OMG, I’m crying!
I have an Echo Dot connected to my A/V receiver. I only ever use it to play music.
Did I just buy this solely because was a much lower price than anywhere else, and not because I actually want it? I guess there’s that’s why I’m still a VMP…if only PT Barnum had the internet to reach us suckers…
@DaveKnowsAll Yes. So did I.
/giphy winter is here
Well, we were all thinking it.
But I don’t want any IOT shit in my house. Let alone something that can let my grandson order truckloads of gummy bears simply by babbling out loud.
@cranky1950 You can probably put a passcode for purchasing on it. Ask @mfladd.
@cranky1950 Show your grandson that lump of white, yellow, and orange that was formerly candy corn.
“THIS IS WHY YOU DON’T ORDER CANDY ON THE INTERNET. EVER!”
@sammydog01 Yea I know but it’s more fun to bitch, and I’ll never buy one anyway. Other then monitoring medical conditions and alarms, internet accessible home gee gaws are a pretty dumb idea.
@cranky1950 Maybe if I could put one of each in a room and ask for something and have them bid one another down it would be cool. But more likely they’ll form a secret club and screw me out of home.
@cranky1950 that’s what I thought before I got my first Echo as well. Now, having not touched a light switch in 18 months, I find the thought of having to do so multiple times a day simply barbaric.
@demonbane That’s because you’re far more cosmopolitan than I and some would say a lazy waste of oxygen. But hey it takes all kinds.
/buy
@OldCatLady It worked! Your order number is: proud-mediocre-lemon
/image proud mediocre lemon
@mediocrebot That does it, I’m sheetcaking tomorrow.
@OldCatLady Lemon with gold sprinkles?
@sammydog01 Yes, and silver dragees. Which I actually have in the cupboard.
@OldCatLady Remember this day when you’re pushing your stolen shopping cart down the street followed by your gaggle of cats
@cranky1950 You never need to leave the house if you have a Google Home.
@sammydog01 That will be in the shopping cart
@cranky1950 Clowder, not gaggle. And you, sir, may go doodle in your hat. I shall eat cake.
@OldCatLady
@OldCatLady Do I look Chinese? Cat chowder does not sound interesting at all, gaggle stands. (damn know it all editors)
Can I use this to check my Buzz? Or will it tell me when I have new RSS items in Reader?
@slyty It will update your Waves also.
@jqubed And it’ll do 1-800-GOOG-411.
I am tempted. I should probably just get some Dots, but right now I’ve got my Hue lights working with Google so I can just say “OK, Google” to my phone and control them.
But my cheap Chinese RGB bulbs only work with Google Assistant by saying, “OK, Google, talk to Smart Life”, which is a pain in the ass, and I think they work natively with Alexa. And at this point Alexa supports more devices, I think.
So I guess I’ll think about it until morning, when they will be sold out. And maybe if I think of it at four I’ll get one.
I already have a decent bluetooth speaker, so I hooked up my old Droid phone to it, set the phone on “always on” and plugged it in- and right there is literally a Google Home unit, already paid for (several dozen times when I think about the phone bills). I can use Skype to call anywhere, miracast to the TV (lousy quality, but hey…) and generally be happy with it.
Meh…
@alacrity that’s thinking! Good stuff.
@alacrity So, basically, you can’t use your phone for anything else while it’s in use as a makeshift home device… Can it hear you from across the room over music or tv noise?
@medz He did mention it’s his ‘old phone’ so there’s no need to use it for anything else.
@medz it’s an old deactivated phone linked in via wifi like the Home unit would be, not on a cell network- and yeah, most of the time it picks up commands from almost anywhere unless the background noise is too much.
ok
Home spy? No thank you.
Stay dry, y’all. Normally missing Austin, but not this week.
more paws
It’s not listed at $129. Google currently has a sale that seems to be going on indefinitely (the price has lowered, but they won’t admit it) and you can get your in-home spy for the low low price of $109!
@caryrh so what you’re saying is Google woke up, recognized if they wanted to gobble market share they needed to move the price downward since the early adopters (arrows in backs) are now mostly harvested.
So by Christmas, Google will be selling these direct for $79.
The Meh buyer who hooked into this deal got tired of dealing with California regulations, taxes, and cost of living… quit Google and moved to Texas where they joined Meh.
So this is actually a sanctioned price test by Google.
@caryrh - You say “low price of $109”, but if you pay that much, you’re crazy. Heck, they were recently offering a google home PLUS a chromecast for $99. I’d bet dollars to donuts meh was paid to post this, and that the discount is coming out of google’s marketing budget, by design.
@knodi Well it sure wasn’t going on Woot!
@knodi boy, I wish. if anyone can hook up those kind of deals let us know over at meh.com/jobs
@knodi I really enjoy these small-time conspiracy theories.
Somehow I keep putting these things into more and more rooms… I have 4, er make that 5, to cover a large house and they work great. Note that I tried that other brand, but I sent it back. Alexa is NOT smarter than a fifth grader. Home is much more functional.
I really adore Google Assistant because when you force it to say anything containing a harder swear word like fuck or shit it has a very satisfying and funny censor bleep.
You can also do Mad Libs with them and naturally they are always vulgar or unfunny, plus i had to ask what an adverb was and it quickly explained then
went back to asking me for an adverb which was neat. https://goo.gl/photos/LwR72kkaJRS1d5AY9
The Meh buyers work one day a year and they are called “magical”. That is not what we call them.
@hchavers you try digging through dumpsters… it’s hard messy work.
@hchavers Tr M same fingers.
This is the proof I needed. Google Is on the losing end of the market in this one. That or they are scared of apple’s product that is coming out soon
@sohmageek That’s my read on this too. Too bad as I chose Google Home for myself. Partner on-boarding is taking longer than I expected.
@sohmageek
It’s rumored that there’s a smaller version being announced soon, and these are going on this big of a sale for that reason and the fact Amazon has their Echo on for $100.
@sohmageek Really? A device that costs almost 3 times as much and does the same thing - in a market that is already saturated by Google and Amazon (as well as other 3rd party companies with Alexa devices). I think if anybody is running scared, it’s Apple at this point. Almost three years behind the eight ball again. It will probably sell worse than the iWatch!
@gdibig exactly. The iWatch was horrible knock-off. Now my Apple watch is amazing
@gdibig It could be worse. You could be Microsoft.
Invoke was only announced a few months ago with no ETA.
@narfcake Microsoft is even worse than Google at abandoning stuff. Google tends to spend money to buy a startup and then grow tired of it and shut it down.
With the primary exception being Nokia, Microsoft tends to design/invent internally before giving up on a product/idea.
Kinda surprising they’ve stuck with the Surface.
@gdibig I think that’s why they’re marketing it as a “smart Sonos” as opposed to an “Echo with better sound”. Though for people with a lot of HomeKit devices, it’ll be fantastic.
@RedOak Invoke isn’t abandoned; it’s just late to the party … again. Very very late.
MS Surface has garnered a huge following with digital artists – desktop computer power, a great screen, and the prerequisite pressure sensitive pen in a tablet form factor. An iPad couldn’t run full applications.
@sohmageek No
@narfcake didn’t claim Invoke was abandoned. The point is - Microsoft has taught me not to adopt their hardware. Don’t bet on them not dropping Invoke.
The most recent example before Nokia was the Surface RT.
You’ll notice I didn’t dump on them for making crappy hardware - the Surface RT was really nice hardware - magnesium case.
They simply seem to have forgotten how to innovate timely and build market share.
While the current Surface line is very nice, they’ll need more than artists to make it long term profitable.
@RedOak Fair points.
The Surface RT was disaster in the making. The hardware and build was fine, but already in an era in which phones were already becoming tablets and tablets were becoming computer replacements, NOT giving it either the desktop or the mobile OS meant it wasn’t going to replace or even supplement one or the other.
But what do I know? I have a Blackberry Playbook.
@narfcake The RT was Microsquats attempt at the PCjr. They never learn.
@cranky1950
/image Microsoft Bob
/image Microsoft Kin
@narfcake
… and we own a Surface RT.
But we took advantage of their folly when Microcenter did a one time promo jointly with Microsoft for the Surface RT + the entry level keyboard cover for, I think something like $159 or $179.
It actually still works fine as a Microsoft office platform. (RT included MS Office just like Windows phone did/does(?)). And it networks fine with our “real” Windows machines for file sharing.
Our kids use it for school.
@RedOak But I’ve been using Libre Office because I’m um frugal.
@cranky1950 I’m near as Scot cheap as they come but every time I’ve tried Libre Office I’ve been disappointed.
@RedOak How so?
@RedOak They got college students too, It’s great to take notes in long hand with onenote. you can open your hp emulator while your writing and work out the board work. I needed bifocals for that. Couldn’t see the board and my screen.
@cranky1950
Libre Office - rough edges, formatting incompatibilities - both in Word and Excel.
I like the Surface. My point is Microsoft has a short product attention span and is pretty clueless on marketing and building market share.
Beta was a better format than VHS but it lost.
They rested on their cash cow Office and Windows laurels too long.
Google Docs, more so than Libre Office will kill off their MS Office cash cow. Kids live in Google docs.
Meh customers seem like a smart target for Google to get these devices out there. Amazon’s Alexa is cheap and Apple’s HomePod is coming soon. So no time to waste. Good move Google. And very smart by the Meh buyers if they were the ones who reached out to Google to get this to happen. This is a win win situation.
But I will pass.
This such a good deal. I already have a GH and I have been waiting for a super deal to get a second one. Thanks meh.
/image new-courteous-street
wonderful-hairy-crime!
@cire5671 Sorry, but I can’t help but wonder what his beard looks like after a shower!
@andyw The world may never know.
@craigthom It’s important to never get it wet. Ruins the disguise!
Looks like Google is probably going to release a smaller, lower-price Home soon, in response to the Echo Dot: Engadget, Android Police.
But the Home will probably stay at its current price, while the new, smaller (with a smaller, cheaper speaker) version will probably be $40-50 - since the 2nd Gen Dot retails for $49.99 and is currently on sale for $44.99. Which means this is still a good deal, as Google reduces their supply of these and divides their stock between two different models.
Anyone have a $15 coupon? I’d buy it at 4pm to resale at that price. At this price, it wouldn’t be worth the hassle.
I’ve had an Alexa dot for about 6 months. I tried and failed to get a smart switch to talk to it. Failed connecting to my nest (thermostat AND cameras). It can be a lot of fun but it tends to lose it internet connection at least once a day… glowing red eyed like HAL. Now it can go upstairs to the kitchen. Let it chat with NPR all day haha. Since I have a chromecast and Google Fiber this just makes sense for me.
@aerosquid I haz an echo dot, echo, and echo wand. They talk to my ecobee thermostat, smart outlets, and home security system just fine.
Our Google Home isn’t really compatible with any of our existing stuff. (other than the chromecast) I suppose it really depends on the brand of devices you have.
@aerosquid that sounds more like a wonky wifi router. Our Echos stay connected and are bullet proof. Well, OK we haven’t tested that.
@medz I’m far more Google centric. I do have Amazon prime however. I hope they figure out a way to use Google Home with my Fiber TV… that would be cool. Alas i’ll stick with my chromecast for now.
@RedOak IDK. My router is 6ft away from the dot. No other wireless device (and I have a few) craps out like the dot. Maybe i just got a defective dot?
@aerosquid It could be- I have a bunch of dots and they all work well even in rooms with iffy wifi. They run my smart outlets well too.
So maybe we’re suckers but we intentionally went with Echos.
Somehow we trust Amazon more than Google.
For one thing, they’re a commercial selling operation dealing with the security issues of billions of financial transactions. That means they have to focus on security. Not claiming they don’t sell data - but it is a mindset.
Google’s primary source of income is harvesting data and advertising. Their focus is one letting data out the door, not keeping it in. It’s a mindset - how can we make money with this info?
And then there’s that we try to diversify our IoT. We use all three email providers. We use WhatsApp (FB) for messaging - it has device to device 128 bit encryption and works great across the world. Our various other stuff is spread across Google, Apple, Skype, Dropbox, Pandora, and Evernote.
Admittedly we give up some integration. But we can weaken our separation a bit by granting connections between these services without completely blowing the IoT diversity.
Admittedly, Alexa’s skills are a bit shallow at this point. We wish they’d focus on more depth in question answering (clearly a Google advantage - nobody does that better) and other actually useful skills. Rather than the silly games, and how smart am I stuff. Even the weather skill is far too shallow.
So in the meantime we (very happily) use it for various streaming services, setting reminders/alarms, and some questions.
Supposedly Echo to Echo room to room integration is coming - a good thing.
@RedOak Room to room is already there. It’s the “drop in” feature.
@RedOak I just recently learned I could “drop-in” from one echo to one in another room to use it as an intercom. Fun stuff. We can also drop-in from my phone to eavesdrop on grandma when she’s babysitting.
But, yes, one echo still needs to be able to control the music streaming on the other echo connected to our in-home speakers. That way, regardless of what room we’re in, we can control the music via voice and not just the app.
@Rentalsoul I need to learn to do that to yell at the kids. They have dots. Bwahahaha!
@sammydog01
First:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=202153130
Then:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=202160820
@Rentalsoul yah, intercomm functionality. I’m referring to the ability to move existing streams room to room as @medz says. Richer functionality.
@RedOak i agree - we have an echo/alexa and love it. we use it to control our lights, get the weather (though i would like it to give the dew point - temperature alone is not super useful info in the warmer months here in boston), listen to the radio, and to tell us when the next hockey or football game is. but the q&a is pretty bad. we’ll ask it simple things every now and again but it’s a novelty and after trying a few different ways we just give up. in the future i hope it improves to be able to access the internet and return basic info. (say from wikipedia or imdb, etc.)
@RedOak I disagree about Google’s commitment to security. They are extremely concerned about it in their various platforms, including Chrome. They are, also, the people who have discovered zero-day exploits in various applications of other companies, including HeartBleed and some in Windows. They pay people who find flaws in their products. So, they do sell data, but they are very serious about security.
@andyw I don’t think I claimed Google “doesn’t care about security”.
Only that when the management (Amazon) is all about operating an e-comm business, because there are billions of financial transactions going on, the security priority tends to bleed down from management that security is critical.
On the other hand, a company like Google explicitly states taking risks by its emplyees is a goal. “Fail well.” More shooting from the hip. Lots of beta stuff intentionally let loose in the wild - presumably to see what sticks. That likely leads to a different priority coming down from management.
Do you happen to be connected to Google?
@RedOak Yes, Google encourages its employees to take risks, but not in the area of the security of data or proprietary information. They also are highly invested in e-commerce (ie. they sell Google Home, cellphones and cell phone service, among other things), although I am sure they have fewer transactions than Amazon. I have no direct connection to Google (
except email, phone, phone service, Home, maps, Play, etc etc). Until recently lured away to another company, I had a relative who was on the Chrome security team and who was very impressed by the other members and Google’s commitment to security.
addendum: I also have a Google mesh system with three pucks that was easy to set up in 5-10 minutes.
This was much faster than previous router setups (I am not a professional!) and it works flawlessly and faster.
@RedOak apparently you can already control music on another echo
https://www.cnet.com/google-amp/news/alexas-new-music-feature-makes-your-speakers-work-like-sonos/
I never saw this in a “what’s new” email…
@medz So I can blast country music remotely in my son’s bedroom to wake him up? Awesome! I hope they get the volume thing working.
@medz wow. I watch those what’s new emails closely loooking for this feature - didn’t see it went live either. All I recall was a pre announcement it was coming.
But the following is a deal killer for me:
Hopefully there’ll add that soon.
(My first test was going to be “Alexa, play Brian Ferry channel in living room and office”… oh well.)
@sammydog01 you’d put an Echo in your kid’s room? That could go both ways - him playing rap music in your room.
@RedOak Damn. I didn’t think of that.
@sammydog01 we have a conniving son. Very difficult to out maneuver him.
We’re of course hoping it will be a constructive and productive skill when he joins the real world.
@RedOak Good luck.
@RedOak Whelp…apparently they announced the ability to play music on multiple echos this morning!
https://techcrunch.com/2017/08/29/you-can-now-play-your-music-across-multiple-echo-devices/?
From the source: http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=176060&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=2297100
I’ve already created the “everywhere” group via the alexa app. Can’t wait to try her out when I get home.
sold out before i even saw this. wish i could have gotten one. ):
@Rentalsoul sign up for VMP… oh wait…
@RedOak this is exactly why I keep paying for VMP even though I order less than once a month.
@demonbane Maybe next time it will be a dollar. Then we’ll look really smart.
im a bit of a Google guy, but with that out of the way, i love this thing. even if you don’t have any smart devices, it works with your Chromecast to pause and rewind any streaming services on your TV if you ask it to.
personally i have TP Link stuff. a multicolor light bulb in the living room, a pair of switches controlling the bedroom TV and a kitchen Crock-Pot.
pretty cool stuff. i like asking for the weather in the morning or random trivia questions.
So is this cheap price a result of predicted overstock because Google is about to release the $50 “Dot” competitor in October?
@DataMeister Haha. Probably.
I have both a Google Home and an Echo, and I’ve noticed a few nice differences.
The Echo is a much more matter-of-fact system when it comes to responding to your requests and can get kinda pedantic and overly explanatory. The Google Home on the other hand, is a little more conversational and can mix up responses to things. It’s a much better device if you’re going to use it like we do, to set and track cooking timers, as it doesn’t respond the same exact way every time.
The Echo has much better microphones. It’ll hear you around corners pretty easily, and also has a better sounding speaker for music, if somewhat more limited.
The Google Home works well as a Chromecast audio target, and that’s a big plus as is being able to stream other apps to it.
Long story short, give me a Home with the Echo’s microphone array and I’m happy.
Amazon Echo $99 right now!
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00X4WHP5E/
@medz I waited to long with it in my cart and it sold out.
Nice try - I have enough abandonware from Google. Can anyone say Google TV with a straight face?
Besides, I haven’t made the mental leap for IoT usefulness. Well, I do have 1 exception - my $89 Honeywell Wifi thermostat.
@ManBehindPlan
/image google glass animated gif
@ManBehindPlan
/image Boston Dynamics animated gif
Wow. Camped on it til 4 and it sold out in the 5 seconds it took me to check out.
Me too. How many did they hold back? 3?
Damn, I wanted one, no dice. Missed it by that much. :’(
Only 22. Can you guys save more for the VMPs? That’s about 4% that you left us. I waited too and I also got to check out and there were none left. This was like a fuko.
@michaelgj2002 My guess was that they would hold 11 back, so they significantly outperformed my expectations.
@djslack Meh.
@michaelgj2002 The VMP reserve is generally 3-5%, and that is unlikely to change.
@narfcake Even once there are only like 3 VMPs left?
@medz They will have to pry my VMP from my cold dead hand.
@Barney LOL
@michaelgj2002 Camp out here at midnight if you really want one; I did. Of course, the next dozen offerings may be sleep-inducing.
@OldCatLady Trust me, I usually do but the last two night before were a disaster, candy plus a knife and earrings…meh. Yeah, the one night I forget and sign on an hour late and this happens! I was actually on the fence anyway so this isn’t too bad. Also, I just found out today from another poster that Apple will release it’s own smart device. I can wait and/or just be happy with my other smart devices.
@OldCatLady i would, but im working then four nights a week. I was going to wait for the 7am central sale, but work was hard last night so i passed out as soon as my shoes came off. I didn’t make the vmp sale because apparently the five seconds it took from “buy” to “just buy it already” was juuuuust a hair too long.
@Barney Is it a coincidence what else VMP stands for?
/image violet magenta purple
@Barney how do you justify VMP?
@RedOak I’m not sure I understand your question. Do we have to justify having it? Maybe it’s just fun to have.
On the other hand, I have over 125 purchases so maybe it’s been useful for me. Maybe?
@Barney 'only curious in that your profile shows zero orders and no VMP.
I know just enough about this place - that stepping on @Barney is a no-no.
@RedOak If I were going to lie to you about my spending habits, don’t you think I would hide my profile? So the answer to your question is pretty simple; I order from another account. Barney does the talking and the other account does the buying.
And, yes, I am very fortunate that I have a lot of dear friends on this forum. I treasure every one of them.
@Barney 'sorry you took offense. I simply looked at your profile (before my original comment) and and saw no orders. It was an innocent query based upon that info. Not knowing someone had a second account you wouldn’t be curious why they’d want VMP?
While I can see how you might take my second comment as acusing you of lying, I promise, that was not my intent. I (apparently poorly) wanted to explain the first comment.
I sincerly appologize.
@RedOak No, no need for you to apologize. You asked a simple question, I should have given you a civil answer. You are the second person I have gone off on, in the forum, during the past two weeks.
I can’t seem to be around here without snapping at people. I’m sorry.
@Barney No worries.
I’ve been wanting one for a while, but the price point wasn’t there. There are a few plugins I’ve been wanting to play around with that work with it and tasker.
jumbled-healthy-plastic (Thanks VMP)
@Knightp which plugins.
I thought about it for too long this morning & kept refreshing it from 358 to 4 & as soon as deal wasn’t paused anymore, I clicked buy & they were already sold out
fml
I was tempted to buy one but I already have 2 Echos, 5 Dots, and a Dash wand. So instead I added the Google Assistant skill to my Alexa skills. It takes a while to set up but it seems to work pretty good.
https://www.hackster.io/tartanguru/run-google-assistant-on-your-amazon-echo-d99235
@BadTouchRobot that’s pretty awesome! If I had 1 I’d definitely try that
@BadTouchRobot Thanks for that! I didn’t realize I could do that. I have Alexa on two devices-the wand and firetv.
Glad I missed it. Husband would have been really annoyed at me for buying this when we already have an Echo and a Dot.
@whogots But you’re missing the chance at full band width coverage. I mean everything,these are not competing trinkets, they are complementary trinkets.
Did everyone know about this? http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/141094-google-home-calling-how-does-it-work-and-where-is-it-available
@OldCatLady The Russians and the Chinese are gonna have a swell time with these.
It’s priced about $78 more than what I’m willing to pay for it.
FYI Google Home is on sale for Labor Day at Microcenter for $89. The sale starts today. Limit 2 and in-store purchases only.
@michaelgj2002 Actually the Google Home is not limit 2 and not in store only. I believe you can order it and have it shipped. I was looking at the Firestick TV with Alexa that is 29.99 and has those restrictions.
My Google Home arrived today. It’s slightly bigger than I expected (I never bothered to read the dimensions, apparently). The speaker arrangement looks like one speaker and two passive radiators. It sounds very good for its size. The best sound is while playing music at moderate to loud volume until above 3/4 volume, at which point the bass drops out. At low volume the sound seems really bass heavy. So far it has no problem hearing commands even while playing loud music, which I’ve had trouble with on my Dots. Hopefully I’ll get to spend some quality time playing with the assistant functionality soon.
Mine won’t be arriving for a while. On 9/5, it arrived at the FedEx office in a town 45 minutes south of me. On 9/5 it departed that location and was in transit to… another state. Today (9/7) it arrived back from whence it came, Fort Worth, TX.
The “scheduled delivery” date is still tomorrow (9/8) but since it took five days to go from Hutchins, TX, to a town 45 mins away, it’s not going to go from TX to here in a day.
This is why I hate FedEx in general and FedEx Snailpost in particular.
Should I request a chargeback on my credit card since I won’t be getting my order?
@sjk3 I would wait until the end of the estimated delivery timeframe as show on the item’s sale page.
If you don’t have it by the end of the day 9/18/17, you might contact meh support.
Sounds like a carrier issue. I once had a package sent the wrong way and FedEx had to essentially ship it back to the original FedEx hub and start over.
@medz That may be what happened here. Someone read the mailing label wrong and got the “from” and “to” lines reversed. (Wasn’t that a joke on an episode of “Family Guy”? Maybe Peter Griffin works at FedEx now.)
As of this writing, it has arrived at the FedEx facility at Coppell, TX. The delivery date has been updated to Saturday, 9/9.
Looks like the box may have been damaged during shipping, which caused the misrouting. I got an update it will be delivered tomorrow. It is currently back at a city 45 minutes away with a note “Barcode label unreadable and replaced”.