“It’s like having a voice-activated remote control to the real world whenever you need it.”
-Mario Queiroz, Google’s Vice President of Product Management
Remember when we used to imagine smart houses as a farfetched dream? Well, we are now living that dream. It’s amazing how fast technology develops, especially within big names like Amazon, Google, Apple, and Samsung. They’ve all released their own versions of smart technology. But today, we’re here to talk about just one of those amazing gadgets, and that’s the Google Home Assistant.
Google Home Assistant Design
The Google Home Assistant is easy to fall in love with at first glance. It’s extremely clean and minimal. The top of the gadget is a pure white color while the bottom third of the Home Assistant is a default gray that can be changed with other colors to match other home accessories. There’s no reason to be overwhelmed as there aren’t any buttons at all. Since the Google Home Assistant is built to maximize convenience via voice control, it makes sense to get rid of all touch commands. There are a few things you can do on the surface of the gadget such as controlling volume through touch, but again, everything can be done (and is meant to be done) by voice.
Google Home Assistant For The Smart Home
It goes without saying that music can be played on the Google Home. By now, that should be a given for all smart gadgets. But what else can the Home Assistant do? Beyond the basic utilities such as time, alarms, memos, and playing songs, Google Home can effortlessly connect with other Google Cast supported devices. It will also be able to connect to popular smart home systems, enabling control of lights, thermostats, and other household appliances with your voice.
It also serves as a powerful search tool, as expected since it is the product of one of the world’s most powerful search engine. What’s great about the Google Home is that it can stay in context without having to constantly be reminded of the subject. For example, you could ask “How old is Stevie Wonder?” After Google Home correctly answers, you could follow it up with another question such as “Where was he born?” Without specifying that you are talking about Stevie Wonder, Google Home will already know, and it will answer with Stevie Wonder’s birthplace.
Another neat thing about the Google Home is that you can connect multiple Google Home devices and use them seamlessly. You can place a few around the house in main rooms, such as bedrooms, living room, and kitchen. You can then direct commands all across the house. For example, you might be in the kitchen making breakfast, but need to wake up the family. You can simply say “Hey Google, play music in all bedrooms,” and the house will fill with music!
What’s the catch?
There are a few disappointments about the Google’s Home Assistant. The first is that it isn’t completely wireless. While it does connect to other devices via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, it needs to stay plugged into a power outlet. Google ensures that this allows for a louder and more powerful speaker sound.
Another flaw, albeit very tiny, is that you have to say “Hey, Google,” or “Okay, Google,” before every command. This isn’t a big problem, but it would be nice to simply say a command instead of redundantly addressing the product by its name each time. Though I do understand that without a proper introduction to a command, the Google Home could get confused and mistake background conversation for a command.
The third difficulty that arises with Google Home is that it does not support multiple Google accounts. This might be a bit troublesome when used in a household with multiple members. Since Google Home has abilities such as emailing and marking calendars, this could get a bit sloppy if an entire family shares one account. However, Google has claimed to be working on upgrading the assistant to allow multiple account usage.
The last drawback might be a huge setback for those with privacy issues. Owning a Google Home means that it will always be listening to and recording all audio at home. Again, not a big problem, but it is a little creepy knowing that a small device is hearing everything that is going on.
All in all
Google Home Assistant is an amazing creation. It’s still in its early stages, yet it can do so much. The company visualizes the Google Home Assistant to go above and beyond the home, assisting in tasks that involve cars or delivery of items. There’s a lot of room for improvement, but as of now it’s still quite impressive.