Those who know me know that as much as I love Amazon I have hated what they have done to the Android OS on their Fire tablets and for this reason I decided to stall on buying an Echo in favour of waiting for Google Home Assistant, which for all the reports was a bit of a 'will it, won't it' be coming to the UK.
With the decision made in favour of being released over here at exactly 8am on the 9th of April I reserved one online and quickly drove to collect it. I had co-incidentally also had a Nest thermostat installed that week and was initially keen to see how the two worked together.
With the decision made in favour of being released over here at exactly 8am on the 9th of April I reserved one online and quickly drove to collect it. I had co-incidentally also had a Nest thermostat installed that week and was initially keen to see how the two worked together.
I then left it in the box all day contemplating if I ACTUALLY needed a box that talks to me.
After work I decided to get it out and give it a go. At first I set-up the unit in my home office but quickly realised that since she can't control my Sonos system it was like having two music players in the room so I had a rethink. I then plugged her into the hallway and again realised that she would probably only get limited use there as well.
She has settled in the kitchen where I find her the most 'use' but I have to admit my expectations have not been met! This can sometimes be the downside of being an early adopter and I hold onto the hope that she is learning (as she keeps telling me when she can't answer a question that I ask) but so far I can get the weather forecast, know eta for my work commute, listen to the minute BBC news and music via Spotify (which errors out A LOT and makes me wonder if somehow having Sonos and Assistant under one roof poses a conflict of musical interest between the devices).
What I do think is cool:
Aside from the playing of music or turning on the radio at the command of my voice I am also finding the following helpful in running our house.
The Heating: I can control my Nest Thermostat via my Google Assistant she can tell you the current temperature and turn the heating up or down so now I can ask my husband to redirect his 'why are the radiators on' and other heating ponders in her direction.....at least she will never tire of them!
Shopping Lists: As a busy Mum I also find the shopping list function super handy and being in the kitchen I can add as I find whatever has run out. Basically the simple 'Hey google add peas to the shopping list' will add the item to a google drive electronic 'Shopping list' document that you can then access when you go shopping through the 'Home' app on your phone - though she did understand 'Naan Bread' as 'Number' which meant I had to have a good think when I was looking at it!
The Weather: What should I wear today and more importantly is it worth hanging the washing out? All these very important questions can be answered while you are stirring your first coffee of the morning. Simply asking 'What's the weather going to be like today' or even more simply 'Will it rain today?"
Aside from the playing of music or turning on the radio at the command of my voice I am also finding the following helpful in running our house.
The Heating: I can control my Nest Thermostat via my Google Assistant she can tell you the current temperature and turn the heating up or down so now I can ask my husband to redirect his 'why are the radiators on' and other heating ponders in her direction.....at least she will never tire of them!
Shopping Lists: As a busy Mum I also find the shopping list function super handy and being in the kitchen I can add as I find whatever has run out. Basically the simple 'Hey google add peas to the shopping list' will add the item to a google drive electronic 'Shopping list' document that you can then access when you go shopping through the 'Home' app on your phone - though she did understand 'Naan Bread' as 'Number' which meant I had to have a good think when I was looking at it!
The Weather: What should I wear today and more importantly is it worth hanging the washing out? All these very important questions can be answered while you are stirring your first coffee of the morning. Simply asking 'What's the weather going to be like today' or even more simply 'Will it rain today?"
What would I like to see? The smart recipe thing - "ok google give me some recipes for chicken breast" a smart BBC iPlayer thing "OK Google play Doctor Who on my Fire tablet through the BBC iPlayer" and finally I would like to change her name to 'Computer' because 'Hey, Google' and 'OK, Google' gets a little annoying and doesn't make me feel like Captain Picard.
The 'toy' factor - well, my boys adore her and the first evening I found L holding her whilst explaining everything he knew about our family. This was another reason she now lives downstairs on top of the fridge! This way they can amuse themselves asking questions without the danger of dropping her!
The 'toy' factor - well, my boys adore her and the first evening I found L holding her whilst explaining everything he knew about our family. This was another reason she now lives downstairs on top of the fridge! This way they can amuse themselves asking questions without the danger of dropping her!
So let's see how this pans out......and if you have one check out 'Hey Google I'm Feeling Lucky'.
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