Things you can control with Alexa and Google Home Best Buy Blog
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In fact, about 20 percent of US adults, or 47.3 million people, own a smart speaker, a number that's expected to grow by 50 percent in 2018. First, go into your Alexa app, select Alexa Devices from the menu, choose the speaker you wish to use with the Google Home Mini and click on Bluetooth Devices. Using Alexa commands, you can send texts to phones with just your voice. You can say, “Alexa, send a text message.” Alexa will then guide you through the process. Imagine you're cooking a new recipe and need to set timers with Alexa.
The sky is kind of the limit right now for what Alexa and Google Home can do in the future. One of the most interesting concepts in my opinion is how companies are adapting Alexa skills to work within their businesses. For example, Vancouver-based Evo Car Share recently released an Alexa skill to allow its member base access to booking cars and booking and modifying vehicle reservations. Once you’ve made sure your home is secure with the help of your virtual assistants, it’s time to settle down for the night and perhaps watch some TV with their help too. If you were early to the home automation market and jumped on Belkin WeMo stuff when they first started coming out 4-5 years ago, not to worry.
Where's the audio jack?
When you talk at normal voice levels, the voice assistant will mimic you and match your volume. This way, you can control the different features and a string of voice commands that will benefit most from each device. On the other hand, Google Home is a smart hub compatible with other Google-powered devices like Nest cams and thermostats and Google Chromecast. Google Home can also provide users with quick access to Google searches and multiple other commands.
Access Blueprints through the app by tapping on the “More” icon, then choosing “Blueprints” from the list. Both devices essentially "wake up" when the accompanying wake word is spoken, so you can use them to accomplish different tasks simultaneously. Select Add Device, or the plus "+" button on the top-right corner of the app, to add a new device. You can start a photo slideshow with your voice to show off your vacation photos, too. Ask the Google Home to show pictures from an album in your Google Photos account on the connected TV of your choosing, and it will begin the presentation.
You still can't send text messages with Google Home
Share your technology tips and tricks, and check out what other people are saying about the products available at Best Buy. Getting Alexa or Google Home into your space is easy enough. The simplest way to bring them into your home is through the first party devices. Google Home, on the other hand, has received praise for its seamless speaker system.
Google Home’s speakers are pretty good too though, don’t get me wrong. With a quick voice command, you have access to Google’s music platforms and Spotify, and can load up your favourite playlists or radio options. After you’ve downloaded the app of your choosing, you’ll need to pair it with your Google Home or Alexa device. This will need making an account with Alexa or Google and logging in. Following that, you must provide the app permission to connect to your smartphone and utilize it to construct control phrases. To connect your Google Home and Alexa, you will need to create an account on either device.
Chromecast
For starters, the Google Nest Mini is the second-generation version of the popular Google Home Mini. The two smart speakers both work with Google Assistant built in, so you can use voice commands to play music, turn off your smart lights, and more. One of the best things about smart home devices is that they can connect to your smart speakers/digital assistants. For example, program a "routine" that tells your gadgets to turn your lights on when your alarm goes off, which triggers your coffee machine to start a fresh brew. Shortcuts allow you to control smart devices with voice-activated controls and voice recognition, like turning lights on or off, playing music, setting a specific volume level and more. But like all things Google, things are not always straightforward.
Both iOS and Android users can set this up by enabling voice match on the Google Home. Alexa got your back when it comes to adding a layer of protection to your house. Alexa is an excellent housesitter, whether you are going out of town or for the night. You may enable Alexa Guard on your appliance, and the smart home controller will act as your security system. Alexa has a couple of more music real-time features than Google, however, that doesn’t imply that Google doesn’t have its selective web-based features all things considered.
Amazon Echo has Google Home beat when it comes to these features.
Well, you are in luck, but only if you are on team Google Home; it has the option to put the device on a night mode to keep it from waking people around the house during the night. The Alexa speakers sometimes will randomly say things that do not make sense. You can create a shortcut where the command is, "OK, Google, play my favorite song," and Google Home understands that command as, "OK, Google, play 'Ad a dglgmut' on Spotify." The one place Google Home has a leg up on Alexa is with Chamberlain MyQ integration.
You can also ask Google to flip a coin, roll a die, or choose a random number. Your Google Nest Mini can also help you manage connecting with people in different time zones by letting you know what time it is wherever they may be. Most folks will be annoyed by the lack of Spotify support, but at this point, I'm not surprised. I'm more frustrated by the fact that while this feature will also support podcasts, only Apple's Podcast app appears to support it. The HomePod mini's Music Handoff fixes all of that, and it sounds like it will work like AirPods work. You just go near the speaker, and it'll transfer the sound over.
Like I said, there is always some redundancy ‘built’ into all Google apps..almost like a feature..lol. We loaded a film up on Netflix, and while the sound did come out of our Google Home as any Bluetooth speaker would, we were able to issue simple voice commands like play and pause to control playback. You won’t be able to ask your Google Home to find content on Netflix, and you’ll still have to use your Fire Remote to navigate around the interface. So while this might not work super well with a standard Google Home or Home Mini, we can imagine a lot of ways you could use Bluetooth pairing for your benefit. For example, if you were to pick up a soundbar with Google Assistant built-in, you could pair over Bluetooth, use basic voice commands with your Fire Stick, and still have a great sounding experience.
You can even start your robot vacuum and dictate which rooms in the house you want audio to play in. Apple has cracked this trick thanks to its U1 chip, which uses Ultra Wideband technology to detect nearby devices. The $99 HomePod mini, if you didn't hear already, is Apple's follow-up to the probably unsuccessful HomePod — a giant (great-sounding) speaker that costs a whopping $299. That price is so high compared to the market that Apple offers a monthly installment plan in addition to flatout purchase.
It probably won’t appear to be anything to joke about, yet Alexa basically doesn’t have this element. With the exception of Alexa, Google Home can interpret multiple orders simultaneously. It is an offer a lot since it spares you time while also allowing you to speak better freely. Your Google Home is coordinated with Chromecast, so any of your gadgets that have Chromecast become naturally incorporated with Google Home as well. You can utilize your savvy home center point to control these gadgets effectively and consistently via your voice control. Yet, on the off chance that you have Chromecast, you can, in fact, utilize any web-based feature you want and cast it onto your Google Home and use it as the speaker.
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