Welcome to Gadget Dreams and Nightmares, where we gather up the latest gadget announcements, roll them in a burlap sack, and mosey on down to the beach for an afternoon. Yes, we're excited summer is finally here. In this week's sunny ray of riches are Google's voice-activated at-home assistant, a gesture-controlled lamp, and headphones that analyze your ears for optimal sound. As always, these are not reviews, and the ratings are less an indicator of quality than of how eager I am to have these things in my hands or discover how well they can understand my Scottish brogue. Google Breaks In Not quite content with Nest controlling how warm your domicile is and Chromecast taking charge of what you watch, Google is moving further into your physical worldwith its connected home hub, the creatively named "Home." Taking a page or 10 out of Amazon Echo's book, Home is a blend of a smart speaker and a personal assistant, which you control using your voice. It can handle the types of queries Google Now (and its successor, Google Assistant) can take on -- from simple questions like what's on your schedule for the day to more complex ones about the history of your favorite sports team. Home apparently can hold a conversation, as it is able to answer follow-up questions without additional context. It can link up with other Home speakers to play music throughout your home and, naturally, take charge of your Nest, Chromecast and other connected devices. There's limited third-party support for now, but it seems you can tap into your Spotify, Uber, OpenTable, and WhatsApp accounts, among others. From a design perspective, Home is more cutesy and folksy than Echo and, according to reports, should have an advantage in the sound quality department. I'm not completely certain I'm ready for a device like Home. It's undeniably cool and useful, though some of us like getting up from the couch on occasion to change the thermostat and get a little blood pumping. I actually enjoy browsing my Netflix options instead of playing what first springs to mind. Ask me tomorrow and I might have changed my mind, but for now I want more hands-on control of my immediate world. Rating: 3 out of 5 Homes Are Where the Smart Is
nows
Welcome to Gadget Dreams and Nightmares, where we gather up the latest gadget announcements, roll them in a burlap sack, and mosey on down to the beach for an afternoon. Yes, we're excited summer is finally here. In this week's sunny ray of riches are Google's voice-activated at-home assistant, a gesture-controlled lamp, and headphones that analyze your ears for optimal sound. As always, these are not reviews, and the ratings are less an indicator of quality than of how eager I am to have these things in my hands or discover how well they can understand my Scottish brogue. Google Breaks In Not quite content with Nest controlling how warm your domicile is and Chromecast taking charge of what you watch, Google is moving further into your physical worldwith its connected home hub, the creatively named "Home." Taking a page or 10 out of Amazon Echo's book, Home is a blend of a smart speaker and a personal assistant, which you control using your voice. It can handle the types of queries Google Now (and its successor, Google Assistant) can take on -- from simple questions like what's on your schedule for the day to more complex ones about the history of your favorite sports team. Home apparently can hold a conversation, as it is able to answer follow-up questions without additional context. It can link up with other Home speakers to play music throughout your home and, naturally, take charge of your Nest, Chromecast and other connected devices. There's limited third-party support for now, but it seems you can tap into your Spotify, Uber, OpenTable, and WhatsApp accounts, among others. From a design perspective, Home is more cutesy and folksy than Echo and, according to reports, should have an advantage in the sound quality department. I'm not completely certain I'm ready for a device like Home. It's undeniably cool and useful, though some of us like getting up from the couch on occasion to change the thermostat and get a little blood pumping. I actually enjoy browsing my Netflix options instead of playing what first springs to mind. Ask me tomorrow and I might have changed my mind, but for now I want more hands-on control of my immediate world. Rating: 3 out of 5 Homes Are Where the Smart Is