Google Home $129.99 Google’s assistant doesn’t have a name, as such. You wake her up by saying “OK, Google” or “Hey, Google.” It doesn’t make her any less anthropomorphic (as evidenced by the fact that I seem to keep calling her “her” instead of “it”). Like Amazon’s Echo, you can set alarms or timers, get conversions (“what is 16 fluid ounces in millilitres,” for example) and do all sorts of fun and useful things such as roll a die or flip a coin, play an album, artist, genre, specific song or a radio station, see what movies are playing at your local theatre, etc. Google Home doesn’t perform “skills,” as such, but she is more skilled out of the box, with access to the massive amounts of knowledge to which Google connects us. Things such as what the traffic looks like along a route you travel often – “OK, Google. What does the traffic look like today?”There are a ton of questions which Home can answer: What time is it in (location), how much is 100 euros in dollars, how do you spell ‘oligarchy,’ and many more. Never mind the fact that the Echo can answer many of the same questions. Where Google Home wins out is in her situational awareness, allowing for followup questions. For example, you could ask Home to play a particular artist and then ask what album the song you’re hearing is from, when it came out, what other albums the artist released and so on. Or, ask if a certain movie is playing at your local theatre and follow up with questions about the cast of said movie. Do you need a home assistant? Need is a strong word, of course. I can say that Amazon’s Alexa has been a very welcome addition to the kitchen, which is where she lives in our home. It’s now second nature to ask her to set a timer or add something to the shopping list (which is almost instantly synced to the shopping lists on our respective smartphones). Every morning, I ask her for the weather so I can see if today is a bike-commuting kind of day or if I’d better make other arrangements. I get my flash news briefing every morning, too. Need? Maybe not. Should you get one anyway? I’d argue that if any of this stuff sounds enjoyable and/or useful then yeah, you should. Start out with the Echo Dot; it’s a small investment with a great return. CSA Online Hidden commands In addition to the host of useful stuff which the Echo and Home can do, there’s a bunch of fun, hidden features that make these assistants entertaining to have around. Half of the fun is exploring to find features on your own. Here are a few to get started. OK, Google/Alexa: “Open the pod bay doors.” “Tea, Earl Grey, hot.” “Flip a coin.” “What does the fox say?” “Make me a sandwich.” “Are you Skynet?” “Are we friends?” “What do you think of Google Home/Amazon Alexa?” CSANews | SPRING 2017 | 45
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