You should have a “Smart Speaker” or “Voice assistant” in your home in the current technological era.
The decision is which to use. Alexa from Amazon or Google Assistant from Google Home?
Since its release, the $180 Wi-Fi-connected speaker with Alexa built in, the Amazon Echo, has become a huge success.
The $130 With the same female voice as the Echo, Google Home performs a lot of the same tasks. The name of the woman who resides inside a device is Google Assistant. Her responsiveness was quick, witty, and clever, but Alexa still had a significant advantage over her for some fundamental tasks and third-party apps or skills.
Google has spent years gathering data about us from our searches, emails, maps, chats, and other activities, but the Assistant isn’t as useful as it seems. Google seems to be able to create artificial intelligence (AI) on par with science fiction films among the many IT (information technology) companies. However, based on your application, pick which robot you want to be your best friend for the time being. It’s crucial for a company to make you feel at ease before having one of their microphones installed in your house.
Google Home Triumphs in Knowledge Battle
Google triumphed after competing for the solution against Home and Echo. There is, however, little distinction. The year “Pretty Woman” was released, the name of Zimbabwe’s capital city, and the 25th President of the United States (McKinley) were all correctly identified (1990). They were also familiar with basic information like how to set timers, weather forecasts, current time, etc.
Alexa loses to Google Assistant for the more outrageous query (What is the average age of monkeys?). Additionally, the assistant provided me with specific information regarding my schedule and travel plans.
But why can’t Home simply set reminders if Google can make self-driving cars voice assistant? why am I unable to send an email? Why am I unable to connect with multiple Google accounts? I want to call, why can’t I? Over time, Google promises to add more features to Home.
DJ Battle: No Winner
The music control on these speakers is currently their best feature. It is comparable to having your own radio DJ. Both of the assistants are very knowledgeable about playing songs. You can instruct these assistants to play your preferred music or a selection of songs from a particular genre.
Both businesses are connected to “Spotify” and “Pandora” in addition to the flat-rate music distribution services they offer.
From different parts of the room, they both understood my commands. In my testing, Google had a marginally better range, responding more quickly and reliably to requests from a room about 10 meters away and voice assistant.
Google can manage multiple rooms as well. I instructed Google to play Beyoncé in every room, and using Google Home speakers, he did so. You can use “Chromecast” in conjunction with speakers and TVs. The $50 Dot allows you to connect Alexa to external Bluetooth speakers and hi-fi systems, whereas the Echo lacks a feature like this.
However, I much prefer the Echo’s richer audio quality and the blue light that lets me know Alexa is paying attention to my commands, so the match ended in a draw. It is challenging to see Google’s bright LED lights from a distance.
Amazon Echo Wins the Personal Robot Battle
Our smartphones and computers are unique from others’ thanks to apps and services. My iPhone and your phone likely have different games, cooking, and fitness apps installed. The Echo is the winner among personal robots because Google has not yet made Home accessible to outside parties.
The “skills” in the Alexa app for Android and iPhone vary depending on the app you select. Regarding the Twitter skill, Alexa could read aloud my feed. She also gave me breaking news from National Public Radio and The Wall Street Journal.
Amazon Echo triumphs in the Butler Battle
The best remote controls for lights, thermostats, and other appliances are also found in these assistants, which are the best smart home gadgets available.
When Philips’ “Hue” LED lighting system and Amazon’s Echo are used together, voice assistant control of the lighting is possible . I didn’t need to keep the speakers close to the lights in my situation because I could tell the lights to turn off the kitchen lights.
In this area as well, Amazon is in the lead. Alexa can control a wide range of products and is capable of controlling the majority of market-leading smart home appliances. Only the Nest Labs, Hue, and “SmartThings” applications from Samsung Electronics and Philips are currently Google-compatible temperature controllers.
Undecided in the privacy showdown
Although it’s a lot of fun to use these speakers, having an always-on microphone in your home is unsettling. And even more so when you’re linked to the servers of a large company that keeps track of all your orders.
Some people dread the idea of their data being automatically collected, while others could care less. Those in between should pay attention to the operation of these talking speakers and the information they gather.
When you say “Okay Google” or “Alexa,” the microphones connect to the companies’ servers and begin recording even though they are constantly listening. Instantaneously, the cloud receives these cue words.
Both Google and Amazon keep logs of all requests as well as voice recordings from users. You have the option to delete them, but they are encrypted and stored on each company’s servers (either in the speaker’s mobile app or, in the case of Google, on the My Activity webpage). Physical mute buttons are also present on both speakers.
Regarding the risk of hacking, Google claims it uses cutting-edge security technology to safeguard the system software of the home and encrypts all communications sent and received on the device. Amazon claims to use encryption to safeguard private communications.
Google collects data from Assistant questions in the same way that it does from other web searches because it is also an advertising company. Voice advertisements are not yet present on the Home itself, but they might be later. Except for questions pertaining to shopping, Amazon claims it does not use it to target product ads.
The specifications of a device are no longer the deciding factor, as they once were with any high-tech item. The key issues are compatibility with other everyday tools and services and how much privacy is protected.
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