• Google Home / Amazon Alexa / Apple HomePod
    9 replies, posted
Does anyone own/use these devices? My dad gave me a Google Home Mini and for $50, it's not half bad. I used to be one of those 'enjoy your botnet, say goodbye to your privacy' types of folk but I'm having a hard time unplugging mine after messing with it for a few days. It pairs really well with a Chromecast and I love how I can just say "Hey Google, play Planet Earth on Netflix" and it does it all for me in less than 5 seconds. I almost want smart lights now so I never have to go out of my way if I'm about to sleep but it feels like I'm slowly entering the rabbit hole. Everyone thought this type of shit would be so cool when Bill Gates fitted his place with similar features back in the 90s and now it feels like I'm doing something dirty.
😡
I have an Echo, an Echo Dot, a Google Home, a bunch of Philips Hue lights and smart wall plugs. They all sort of work. Alexa can't seem to keep my lights straight, so when I tell her to turn off the "Floor Lamp" (an actual device group I created in the Alexa app) she can't find the lights consistently. It's a toss up of whether it will work or not. The Alexa app reports that Alexa heard the right command, so I dunno what the fuck her problem is. In general I really like the devices but their utility is limited. I find that most of the time barking at Alexa is more frustrating and time consuming than just pulling my phone out of my pocket and doing whatever in an app.
I own 5 of them plus Smartthings and Harmony. I use my voice for almost anything. I ask Google to turn on/off the lights, turn on/off my home theater, set music in rooms or groups. Ask me anything
is there more to it than playing music/movies/switching lights/checking weather i don't know what i'm expecting but i feel like there are other applications for it that i'm not aware of
I have a Google Home, a Home Mini, a Home Max and a Home Hub Being able to control my home with nothing but my voice is super convenient, I welcome the botnet into my life.
The wife uses it quite often for cooking questions and general questions. It can use your calendar, reminders, timers, ect. You can also set routines, custom commands to anything you want.
We use our Google Home Mini for really goofy shit. My roomate's dad always has it look up Urbandictionary definitions. Also "Repeat after me:" is fun too. Also, if you set up voice recognition on it, multiple people can use it and it will even switch to your Google account and assistant voice on the fly. Its neat.
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