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Google Home Max is now available

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Re: Google Home Max is now available

#41

Post by barake »

andy_ppp wrote: post #24
drngdds wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, do you have proof that Google/Apple/Nokia/etc. isn't already doing that with your phone? If you're going to be super distrustful of closed source stuff by companies with an interest in gathering user data and assume guilt before innocence is proven, that's fine. But you can't do it selectively!

The incentives for Apple to do this are relatively minimal and Google has a track record of hoovering up information on you to target advertising. Almost as if it’s their entire business...

Except Apple is ran by bean counters these days. I mean, they now have “enhanced” the terrible App Store search with terrible ads that regular people confuse with legitimate results.

Heck, Face ID is the perfect ad technology. They can charge based on attentiveness now.

Re: Google Home Max is now available

#42

Post by thomasahle »

Does anyone have some insight into the machine learning in a system like this? Could you not do the needed calibration with well-understood math? Or are there some difficult parts to the problem, where you need a trained deep learning model to step in?

Re: Google Home Max is now available

#43

Post by jjcm »

One thing I'd really like to see along with the google home / chromecast lineup is a projector offering as well. Something I can set up on a shelf or mount on a wall that I can cast to or simply say, "Ok google play binging with babish on youtube". Especially if it were a laser projector (something currently available but in a very high price bracket due to lack of demand), I'd buy this in a heartbeat.

Re: Google Home Max is now available

#44

Post by mtmail »

andy_ppp wrote: post #18
mikestew wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The answer to your question is “no”. (I would normally add that this could discerned by the most minimal of web searches, but I don’t want to disturb your narrative.)

Please supply said search, I’m trying to find out if there is a firewall between Google Assistant and Google ad targeting but it’s very difficult to find anything.

The claim was "constantly recording every conversation within its field of reach", not if commands after "OK Google" are send to Google servers. For the commands Google's terms-of-service allow (themselves) to use data to improve any of their products and that includes personalization (advertising), so I doubt such a firewall exists.

Re: Google Home Max is now available

#45

Post by paul7986 »

Finch2193 wrote: post #26

Does anyone really find these home assistants to be all that useful? Echo, home, etc. All of them really seem to be designed to get you to buy them and then to sell you more stuff, not to actually be useful. It barely works for even simple queries. The music integration doesn't work well with Spotify on the home, and can't even add reminders. The echo has to ask "am or pm" when I tell it to 'wake me up tomorrow at 8'…

Yes I use my Google home daily for general inquiries like weather, the date and other random questions. If your not in front of tangible internet device why go looking for your phone or walk over to turn your PC on and or wake up your laptop when you can just ask a question and receive an answer? It’s a way better UX .. it makes interacting with the net way easier!

These speakers once they start showing the info via projection on walls or beaming the info on your TV, mirrors, etc I think are going to be even more useful.

Re: Google Home Max is now available

#46

Post by Angostura »

synicalx wrote: post #38
andy_ppp wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The incentives for Apple to do this are relatively minimal and Google has a track record of hoovering up information on you to target advertising. Almost as if it’s their entire business...

I'd say the incentives for Apple APPEAR minimal, but in reality you don't have any way of knowing what they're doing or plan on doing long term.

Good enough. Occam's razor applies.

Re: Google Home Max is now available

#47

Post by ggcdn »

Finch2193 wrote: post #26

Does anyone really find these home assistants to be all that useful? Echo, home, etc. All of them really seem to be designed to get you to buy them and then to sell you more stuff, not to actually be useful. It barely works for even simple queries. The music integration doesn't work well with Spotify on the home, and can't even add reminders. The echo has to ask "am or pm" when I tell it to 'wake me up tomorrow at 8'…

My wife and I have enjoyed having a Google Home in the kitchen. It's worked for us flawlessly playing music from Spotify, timers, random fact queries, even recipes with step-by-step instructions.

I imagine that the functionality will only get better over time.

Re: Google Home Max is now available

#48

Post by dragonwriter »

Finch2193 wrote: post #26

Does anyone really find these home assistants to be all that useful? Echo, home, etc. All of them really seem to be designed to get you to buy them and then to sell you more stuff, not to actually be useful. It barely works for even simple queries. The music integration doesn't work well with Spotify on the home, and can't even add reminders. The echo has to ask "am or pm" when I tell it to 'wake me up tomorrow at 8'…

> Does anyone really find these home assistants to be all that useful?

Just got a Home Mini; I find it pretty useful as a living room entertainment controller.

> All of them really seem to be designed to get you to buy them and then to sell you more stuff, not to actually be useful.

While I don't actually use mine for shopping yet, reducing friction for shopping you would do anyway is quite useful.

> The music integration doesn't work well with Spotify on the home

Seems to work reasonably well with Google Play Music (and the playback controls are are acceptable if minimal for Netflix; haven't used media controls with anything else.)

> and can't even add reminders.

The Home doesn't seem to have trouble adding reminders for me.

> The echo has to ask "am or pm" when I tell it to 'wake me up tomorrow at 8'.

While 8am is more likely, it's not impossible that someone would mean pm (people have all kinds of different schedules), and confirmation is better than assumption with alarms. So, so see this as doing the right thing.

> The only reason I use it is that it's perfect as a handsfree music player and that has its uses in the shower, etc.

So clearly you find it useful.

Re: Google Home Max is now available

#49

Post by synicalx »

Finch2193 wrote: post #26

Does anyone really find these home assistants to be all that useful? Echo, home, etc. All of them really seem to be designed to get you to buy them and then to sell you more stuff, not to actually be useful. It barely works for even simple queries. The music integration doesn't work well with Spotify on the home, and can't even add reminders. The echo has to ask "am or pm" when I tell it to 'wake me up tomorrow at 8'…

I've got a couple of Homes, and I find them pretty useful overall but definitely not essential. Main things I use them for;

1. Alarm clock + morning briefing while I get ready

2. Music player (youtube music works really well, spotify doesn't)

3. Cooking assistant, setting timers etc

4. TV remote - saying "ok google, play xyz" is the ultimate in lazy and I love it

Eventually, and when they get a little cheaper, I intend to invest in a suite of smart lights which (probably?) go nicely with an assistant.

Having said that, natural language stuff still has a long way to go. Ultimately I think of them more as a semi-useful toy.

Re: Google Home Max is now available

#50

Post by kelnos »

jjcm wrote: post #43

One thing I'd really like to see along with the google home / chromecast lineup is a projector offering as well. Something I can set up on a shelf or mount on a wall that I can cast to or simply say, "Ok google play binging with babish on youtube". Especially if it were a laser projector (something currently available but in a very high price bracket due to lack of demand), I'd buy this in a heartbeat.

Is this really necessary? Can't you just buy a standalone projector and attach a Chromecast to it?
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