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Google Home Max is now available

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Re: Google Home Max is now available

#51

Post by xocyabencl »

xocyabencl wrote: post #31
alttab wrote: post #23

So more expensive than Homepod and Sonos speaker, similar if not identical features, from the one company that has shitty customer service? No thanks.

The basic Chromecast audio is $35 and has audio and optical out. That's a much better value than Sonos or the other competition. I already have those in multiple rooms, so this is attractive if I want to buy an integrated unit for an additional room that can also respond to audio commands. It fills a gap in the product line.

Expanding on that a bit - IMO a remaining gap is a Chromecast audio-like product with a microphone, that can take commands as well as play content through audio out. But I understand the market for that may be limited to people with expensive home audio setups.

Re: Google Home Max is now available

#52

Post by dragonwriter »

sundvor wrote: post #21
habosa wrote: post #4

Dislcaimer: I work at Google but not on this team. And I'm a Sonos owner, so I think my feedback is relatively unbiased. I got a demo of two of these in my friend's house the other day. The sound quality is exceptional. In a stereo pair the sound was loud and clear throughout the range with good bass as well. Very impressed, plus it's just a nice looking device imo.

I just got a couple of Minis on Black Friday sales (2 bundles; 1 Chromecast, 1 Chromecast Audio), and am extremely impressed even with those. The far field microphones are so sensitive, I can literally whisper and it'll pick it up. Also the speaker is very clear for its size. Sure there are quirks but the ability to control Chromecast is great, and also the audio is impressive for listening to Podcasts such as DotNet…

> I wish Google could publish server software for Win10 so that I could cast to that as a Chromecast target rather than go via the Chromecast Audio. However I understand there's probably DRM reasons why efforts for this to happen were shut down.

Audio-only Cast devices do not support DRM, so I don't know why audio casting to a desktop PC would be stopped by DRM concerns.

https://developers.google.com/cast/docs/audio

Re: Google Home Max is now available

#53

Post by mikestew »

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.

mtmail already composed a better answer than I am capable was, and has pointed out that what you ask was not the question I replied to. Your question, though valid, might have been better asked as a top-level question. Your other top-level comment implies a position that you’ve already taken (and hence the downvotes for that post). Asked as “can some clarify whether or not...” rather “I assume bad things about Google, it’s up to you other folks to dispute it...” can go a long away toward getting a useful answer and reducing downvotes (thereby reducing your chances of an answer).

Re: Google Home Max is now available

#54

Post by cmrdporcupine »

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'…

Disclaimer: I work on the Google Home hardware team.

I have tested a few of these, and have a Max and a regular Home in my house. Also have the assistant on my NVIDIA Shield and on Android Auto. I find them handier than I thought I would. But my kids might finder them handier than I do.

My 10 year old daughter really likes the home, she has it in her room and uses it to listen to whatever music she wants, which she sings along to. She gets the weather from it, sets alarms if she needs them, and generally finds it useful.

I use it to find my phone ("hey google, where's my phone" to get it to ring), to ask about weather, travel times, math questions [especially good with the kids], and most often to play music.. either by cast from my phone or computer, or just by verbal request. The Max sounds _really_ good. I need to get a second so I can get stereo though.

I think they're handy and getting handier. I can't compare to the competition, though.

Re: Google Home Max is now available

#55

Post by jasonkostempski »

shazow wrote: post #27
andy_ppp wrote: post #8

I don’t trust Google not to record every single thing I say and feed that into their advertising platform. For this reason I will probably wait and get a HomePod... Downvoters: I presume you have evidence that Google won’t use your interactions with Google Assistant to better advertise to you?

Google has been very open about everything they know about you and has done a great job at allowing you to control it: https://myaccount.google.com/dashboard https://adssettings.google.com/ This is more than what any other company does. You can choose to trust another company. I choose to trust Google. (Disclaimer: I worked at Google several years ago, and my trust in the company has only increased after my time ther…

"You can choose to trust another company."

Voice recognition can and should only happen locally via open software, like keystrokes (which Google also thinks they have a right to), then no one has to be trusted.

Re: Google Home Max is now available

#56

Post by hota_mazi »

andy_ppp wrote: post #8

I don’t trust Google not to record every single thing I say and feed that into their advertising platform. For this reason I will probably wait and get a HomePod... Downvoters: I presume you have evidence that Google won’t use your interactions with Google Assistant to better advertise to you?

> Downvoters: I presume you have evidence that Google won’t use your interactions

That's a shifting of burden of proof. Do you have evidence that HomePod won't be listening in on you and share your data with advertisers?

I think you just happen to prefer Apple over Google. Nothing wrong with that, just be upfront with where that preference comes from.

Re: Google Home Max is now available

#57

Post by Wehrdo »

xocyabencl wrote: post #51
xocyabencl wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The basic Chromecast audio is $35 and has audio and optical out. That's a much better value than Sonos or the other competition. I already have those in multiple rooms, so this is attractive if I want to buy an integrated unit for an additional room that can also respond to audio commands. It fills a gap in the product line.

Expanding on that a bit - IMO a remaining gap is a Chromecast audio-like product with a microphone, that can take commands as well as play content through audio out. But I understand the market for that may be limited to people with expensive home audio setups.

Really, that would just be a Home Mini with audio output, and I suspect the Home and Home Mini don't have a separate audio output in an effort to make you upgrade to the "Max". Because frankly, you would be so much better off buying a regular Home and a $300 speaker setup than buying the Max.

Re: Google Home Max is now available

#58

Post by TYPE_FASTER »

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'…

Echo Dot integrated with Logitech Harmony, useful for turning multiple components on/off with one phrase.

Integrated with Sonos, easier to play music than using my phone.

Home assistants really are useful if they are integrated and work well. I want to try a RP3 version of Alexa next.

Re: Google Home Max is now available

#59

Post by candiodari »

pianoben wrote: post #33
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 find a lot of use in mine as a voice-control system for home automation; it's great to be able to say, "OK Google, lights out!" as I head upstairs to bed. The convenience and _naturalness_ of the interaction is just so cool!

Ironically, extremely unnatural for most "Google" interactions. Asking non-trivia questions just doesn't work very well at all.

Asking basic questions like the weather, the time, and maybe my calendar (doesn't work well with multiple calendars so while I look forward to when I can use this, I can't yet).

Re: Google Home Max is now available

#60

Post by nunez »

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'…

Our Echo Dots became signficantly more useful after getting smart bulbs and smart plugs.

“Alexa, turn on Christmas!”

“Okay.”

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