Google has long been a significant innovator in the tech space, and while the jewel in the company crown has always been Google Search, they continually experiment with new products.
One of the most recent is the company’s first foray into the world of smart speakers, with the release of Google Home in late 2016.
Smart speakers first hit the scene back in 2014, when Amazon unveiled Alexa. Since then, Google and Amazon have continued to trade blows to make their smart speaker the best one in the market.
While features from one product eventually make it onto the other, there are still a few points that differentiate the two, and we’re going to look at the unique features of Google Home.
What Google Home can do that Alexa can’t
1. Google Search
Google’s search engine is probably the most comprehensive repository of knowledge ever. Because Google Home uses the same algorithms as Google Search, it knows what you’re looking for more often than Alexa (which uses Microsoft’s Bing), which could save you time repeating the same questions over and over again.
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Read about the when you should use different search engines2. Contextual Awareness
Because of the power of its search engine, Google Home can follow your questions far more intuitively than Alexa. For example, if you asked “What’s Prince’s real name?” you can follow up with “How many platinum records does he have?” and Google Home would know you’re still talking about Prince – something Alexa can’t do. By the way, it’s 16 platinum records.
3. Google App Integration
Another of Google’s major products is Android. Google Home slots neatly into this existing architecture, and if you use an Android phone, everything will sync seamlessly. For example, ask Google Home to add cumin to your shopping list, and it will appear on your phone’s Google Keep list.
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Read Now4. Multi Commands
Google Home is clever enough to track multiple requests so, for example, you could ask “Give me a weather forecast, and tell me what’s on my calendar,” and you’ll get everything all at once. By comparison, you have to set up ‘Routines’ on Alexa to get the same functionality.
5. Turn it up to 11
Alexa only goes up to 10. Google Home goes up to 11. Useful? Maybe not. Fun? Definitely. Just remember, if anyone asks, just say “Yes, but this one goes up to 11.”
So there you have it – Google Home is Alexa’s main rival in the smart speaker field and offers an alternative that is more natural to talk with, backed up by the power of the world’s most popular search engine.
