Google Lens has gone live or is about to on Pixel phones in the US, the UK, Australia, Canada, India and Singapore (in English). Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve been using it extensively and have had mostly positive results — though not always. Currently, Lens can read text (e.g., business cards), identify buildings […]
Google Lens an impressive start for ‘visual search’ Read More »
Google is bringing new forms of local search to the Google Assistant and Google Home. The company announced it’s working with local home service providers “like HomeAdvisor and Porch.” On any platform where Google Assistant is available, users will be able to ask for contractors (e.g., “Ok Google find me a plumber”). That initiates a structured interaction which
Google brings local lead generation to Google Assistant and Google Home Read More »
Unlike VR headsets or wearables, smart speakers are rapidly emerging as a mass market technology platform. The latest to document relatively high satisfaction and usage of these devices is call-tracking and analytics company Invoca. Earlier this year, Invoca surveyed 1,000 people in the US who own an Amazon Echo or Google Home device. The survey
Smart speaker owners increasingly using them instead of typing or swiping Read More »
In 2016, Google said that 20 percent of all mobile queries were voice searches. Since that time, the number of virtual assistants in US households has continued to swell, with tens of millions of voice-enabled home devices projected to be in use. Voice as a primary search interface — beyond mobile phones — is a
Content may be king, but context is queen in the new voice-first world Read More »
Today Google announced a number of updates and improvements to help make third party apps for Google Assistant more functional and easier for users to discover. It’s also adding new capabilities for developers. Developers can now build Assistant apps in Spanish, Portuguese and Indian English. For the UK, Google announced the availability of transactional capabilities
Google aims to make apps for Google Assistant more functional and discoverable Read More »
The battle of the smart speakers and home assistants is in full swing. And both Amazon and Google think that gaming and fun will help provide a competitive edge. Amazon introduced Echo Buttons, which enable families to play Alexa-based games together, in September. Today Google announced a trove of games for families and kids: “[T]he Google
Google Assistant now offering a wide range of games for kids and families Read More »
Google announced nationwide expansion of its Google Express relationship with Target. Users in the Continental US will now be able to buy from Target through the Google Assistant and receive Google Express delivery. The voice-commerce relationship extends to Google Home devices. Features and capabilities are nearly identical to those announced in August with Walmart. And while
Target expands voice-commerce relationship with Google to battle Amazon Read More »
A number of Google Home Mini devices that were distributed to members of the press had a defect that caused them to record everything being said around them. This discovery renewed privacy concerns surrounding smart speakers as surreptitious listening devices in our homes. The problem was first discovered by Android Police. Once being notified, Google investigated
Echo and Home will probably have to tell you they’re always listening — in Europe Read More »
Google is set to reveal the Pixel 2 smartphone and potentially other hardware at an event on October 4, in time for holiday shopping. While the Pixel 2 is set to be the star of the event, a prominent supporting role will be played by the new “Google Home Mini.” This is apparently Google’s answer
Google to debut ‘Home Mini’ smart speaker for $49 on October 4 Read More »
Earlier today, at German consumer electronics and appliances show IFA (Internationale Funkausstellung) in Berlin, Google announced that the Google Assistant will be coming to new smart speakers and home appliances. With the move Google is more aggressively competing with Amazon’s Alexa and Microsoft’s Cortana for third party hardware and software integration. The company said that
Google Assistant coming to more speakers and home appliances from LG Read More »
