echo

Connected Home, Music

Sonos One & Sonos Beam (Part 2): Review of Voice Services Including Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant & Apple Airplay 2 Updated

Sonos speakers will be able to bridge the gaps between Amazon, Apple, and Google’s smart home ecosystems. Sonos owners will be in the unique position of choosing their preferred voice assistant for a task, independent from the music source, method of streaming, or smart home control. For example, a Sonos owner could maintain their music library in iTunes, their music subscription service on YouTube or Amazon, their home control on Apple HomeKit, and ask general knowledge questions to Google Assistant or Alexa. Similarly, Sonos consumers could control Nest and HomeKit devices from a single smart speaker. Continue reading Sonos One & Sonos Beam (Part 2): Review of Voice Services Including Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant & Apple Airplay 2 Updated

Mike Connelly
Connected Home, Music

Sonos One & Sonos Beam (Part 1): The State of Smart Speakers Updated

Amazon Echo’s primary function appears to be extending Amazon’s ecosystem including e-commerce and advertising. Like Amazon, Google Home’s primary goal appears to be lowering the price of its devices so that users will install multiple devices in their homes, generating more user data for Google’s advertising business. Apple’s product design treats smart speakers as a relatively dumb and local extension of the iPhone. The Sonos One hits the price-performance sweet spot: although it costs nearly twice what an Echo or Home does, it provides significantly better sound. Continue reading Sonos One & Sonos Beam (Part 1): The State of Smart Speakers Updated

Mike Connelly
Connected Home

Google Home: Configuring and Using It with a Logitech Harmony Hub Updated

In early December, Google announced ‘Conversation Actions’ and ‘Direct Actions’ for Google Home. Today, Google announced interoperability between Google Home and Logitech Harmony, similar to Harmony’s integration with the Amazon Echo. Google Home also added support for the Anova sous vide cooker, August locks, Electrolux Frigidaire Gallery Cool Connect, First Alert thermostat, Geeni LED lights, Insignia Wi-Fi smart plug, Lifx Plus Wi-Fi smart bulb, Rachio smart sprinkler controller, TP-Link Wi-Fi LED, Vivint security platform, and Wink Hub. Continue reading Google Home: Configuring and Using It with a Logitech Harmony Hub Updated

Mike Connelly
Connected Home

Logitech Harmony Hub and Voice Control Updated

Thus far, Logitech has partnered with Amazon. By connecting the Harmony Hub with Alexa, you can start or stop Harmony activities such as “Watch TV”, “Play a Game” or “Listen to some Music”. You can also power on or off your TV, change your stereo settings, or trigger connected home activities that are controlled by the Harmony Hub. For any Harmony Hub activity, you can create a friendly name that’s easier to say. You can also tune specific channels on your cable/satellite with voice commands such as “Alexa, turn on sports”. Continue reading Logitech Harmony Hub and Voice Control Updated

Mike Connelly