You may have seen ads for those home assistant speakers from Amazon and now Google. Experts at Consumer Reports explain how this technology shows a lot of promise.
There's an endless number of things you can ask a home assistant speaker. They can search the web to try to answer all your questions and even control certain internet-connected devices in your home.
Consumer Reports' electronics editor, Mike Gikas, explains how the $130 Google Home stacks up against the $180 Amazon Echo.
"I think the Google Home speaker is a lot smarter. For instance I can say, 'Okay Google, when's it going to rain again?' And it's going to tell me," Gikas said.
With the Amazon Echo, the answer would sound more like a weather report. But Consumer Reports says the Echo actually does more, like dim the lights and turn on the TV. Right now, the Google Home doesn't work with as many home-automation systems as the Echo.
Consumer Reports also found the Home sometimes gets confused between a playlist, album or title of a song - something the Echo also has problems with.
"When I look at the Google Home speaker and I see its intelligence, the kind of answers I'm getting, I'm thinking within a short time the Google Home is not only going to catch up to the Amazon Echo but surpass it," Gikas said.
The Google Home is expected to add more features, like being able to send directions right to your smart-phone.
