August 2019 | |^43
Technology
Smart home starter kit
IF YOU WANT TO SPEND MORE...“Okay Google, make my life loads better”
Google Home Mini
This is a complete Google Assistant device in a teeny,
tiny package – it’s the Google equivalent to the Echo
Dot, put simply, so it’s microphones and speakers all in
one box, and it’s easy to tuck away in a corner. It comes
in funkier colours than the Dot, and has a nice dome
shape with a fabric finish Google Assistant has lots of
smart home control capabilities built-in, and is
unbeatably good if you want to ask knowledge
questions – not just about facts, but also to translate
something into another language, or to get
personalised news and other information useful for your
day, such as weather, traffic and finance. There are built
in games that families can play, too. It supports lots of
music services, though again its speaker quality is
limited due to its small size. It has Bluetooth support for
playing to other speakers, and Chromecast multi-room
audio streaming. Again, look to pay about £35.
£49, store.google.comThe next size up in Google’s Home
range does all the same things as the
Home Mini, but with bigger and beefier
sound. It comes in some pretty funky
finishes on its bottom half, ranging from
matt fabrics to metallic plastic, all with a
striking white top half. If you want
seriously good sound, though, take
look at the Google Home Max, whic
a beautiful-sounding speaker that
adapts its sound to the acousticsin
room, but costs £399 for the privile
(and it ’s huge).
£129, store.google.comGoogle Home
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