Google Home: The verdict
A simple way to make your home smart
owners already have multi-user support while we have to wait.
Privacy concerns around Google Home are perfectly valid – after all, who really wants an always-on device listening to everything you say just in case you utter the phrase “Okay Google”? Google claims that Home only listens to the things you actually give it permission to. This means it won’t save a record of idle chatter but it will the moment it hears an “Okay Google” command. Allegedly.
You may be worried about the amount of information Google holds about you, too, especially as Home drives that point home by collating all your Google-enabled services in one place. Still, unless you give it permission to access the likes of your calendar, emails, cloud-stored files and various accounts during setup, Home won’t go prying into other aspects of your life. You can also mute its microphone at any time by tapping the button on the back of the device.
In terms of aesthetics, Google has got it absolutely right with Home. It’s unobtrusive yet attractive and, to the untrained eye, it doesn’t look particularly high-tech at all. Neatly, the entire base slides off and can be switched out for various others so it suits your decor better, and the top section has soft curves and a slanted flat top to add a bit of artistic flair.
At the top of the device you’ll find a capacitive touch panel that uses gesturebased inputs for a little bit of tactile control. Trace a circle on the top and you can adjust playback volume, with Home’s glowing LED lights transforming into an animated circle under your finger, while tapping the panel plays or pauses whatever you’re currently playing. If you don’t fancy saying “Okay Google”, you can hold your finger on the top to activate it.
Google Home’s audio quality is also good. It’s no surrogate for a Sonos system, being a little too bassy and lacking the definition to pick up the nuances of more complex pieces of music, but I still prefer the way it sounds to the Amazon Echo.
More than “Okay, Google”
Aside from a handful of teething problems, Google Home is a remarkable helper for your home and I can’t recommend it enough. Amazon Echo feels small fry in comparison, both in what it can do now and its potential. Home feels like it has more of a “here to help” purpose compared to the Echo’s Amazon-centric focus – whether ordering items from its store or streaming its music services.
I’ve fallen hard for Google’s latest gadget. While I’m certainly not going to go all Joaquin Phoenix in Her about it, Google Home is an essential purchase for anyone who uses even a sliver of Google’s services, and that just happens to be practically everybody.