Smart Voice/Virtual Speakers [Alexa, Google, etc] - Updates and Discussion

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Infographic: Alexa, What's America's Favorite Smart Speaker?

This chart shows the share of U.S. adults who own the following voice-activated smart speakers (2024).

www.statista.com

Data from Statista’s Consumer Insights Survey shows that the Amazon Echo voice-activated smart speaker running the Alexa voice assistant dominates the U.S. market. Of the U.S. adults who owned a voice-activated smart speaker, approximately two thirds of respondents said they owned the system. According to the study conducted in from October 2022 to September 2023, Google Home and Apple’s HomePod were the next two most popular choices, owned by 26 percent and 19 percent of smart speaker owners, respectively.

There is still room for growth in the market, however. More than 70 percent of U.S. adults currently don’t own a smart speaker assistant.

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Simply Incredible

 

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Google Assistant is dead, long live Gemini for Home

The update brings more natural conversation and smarter cameras, but some of the best new features will cost you.

www.phonearena.com

Google Assistant is dead, long live Gemini for Home​

Google is finally ditching the home assistant, replacing the old Google Assistant with the newer and smarter Gemini. This brings more natural conversation and smarter cameras, but it should be noted that some of the best features are locked behind a new subscription.

So long, Assistant: Google Home is getting a Gemini AI brain transplant​

For years, talking to Google in your house has felt a bit like dealing with a very literal-minded robot. Well, that's all about to change, as Google is rolling out "Gemini for Home," a massive AI upgrade that replaces the Google Assistant. The best part? It's coming to every speaker, smart display, camera, and doorbell Google has made in the last decade, along with the new Google Home app.

The goal is to move from rigid commands to natural conversation. Instead of just being a tool, Gemini aims to be a collaborative partner. The rollout begins this month via an early access program that all users are able to join by following the below steps:

• Open the Google Home app (version 4.0 or higher).
• Tap your profile icon, then "Home Settings."
• Select "Early access" to join the queue.

All Google Home and smart speaker devices from the last decade (listed below) will be eligible for this upgrade, and you’ll get a notification when the new features are ready for you to try, but the key upgrades include more natural conversation, smarter media searches, and intuitive smart home control, like asking it to "turn off all the lights except the office."

List of Google Home devices eligible for the Gemini for Home upgrade.

Gemini for Home's new features​

• Natural Conversation: Have back-and-forth conversations without repeating "Hey Google" or the subject every time.
• Smarter Media & Chores: Ask for things vaguely, like "play that song from the summer camp movie" or "add ingredients for Pad Thai to my list."
• Intuitive Smart Home Control: Tell it to "turn off all the lights except the office" and it understands the exception.
• Gemini Live: A hotword-free chat mode for brainstorming recipes or planning a party.
• AI Cameras: Your camera now understands what it sees, giving you alerts like "a delivery driver dropped off a package" instead of just "motion detected."
• Home Brief & Ask Home: Get quick summaries of your camera footage or search it by asking questions like, "Did I leave the car door open?"

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Your Google Home is getting Gemini.​