While Google Home can do a lot that the Echo can't -- like contextual conversations or throwing images and videos to your televisions -- it has plenty of catching-up to do with Amazon Echo's Alexa. Google is always adding new features to Home, so that list continues to shrink, but there are still seven things we wish it could do.
One technical note: Throughout this piece, Google Assistant is often compared to Amazon Alexa, as those are the voice-assistance technologies within these devices. Just remember that the way Google Assistant works on Google Home($129 at Walmart) is much more limited than the way it works on phones.
Editors' note: Originally published Oct. 12, 2016, this article has been updated multiple times to include new Alexa features. Some items have been removed to reflect new Google Home features. Previously included in this list were Alexa skills, voice shopping, multiple designs, DIY Alexa, official iHeartRadio support, read books to you and show you things.
Seeing as this is a feature already integrated into Google Assistant on phones, it's likely only a matter of time before Google Home can also track orders placed with practically any online retailer. But there is no mention of package tracking in the long list of features of Google Home.
If you ask Google Home to track your package today, she'll just say, "I can't do that yet." Yet!
With Amazon's Alexa speakers, you get support for the same music services, save for Google Play Music and YouTube Music. Instead, you get support for Amazon's in-house streaming services, Amazon Music and Prime Music.
Despite not officially supporting Amazon Music or Prime Music -- which isn't all that surprising given they are competitors -- you can stream almost any audio to Google Home by casting from a phone or tablet. The Amazon Music app does not support Chromecast ($30 at eBay), however, so you can't stream audio from the app to Google Home using an iOS device. However, there is a workaround for Android devices. Begin playing music from within the Amazon Music app, pull down the notification shade, tap the Cast logo, and select your Google Home from the list to stream the audio through the speaker.
To accomplish the same thing with Google Home, you will need to add a second Google Home for $129, £129 or AU$199 a pop.
Aside from streaming audio, these virtual versions of Alexa work exactly the same as the official devices from Amazon, meaning you can get the full effect of Alexa before ever having to spend a dime on Amazon's speakers. For now, the best way to test Google Home is by using Google Assistant on a compatible Android phone.
With Alexa's routines, you can schedule your lights to turn on at the same time the news starts playing in the morning. Or you can schedule the lights to turn down as nature sounds begin to play in the bedroom.
Posted from my blog
