Google Home Smart Speaker Review

            Gadgets are getting smarter every day.  Smartphones have been commonplace for quite some time but now consumers can buy smart fridges, TV’s, lamps, appliances and more.  Of the latest smart products is the internet smart speakers, Google has started selling its version of the smart speaker called the Google Home and is the answer to Amazon’s Echo.  Google Home is more than just a computer speaker just as the Echo is, capable of delivering fairly good sound quality and extra features characteristic of smart gadgets.

First off, Google Home has a solid, bumping sound which is in terms of quality is pretty good given the $129 price tag, you hardly could expect the same sound quality as you would get from higher end and more expensive stereo systems.  The sound is of decent quality however at times can be slightly distorted and not as crystal clear as its competition.  The bass however is exceptional, if you like to blast hip hop tunes the Google Home will certainly provide an enjoyable listening experience.  The overall sound quality of the speaker is merely adequate but the device is perfect for music listening, specifically with music services such as Spotify, YouTube Music, Pandora and Google Play Music.  With the Google Home you have the ability to prompt the smart speaker to play any album or song instantly by voice command.  You also can ask Google Home the name of any song whenever you hear something new or unfamiliar that you like.   

 The Google Home also has two microphones within its speaker and while in comparison the Echo has seven, Google home performs just as well most of the time, the only exception being that the Echo’s speaker pick up voice commands better when loud music is playing.

The Google Home is also ideal for house parties, you can connect the google home to Chromecast Audio streaming adapters and other stereo systems and speakers throughout your home.  In doing so you can ask your smart speaker to play a song or album and it will play on all your home speakers for your and your guests’ enjoyment.  Google Home smart speakers also are compatible with Chromecast video streaming, the device can be prompted to play certain shows and programs on T.V.  The Google Home is more than an entertainment device and is in fact very smart, you can use Google’s search capacity to query basic facts such as the number of calories in foods to what the capital of Vermont is. 

While services such as Pandora and Spotify are supported and compatible with the Google Home, the number of services are somewhat limited.  You can listen to tunes on third party services and even order an Uber ride by voice command on Google Home, however Google has yet to integrate Netflix and other services into the device’s capabilities. Meanwhile Google Home can remind you of things marked on your calendar but still is yet not capable of adding to it.  You can add to your shopping list and get traffic updates via Google Maps while still the Google Home can’t yet read your emails to you as well as support text messages.

Google certainly has plans to expand the device’s capabilities, expect to see more features and upgraded capabilities in the years and future versions to come.  Thus far, the Google Home is a smart speaker which is ideal for music listening and an added convenience to your smart home setup.  If you already have a Chromecast audio adapter, the Google Home is for certain a good buy as you will have greater capabilities with the combination of the two.  All that the Google Home can do is certainly not a necessity and the speakers are not the best money can buy, but if you happen to be in market for some decent home speakers you might want to buy Google Home and add the smart capabilities to your home sound and entertainment system.