Google Home was released in the United States on November 4, Friday and is competing directly with Amazon Echo. Many shoppers are deciding which smart speaker they should set up in their home or give as gifts during the holiday season. Google's Assistant is connected to more devices and uses machine learning, but Amazon has many features and a cheaper version named Echo Dot.
Echo was released in the U.S. in June 2015. It now has the ability to order from Amazon Prime, play Spotify songs, and order a Domino's pizza, and has hundreds of skills built by developers using the Alexa Skills Kit.
Design
Home's design is more compact and unique than Echo. This makes it easier to display and match with a home's décor, which includes the bottom speaker grill that can be swapped out with various colors.
The Echo, meanwhile, looks like a black or white cylinder. It has lights on top but its utilitarian design makes it look more useful than eye-catching.
Sound
Google Home's sound quality is a big problem. The device's hardware produces a high-pitched sound so Echo would be a better choice for people who want crisp music and base boosts.
While Echo has better sound it is not acutely good for either device. They can still be linked wirelessly to stereo systems including the $35 Chromecast Audio for Home and $50 Echo Dot for Echo.
The accuracy for both Internet of Things (IoT) devices is excellent. They both work while music is playing or the person is standing on the other side of the room, according to Business Insider
Intelligence
Both Google's and Amazon's smart speakers have a lot of intelligence. The difference is Google can access its search engine's data and stich Google services such as Gmail using its digital assistant. Google Assistant is already better than Apple's Siri and Amazon's Alexa.
Third-Party Apps/Services
Home has few options besides Spotify and Uber. Echo has been around longer so it has hundreds of "skills" built by third-parties.
In related news, developer Brian Kane has hacked his Alexa so it speaks out of a singing fish known as Big Mouth Billy Bass, according to Mashable. This makes the fish turn its head and move its mouth when Alexa talks.
The Rhode Island teacher used the open-source platform Arduino to show how artists and designers can use AI.
Here's Alexa hacked into talking fish:
: