Google’s no longer just the search engine that we’ve come to know and love. They’re expanding their efforts through hardware, and AI. At their ‘Pixel’ event they announced the not so secretive Pixel phone, Google Home, Google Wifi, Google Daydream and the Chromecast Ultra (Notice a trend with the names?). The new branding is “Made by Google,” and will be a part of their branding in the future. The company understands their software and hardware will work to compliment each other as they further push into our home and our daily lives. Long gone are the Nexus devices of yesteryear, with everything even the Chromecast garnishing the Google logo in some shape or form.
One unifying factor among all their devices is Google Assistant – a more personalized Google Search that understands you. They’re not going to limit where you find the assistance either, with hardware partners getting an SDK sometime next year. You’ll soon get to use the assistant on your wrist, in your car, and just about anywhere you can find a device of yours.
But why did Google launch a iPhone look alike, with the ability to easily transfer everything to Android? We’ll dive into Google’s choices this year, and where it’ll take them in the next 10 years.
Why is Google making their own phone?
Google purchased Android almost eight years ago with the forethought of having their hardware and software meant they wouldn’t have to share a portion of their earnings with a partner like Blackberry, Apple, or another device maker. Today is no different; they’re still using Android as a way to keep users in their ecosystem where they can serve ads against search history, location data, and much more. The amount of information they’re able to collect through the phone is enormous, and slightly alarming, but in the end, it’ll provide better ads and better suggestions. All the data is also the backbone of Google Assistant. The AI will understand what you like, where you travel/work, and how you use technology on a daily basis.
Google’s Pixel hardware looks to accomplish the same goals, but why did they develop the same hardware every other Android maker is using? Well, Google is betting there standout feature will be Google Assistant. Apple’s betting with AI, but they’re leading with their security features more than anything; rightfully so, as they had a very public battle around iPhone owners security and privacy with the FBI.
What is Google Assistant?
Google Assistant is the context aware, intelligent voice and text assistant we’ve all seen in movies. The features demoed at the Pixel event had me in awe, but also clicking away at the keyboard to try and buy Google’s newest hardware products.
If you ask Assistant “play Stranger Things in the living room,” it’ll know the shows on Netflix, and you have a Chromecast in the living room. So it’ll start playing the show on the TV without you having to pick up the remote, your phone, or adjusting anything beyond saying a few words. Something Siri or even Alexa would have no clue where to start at. Apple could have done the same thing with Siri and the Apple TV, but they’ve barely managed to open up to third-party developers.
The other glimmer of hope for Assistant is the ability to send text written message to it. Siri, which once had the feature, but when Apple bought it they envisioned the world with voice control. In today’s world, I still look like a lunatic when I try to talk to Siri or Google Now in public. However, I more than happy to yell at the top of my lungs to Alexa.
What’s Google Home
You know the Amazon Echo, with its smart voice assistant? Well, Google Home is essentially the same. It’ll use Google Assistant, with the ability to talk with other Google and non-Google devices. This means you’ll be able to turn smart lights off and on, but also control hundreds of other connected devices. There’s also multi-room support, making it easy always to have Google listening to your commands. All-in-all, Google knows every microphone isn’t powerful enough to always listen, and with Home, they’re providing the technology to keep you within talking distance of your favorite helper.
Where is Google heading?
Google’s the place you turn to when you read email, arrange your calendar, play games, and search the web. They’ve always used a little bit of AI and other algorithms to serve search results, but also to filter your inbox, suggest places to eat, and help you travel to and from work and home. They’re not going lean more heavily on the idea of an always present helper, who could organize your life but also provide voice controls for everything Google owns. While I’m excited to have a smart voice always ready to answer questions or provide help when I need to book a table at the restaurant, I’m more excited for voice controls that only use my voice and don’t need a phone or physical remote.
As all this is exciting to me, many normals would consider what Google’s doing as creepy. However, I haven’t noticed this narrative yet, at least among my friends and family. They’re talking about what this could mean for them, and talking about the price. The aren’t giving an always listening Google Assistant a second thought. This doesn’t mean Google still isn’t worried about being considered evil or creepy – they installed a mute button on the Home device, to ensure you can turn off it’s listening features when you want. Even though unplugging the device might work just as well.
I’d love to hear from you what you think about all of Google’s new hardware product, but also if you’re going to use Google Assistant in your daily life.