Google’s New Google Home Speaker: A Leap into the Future with Gemini AI
After years of incremental updates, Google is betting that its Gemini AI can reinvent its smart speaker. On Wednesday, the company introduced its first audio device designed specifically for Gemini with the $99.99 Google Home speaker.
Revolutionizing Smart Speakers with AI
The new Google Home device is the tech giant’s first standalone smart speaker since the Nest Audio in September 2020. That older device arrived at a time when smart speakers were widely seen as convenient controllers for your smart home and music playback systems. They didn’t have the intelligence of today’s AI chatbots, because commands often had to be worded correctly for things to work.
The Google Home speaker changes that, as you’ll be able to speak using natural language queries and even make multi-step queries using whatever wording you want. For example, you can tell the speaker to “turn off all the lights except my bedside lamp” or “dim the kitchen lights, play some relaxing music, and set a timer for 20 minutes.”
You can also make corrections mid-sentence while you’re speaking instead of having to retry requests, and Gemini will understand. This means you could say something like, “Turn off the coffee maker…I mean, turn it on!” and the AI will respond appropriately, Google emphasizes.
Image credits:Google
Enhanced Conversations and Continuous Interaction
Additionally, the device will come with 10 new voices that can have two-way conversations with you about topics beyond smart home tasks or other simple commands. You can ask more nuanced questions and dig deeper into topics you want to know more about, just like you could when talking with Gemini on your smartphone. The speaker’s microphone can also stay on briefly when using the “Continuous Conversation” feature, so you can more naturally ask follow-up questions without having to repeat “OK, Google.”
Design and Customization
The device resembles older versions, with its 3D knitted textile packaging and rounded 3.4 x 4.2 inch design. In the United States, the speaker is available in Jade and Berry colors in addition to the Hazel and Porcelain options available in the rest of the world. A new light ring at the bottom will indicate whether the speaker is listening, thinking, or responding.
Subscription for Advanced Features
But not all of the artificial intelligence in the new device will be free.
Google will sell Google Home Premium subscription plans for $10 per month (or $100 per year) if you want to take advantage of more powerful AI features. This includes the ability to have smoother conversations with Gemini Live, which you start by saying, “Hey, Google, let’s chat.” Home Premium can also help you ask questions and make sense of the activities captured by the Nest cameras in your home, or offer summaries of what happened in the house while you were away.
Whether these capabilities are compelling enough to warrant another monthly subscription remains to be seen, especially when many of the device’s Gemini features are available without paying.
Google will try to get you used to the advanced features by offering them free for six months before pushing you to subscribe. If successful, Google will have reinvigorated the smart speaker lineup with generative AI and found a way to make some customers pay for these technological advances.
Availability and Purchasing Information
The device is available for pre-order now and will ship later this month.
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