What Do You Use Your Google Home for?

Taro Milk Tea on 06/05/2019 - 09:40
Last edited 07/05/2019 - 14:09

Finally received the Google Home mini 'freebie' from Spotify promotion.

Me and my mates were really excited to finally have an 'assistant' at home that can help make our life easier

After playing few hours with it….We started to get bored with it and found it's not really helpful.
Let's say you use the 'good morning' habit feature where it can tell you the weather, traffic etc..for me, I would rather have checked it from my mobile when so I can see the traffic condition better.

Let's say you want to ask it to play you a certain Youtube video, you need to start by saying 'OK Google' then 'Search video on youtube and cast it on TV'. You can definitely save the time by just search it yourself in your phone and cast it manually.

So, I'm keen to know what benefits do the ozbargainer genuinely get by using the Google Home?

  • Update *

Thank you all for the useful and OK tips in regards to the usage of GH. After reading through the comments, I have decided to keep my GH and will try to utilise better!

Electrical & Electronics Google Speakers Voice Assistant

Comments

    • cristobaljames on 06/05/2019 - 20:02

      Garage door doesn't use rolling codes? Set up with the Broadlink RM pro?

      • hopper on 07/05/2019 - 05:58

        Used Relay, so i made a routine to first turn on and then turn off. There are many YouTube videos

  • pmx7 on 06/05/2019 - 16:22
    +3

    Pretty much every reason I've seen given can be done using Google Assistant on your phone. I don't understand the use case for this standalone product…

    • hopper on 06/05/2019 - 16:58
      +1

      listen to songs on the home instead of phone, so i can save some juice on it

    • Name on 07/05/2019 - 10:47

      Saves having your phone on you and unlocked.

      Maybe it's the younger generation.. But when I'm at home I don't sit on my phone all day and it's often not near me.

  • Cunning Linguist on 06/05/2019 - 16:43
    +1

    huh strange when I first read the OP's post I was sitting there thinking I probably don't really use it that often until I started thinking about it and turns out I do…

    TV remote - pairs beautifully with my harmony remote and the voice command to turn on the TV to ABC kids when your hands are full.
    Roomba - i tell it to turn on the vacuum cleaner as I walk out the door
    Music - when cooking or to stream the radio when leaving to have some noise on for the dog
    Kitchen timers - definitely gets a workout here and the new Hub in the kitchen does this much better than the speakers IMO
    Broadcast - I hooked up a mini to my kids cubby house outside so I can broadcast things like "dinner time" to the cubby
    Where's my phone - probably gets used about once a week
    What time does shop x open today / is shop x open today / still open

  • Austin 316 on 06/05/2019 - 16:54

    Mine is sitting in the kitchen and it's mostly used as a music player. I must say it's doing a great job at that. I also use it to turn on/off my hue lights. And just today I also connected my Xiaomi robot vacuum to it, which works nicely…. so hoping to make it more useful as I discover more features.

    So far, I am happy and find it useful. Well worth the $18 I spent :)

    • tempura on 06/05/2019 - 18:05
      +2

      Give it 3 weeks top, you'll be bored with it.

  • wyrmy on 06/05/2019 - 16:59

    Started with weather, setting alarms and playing music.

    The good stuff happened once I setup home assistant and started integrating IR blasters and other sensors.

    E.g.
    hey google watch something something on Netflix
    Hey google, Turn off fan
    Hey google, bedtime - turns lights and tv off.

    Can also shutdown the living room computer if the family goes to bed and forgets.

  • lechuck123 on 06/05/2019 - 17:03
    +4

    If you've got an Android phone, you can ask it where your phone is and it'll ring your phone at full volume. A handy feature if you've left your phone around the house somewhere

  • Jayjay93 on 06/05/2019 - 17:38

    Mostly for automation with smart light/tv remote etc…

    This is what I'm using every day:

    Hey Google, music time => Turn on my AMP and start playing my last playlist on Spotify
    Hey Google, good night => Turn off the TV and all lights in my living room, and turn on my bedside lamp with the minimum brightness (In case the missus is already sleeping).
    Hey Google, time to sleep => Turn off the bedside lamp and start playing a sleeping playlist on Spotify.
    Hey Google, turn on AC => Turn on the AC in the bedroom, so useful in the middle of the night as you don't need to search for the remote.

    Also, some features I like to use:
    Hey Google, set a timer
    Hey Google, where is my phone

    • bobwokeup on 07/05/2019 - 01:05

      How do you connect to your AC?

      • Name on 07/05/2019 - 10:49

        Some of the newer WiFi air conditioners allow you to connect to alexa / google home / IoT. Alternatively you can get an ir blaster like a broadlink RM.

      • Jayjay93 on 07/05/2019 - 17:13

        Using this device sensibo sky

  • Dingleman on 06/05/2019 - 17:53

    Play netflix on my Chromecast
    Vacuum the house using my xiaomi mi vacuum
    Turn on/off lights
    Play music from spotify

  • cashews on 06/05/2019 - 17:58

    Ok google, talk dirty to me.

  • elgrande on 06/05/2019 - 18:43
    +2

    I used the plug to charge my phone.

  • jo5h89 on 06/05/2019 - 18:46

    Smarts lights at home
    Grocery/shopping list
    Group speakers with lounger room speakers and mini
    “Play the sound of rain” when I go to sleep
    Asking how long it takes to get to work then maps has route in phone ready to go

    • Taro Milk Tea on 06/05/2019 - 18:59
      +1

      “Play the sound of rain” when I go to sleep

      What if it actually rains outside? what do you ask it to play

      • jo5h89 on 06/05/2019 - 19:20
        +2

        I then don’t ask google to haha

    • cristobaljames on 06/05/2019 - 20:06
      +1

      I prefer the sound of the ocean :)

      • Taro Milk Tea on 06/05/2019 - 21:43

        I prefer the sound of the ocean :)

        afternoon ocean or night ocean?

        • cybapete on 08/05/2019 - 17:47

          i like babbling brook myself

  • Pantagonist on 06/05/2019 - 18:58

    Slightly different system, but I used a free Amazon Echo Dot that I received to increase my bank balance by $50 and aggregate someone else's personal information.

    Seemed like a good deal to me.

    • Taro Milk Tea on 06/05/2019 - 19:00

      Can it do more than GH?

      • Pantagonist on 06/05/2019 - 19:16

        If by more you mean in terms of the amount it increases your bank balance when you do the smart thing and sell it unused; I'm not sure.

        You'll need to try your luck on Gumtree.

  • Melb69 on 06/05/2019 - 19:24
    +1

    To turn on the nanoleaf lights. As an alarm clock which then tells weather and news.

  • fatherchicken on 06/05/2019 - 19:39

    "hey google, pull my finger"

    • CharityCase on 07/05/2019 - 17:10
      +1

      "Pull the trigger"

  • mousie on 06/05/2019 - 20:11

    I use it as a baby sitter

  • white3knight on 06/05/2019 - 21:23

    I mainly use it on my room to set alarm, weather and mostly to play rain noise during bedtimes. And ofc play some background music while gaming.

    • Taro Milk Tea on 06/05/2019 - 21:45

      And ofc play some background music while gaming.

      what sort of game you're playing that you need some background music?

      • white3knight on 06/05/2019 - 22:00

        couple of mmorpg… divison, dekaron etc..

  • StefanH on 06/05/2019 - 21:40
    +1

    Some features I like which haven't been mentioned
    - Recipes, tell it to start cooking, and it will read out a recipe and the ingredients step by step
    - Games, keeps me entertained (Akinator is quite interesting)
    - Ambient sounds (rain, country night, waves, fireplace, white noise, babbling brook)
    - Ring my phone (very useful if you lose your phone, and it will ring full blast might be android only)
    - Turn on bluetooth, and it will turn into a standard bluetooth speaker.
    - Play the radio, it can play any radio station.
    - Broadcast (already said, but very handy)
    - What's the song that goes like 'insert corny lyrics here' and it will play it.
    - Sleep timer (stops playing whatever is playing on a timer)

    Also make sure to ask 'Talk to cut the cheese.' You can hear for yourself what that does. (turn the volume all the way up).

    Hope this changes your mind ;)

    • Taro Milk Tea on 06/05/2019 - 21:48

      Great list of tips.

      I wasn't aware it can play any radio station! and sleep timer function could be useful too.

  • loropy9 on 06/05/2019 - 21:48

    Try Hey Google, when did you become evil? Or Hey Google, when did you become a contractor for the army and start firing employees who question this?

  • jason101 on 06/05/2019 - 22:41

    In keeping with the post: The home mini/hub can play awesome white noise / go to sleep sounds. Its always fun for the kids to ask Google what Santa is doing right now. "Hey Google Broadcast" is always fun when there are many devices in the house.

    I've asked this once before in another post but didn't get an answer, so given all the Google home experts are here - I'm asking again.

    Why does google home mini know how to "Play ABC world news" but Google home hub throws up "I can't help with that" when trying to call up the same news podcast ? Connected to the same Google home account, same house, same router wifi/IP etc Do these devices connect to different servers with a differing level of intelligence?

  • fratzhaus on 06/05/2019 - 22:52
    +2

    Honestly love the google home setup.

    So I've got about 7 homes: 5 minis, a standard and a hub.

    The hub is in the kitchen, it has a speaker a tad less loud than the mini, but is a great photo frame and kitchen assistant. This unit is mostly used for timers, recipes, and youtube videos while cooking.

    My standard is in the living area where we have a crappy bar and a table for board games. The sound is much nicer, so we use that as a general sound system when friends are over and we're playing games. My roommate pairs it to his pc and plays ambient music while he has his mates over for dnd. The microphone may as well always be turned off on this one.

    One of the minis is housed in a battery case, and is what I use to control my world. 90% of the time it's used for alarm clocks, sleep sounds ("play the sound of thunder, and stop playing in one hour" - knocks me out every time). I add calender events when I'm just kinda laying down and thinking out loud, and sometimes ask it things because it's nicer just not staring at a phone when making plans.

    The other four are spread accross the house, bathroom, TV living area, study, roomies bedroom. TV area is mostly to turn on the TV, bathroom is just music, study is music and random questions, roomies is whatever.

    The BIG sell of this set up, is that with all units spread accross the house, I can play the same song at the same time from all speakers, because they are all linked up. I can pretty much turn my whole house into a party with a simple call ("play despacito using all speakers") everyone loves it, and if there's a quiet spot, my now portable battery google home is wherever it's needed.

    I have a chromecast, and can control the TV from anywhere, and I have a tp-link wifi switch, which I use to pretend people are home when they aren't. Lights going on and off on a timer and the TV playing things, before shutting off at 11 while we're all out for the night kinda gives me a bit more of a sense of security. IFTTT is the greatest for all the off the wall use cases you want to automate.

    Also the broadcast feature when I want to tell someone on the other side of the house to shut up without having to scream it.

    I've sold my soul to google, and I don't want it back.

    • Taro Milk Tea on 07/05/2019 - 09:14

      I've sold my soul to google, and I don't want it back.

      for how much? lol

      I can see you are really into this. I wonder what will happen if the internet is down, can you still live without google?

      • Chandler on 07/05/2019 - 11:33

        I wonder what will happen if the internet is down

        And now you know a big reason why I'm keen to automate my house using Home Assistant. When I get around to it…

      • fratzhaus on 07/05/2019 - 12:19

        My life doesn't rely on the speakers, I have a lot of mobile data which is what I do almost everything on, and the battery case for the mini that I use as an alarm clock is the safeguard, because alarms will still trigger without internet or power.

        I haven't had the internet go down at all, if it did, nothing would really break.

        I do agree home assistant would be cool, but I don't have the energy to get it all set up

  • Irrelevancy on 06/05/2019 - 23:03

    On off lights (Hue)
    Play music via hifi (chromecast audio)
    Turn on and off tv (chromecast)
    Timers for the kids timeout
    Asking for traffic sitreps

  • kaleidoscope on 07/05/2019 - 05:04

    I have an echo dot (amazon) and using it for weather forecast, sometimes controlling the tv when I'm too bored to pick up the remote (on/off/ pause/ resume) and setting timers when I cook or convert units (F to C)… If you have lot of IOT devices it may be handy.

    • Taro Milk Tea on 07/05/2019 - 09:17

      If you have lot of IOT devices it may be handy

      what is IOT device?

      • kaleidoscope on 07/05/2019 - 09:51
        +1

        internet of things = iot

        smart lights/ smart blinds/ thermostat etc …

        • John Kimble on 07/05/2019 - 10:10
          +1

          what is etc …?

  • Indomietable on 07/05/2019 - 05:07

    hey google, sing happy birthday to me.

    • Taro Milk Tea on 07/05/2019 - 09:17

      Getting old bud!

      • redback on 07/05/2019 - 13:30
        +3

        Yeah, that's generally what birthdays indicate

  • connorlo on 07/05/2019 - 06:44
    +1
    • 90% playing music, sometimes random music when I can't pick (Kids use this as well as they don't know how to read/write but can say the song titles)
    • 8% playing games with the kids (Musical chairs, wiggles game, who am I)
    • 1.5% Turning TV on and starting it to play a movie/show, turning tv off when I can't find the remote
    • 0.5% asking stupid questions, showing overs what google can do (and can't) when they come over. Changing the lights colours.
    • Taro Milk Tea on 07/05/2019 - 09:18

      0.5% asking stupid questions, showing overs what google can do (and can't) when they come over

      tell me the worst stupid question you ever asked

  • iSamurai on 07/05/2019 - 07:08
    +1

    Right now? I’m playing the radio with it. I also ask it for the weather and sometimes use it as a countdown timer when cooking.

    I got mine for free back then when woolies we’re giving them away for free if you do a $300 shop.

  • moneyhungry on 07/05/2019 - 07:30

    I just have mine sitting there listening to my conversations.

  • blwnhr on 07/05/2019 - 08:38
    -1

    I like to use it so Google know exactly what I'm doing in my home at every minute of the day.

    Yes, we have one. I see no use in it but my wife seems to think it's useful so it stays.

  • Spacedman on 07/05/2019 - 08:48

    For me one of the most useful features is directions. If you have an Android phone you can ask it How long will it take me to travel to x and it will tell you and send you the directions to your phone. I am not sure if this works on an iphone.

    • Taro Milk Tea on 07/05/2019 - 09:22

      But this usually takes longer if you have to specify a specific address. It would be much easier to just search it from phone because it will give you the exact location.

      However, if its from, lets say, Woolworth to your home (saved location), it could be useful.

      • Chandler on 07/05/2019 - 11:03
        +1

        But this usually takes longer if you have to specify a specific address.

        Not necessarily. Where are you navigating to?

        • A business? Use the name. Google should find it and sort out the address.
        • A friend? If they're in your contacts, I believe it should be able to work that out (I'll need to try this one).
        • Random address? Well, you need to know the address then :)
      • theguyrules on 07/05/2019 - 13:58

        I use it when I'm getting ready for work, ie putting on my shoes, to find out when my next bus is
        "hey google, how long will it take to get to work?" itll tell me when I need to leave.

        It really is easier to ask google than find phone, open maps and type address.

      • Spacedman on 07/05/2019 - 14:03

        Yes but you can do this while you are getting ready or not near your phone

  • Zacsik on 07/05/2019 - 09:41
    +1

    Ask it what time it is when I wake up from my nightmares.

  • sheebies on 07/05/2019 - 09:45

    Turning the heater or aircon on and off.
    Walking through recipes and ingredients when cooking.
    Music.
    My kids love asking it questions.
    Alarms, kitchen timers etc.
    Turning Christmas lights on and off too.
    Bluetooth speaker
    Broadcasting messages.

    In the future I plan to hook it up to lights, get a robot vacuum etc.

    I've also got an Alexa which I've hooked up to my Xbox which has brought back the voice commands for my Xbox again.

    I really enjoy using my google Minis, sure they don't get used all the time but it's certainly nice having them around the house.

  • OkayFray on 07/05/2019 - 10:02

    I love mine. My primary use is podcasts while cooking. I'm a big podcast addict and it syncs up with the pocketcasts app really well (I'd also highly recommend the app). It has also replaced the kitchen timer.
    It became morning alarm clock in the bedroom, and a clock when you can't be bothered moving when you wake up at night. When we got a second one it became a voice messenger (using the broadcast feature) which is a lot necer than yelling from one side of the house to the other.

  • pogichinoy on 07/05/2019 - 10:05

    I use routines a lot.

    Morning routine whilst I get ready:
    - tell the time
    - weather
    - play music

    Control my home theatre, i.e. shuts down all power when I leave the home to save electricity

    Control my electric blankets

    Control my Xiaomi robot vacuum cleaner

    Control a lamp

  • Chandler on 07/05/2019 - 11:01

    There's a lot you can do with a Google Home. How much you get out of it depends on how much you put into the Google Assistant.

    If you're a heavy Google user (Mail, Calendar, Photos, reminders, maps,) you can get a lot out even by just being a "free" user. You can get more (not sure how much) if you're a paid user (Play Music, Youtube Red (or whatever it's called now)).

    Personally, my two biggest uses:

    • Shopping list. So useful to just say "Hey Google, add spaghetti to the shopping list" when you note something you want to get when you go grocery shopping. What do you do at the moment for this? Paper+pen, pull out your phone? With the Home: simple and hands free.

    • Music. easy to just ask the Home to play some music (which will resume your last played playlist/radio/etc), or play a particular playlist/artist/album/etc.

  • bamzero on 07/05/2019 - 11:06

    Have one on the bedside table so pretty much all use when going to bed, use it as a radio mainly. Ended up setting a bedtime routine that would turn on the fan and play a radio station for an hour when heading to bed.

    Handy for quickly setting alarms if having a snooze.

    Also use it for setting reminders on my phone, that stuff you think of before your go to sleep.

    I have Alexa in the other room, mainly used for radio again and controlling tv via Harmony but could use Google Home the same way.

  • aliocroc on 07/05/2019 - 11:12

    Entertaining our youngest-"Hey Google-What noise does a dinosaur make?" "Raaawwwwer!" Queue 2 year old making the same noise!

    2 year old actually said something along the lines of "Hey gurgle-make sound" the other day, but the it didn't pick it up cos, well, hes 2.

    The older kids often play a quiz with it, "Hey Google, I'm feeling Lucky" or "Play Mad Libs"

    A bit gimmicky but still, its off to a good start, also the standards-turning on or off TV's (via Chromecast), broadcasting to the kids that dinner is ready, Spotify, setting timers for cooking, playing radio.

  • mparf on 07/05/2019 - 11:21

    I only use mine to set timers and to use as a white noise machine at night.

  • grips on 07/05/2019 - 12:01

    I keep mine in a Kiwi-Design battery setup and only turn it on to set my alarm for my afternoon siesta, which is of different length at different times so that is convenient.

  • supafly on 07/05/2019 - 12:55

    Home Automation (lighting, roller blinds, garage door, Home Theatre)
    Timer
    Audiobooks
    Weather
    General Questions
    I also use it to help me sleep…. I ask it to play the sound of a thunderstorm for two hours when I turn the lights off.

    • Taro Milk Tea on 07/05/2019 - 13:46

      I ask it to play the sound of a thunderstorm for two hours when I turn the lights off.

      Thunder feel the thunder

  • Tejas57 on 07/05/2019 - 13:26

    i don't have a google home as my primary device but an alexa spot. i use it as a bedside radio (via streaming), an alarm clock, to turn on and off lights (i have larger ones in my office and kitchen). I get news headlines in the morning and traffic though it

  • ChaLuo on 07/05/2019 - 13:29

    Broadcast annoying messages

  • tencents on 07/05/2019 - 13:30
    +1

    I use it to broadcast a message to my daughter that dinner is ready downstairs. We have 2. One upstairs and the other downstairs

  • geoffs87 on 07/05/2019 - 14:03

    "OK Google, play Archer"

    I mostly use it to tell the chromecast what to play on netflix. Other things i've used it for:
    - daily alarm
    - weather update
    - set timers
    - play youtube videos on tv
    - traffic reports
    - setting up shopping lists (but i get bad at lists)
    - control some LifX lights i have at home, particularly my bedroom light
    - control my air cons (with attached sensibo units)

    its a pretty convenient little tool!

  • fatpizza on 07/05/2019 - 14:52
    +2

    Turn on/off my lights.
    Have a wifi powerboard hooked up to my aquarium so I can turn on/off the filter/heater/pump/light on command (or on a schedule).
    Have it paired with my Logitech Harmomy so I can control my hifi setup.
    Setting alarms and timers.
    Have a Sensibo to be able to control my air con via voice.
    Play music around the house when I'm cleaning etc.
    All I can think of now… 😅

  • pingMarky on 07/05/2019 - 16:21

    Photo frame.
    Next bus and traffic.
    Lights
    Broadcasting help with shopping or arrivals.
    Find my phone
    Phone calls via duo
    Kids room heaters
    Calendar reminders.

  • Mooshino on 07/05/2019 - 22:05

    We have 3 google home minis (kitchen, bedroom, bathroom)

    We use ours all the time for:
    - Setting timers when cooking
    - Setting wake up alarms
    - Playing music on spotify
    - Adding reminders to calendar
    - Converting imperial to metric measurements (esp when cooking) or "how many tablespoons in a 25g" when I can't be bothered weighing something
    - Turning on and off the TV (love this feature when I can't be bothered finding the remote)
    - Asking miscellaneous cooking questions ("how do I know when mushrooms have gone off")
    - Asking what the weather is like (check every morning before choosing what to wear for the day). Ask if it will rain for laundry day.
    - Add items to shopping list
    - Asking it random questions (it usually give us a pretty shitty answer and then tells us to look on our phone LOL but its still fun)
    - Asking it to translate phrases into other languages
    - Asking it to tell us jokes

    and the BEST feature of all time: "HEY GOOGLE, FIND MY PHONE" which makes your phone ring on loud even if it's on silent. It's amazing when you're in a rush to get out the door and misplace your phone.

    Once it becomes a part of your daily routine you do notice when its missing. I find myself wanting to "OK google" random things, then realise I'm not at home to do it haha

  • lunchbox99 on 07/05/2019 - 23:23
    -1

    I had one and returned it. Apart from the music playing, you can literally use google assistant on any phone or tablet to do everything else with voice command - tell me this, convert me that, cast to this or that, play this on device x, control my lights. And frankly the music quality from the GH is fairly poor.

    Waste of money if you ask me. Get some chromecasts and use your existing tech to voice command them and everything else.

    • Taro Milk Tea on 08/05/2019 - 09:01

      I tend to agree with you to be honest, but I also can see the benefits of having one after few tips here.

  • wocko1 on 08/05/2019 - 10:33

    We have multiple Google Homes around our house, we use them for
    - Controlling our Home Assistant based smart home, with Zigbee/Z-Wave controlled lights (Philips Hue, 3A Smarthome Nue Light Switches, etc)
    - Check opening hours of stores
    - Timer
    - Alarm Clock
    - Music via Google Play Music
    - Control Chromecast/Android TVs
    - Finding our phones

  • thwarted on 08/05/2019 - 10:50
    +1

    Lots of things that I didn't think would be useful/available/reliable but becoming better and better as we get used to each other. Most useful things so far are:
    - Linked to Harmony Hub to control entertainment system (with Harmony remote as alternative/backup)
    - Linked to $45 IR blaster to control otherwise incompatible Air Con, egg light and DAB radio.
    - Linked to "Nue" hub to control basic smart switches (for ceiling lights in 4 rooms)
    - Direct control of TPLink smart plug (eg "turn christmas tree lights off")
    - Sequence control "I'm going to bed" - turns on hall light and turns off entertainment system
    - Useful info like "Is Bunnings in Ringwood open"
    - Random questions like "how high is the space station orbit", "what's the population of Sri Lanka", "whens the election"
    I'm getting about 95% success rate with it now

  • MementoMori on 08/05/2019 - 11:13

    To send my private conversations with my family to various Intelligence Agencies and other third parties for analysis.

  • Sebachoo on 08/05/2019 - 13:11
    +1

    If you have an Android phone then you can link it with Tasker which then completely opens up the possibilities of what it can do.

  • janeymac on 09/05/2019 - 01:00

    How about roborock "vacuum the house"? Works great! (Xiaomi Roborock Gen 2)

  • Melb69 on 09/05/2019 - 04:37
    +1

    Ask It to find your phone

    • Taro Milk Tea on 09/05/2019 - 09:12

      Thanks Dedbny for your update

  • tempura on 09/05/2019 - 09:11
    +1

    so OP, what have you learned so far?

    has your opinion changed as a result of this discussion?

    • Taro Milk Tea on 09/05/2019 - 09:13
      +2

      I have sold it, I tried to utilise it better. But can't be bothered, sold.

  • lainey13 on 09/05/2019 - 09:20

    Clearly these need to have some sort of training class but how would people know to start the class if they've never had the training….

    • pformag on 09/05/2019 - 16:38

      Just ask the mini what you can do.

  • zarbicore on 09/05/2019 - 09:37
    +1

    Mine is in my kitchen so it is handy when I am in there so it can play the radio, or tell me the weather. I have a second one in my bedroom which I just use for an alarm. I love being able to tell my alarm to STFU rather than fumbling with a phone to turn it off manually.

  • [Deactivated] on 09/05/2019 - 10:11

    Mine arrived, was going to sell it as we are apple sheep, but thought I try it out.
    Damn I was impressed, the sound quality and volume is amazing for such a small device. Using it to play music, instead of a Bose Sound Link II.

    It's like an always on Siri, but one that I find works a lot better. I have the HUE lights, so now always use the Google rather than the Apple Home or HUE App.
    Just using for basic things now, like play romantic music, set time for x minutes, play music at 7am. Set various light scenes.
    And just general hands free google queries.

    There may be other devices that can do this, but for a free\bonus device I get a lot more value out of Spotify and listening to the radio.

    How is the traffic, weather, what do I have on today.
    While looking for car keys, asking what time does the chemist\bunnings\woolworths close.

    Heck, things are quiet here, so from the other end of a rather large house, I just said "Hey Google, play music" and now I have company…..

    A bit creepy it's always listening, but you can disable the mic (physical switch), if your having a sensitive conversation or just unplug.

  • Janko on 09/05/2019 - 10:36

    Turning on the coffee machine so it's warm when arrive home is probably the thing I appreciate most. Being able to hands free that request while driving, priceless.

    Timers many times a day: cooking, pomodoro.
    Adding to a shopping list as I think of items is nice - would just try and remember before that as too much effort otherwise.

  • drumrollplease on 09/05/2019 - 11:28

    I'm like a newborn in the mornings and nights. Not staring into a beam of light is amazing and does wonders for my sleep

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