A number of Google Home Mini devices that were distributed to members of the press had a defect that caused them to record everything being said around them. This discovery renewed privacy concerns surrounding smart speakers as surreptitious listening devices in our homes. The problem was first discovered by Android Police. Once being notified, Google investigated and fixed the issue: The Google Home team is aware of an issue impacting a small number of Google Home Mini devices that could cause the touch control mechanism to behave incorrectly. We immediately rolled out a software update on October 7 to mitigate the issue. Who is affected: People who received an early release Google Home Mini device at recent Made by Google events. Pre-ordered Google Home Mini purchases aren’t affected. As a general matter, Google Home and Amazon Alexa devices must “listen” to surrounding conversations to capture “wake words” (e.g.,”Alexa,” “OK … [Read more...] about Echo and Home will probably have to tell you they’re always listening — in Europe
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Can Google Express help traditional retail level the playing field with Amazon?
Google Express has kicked off a new ad campaign called “Need anything from the store?” which promotes it as a delivery service for “all your stores in one place,” according to an Advertising Age report. The effort shows people of all ages and walks of life in the often-painful process of describing a product for a largely offscreen friend or family member who has offered to pick the items up at the store. Among the stores offering products through Google Express are Walmart, Costco and Target. The effort aims to level the playing field with Amazon — for both the retailers and Google — offering consumers both the immediacy and choice to which they’ve grown accustomed. For the retailers, it’s a bit of the old “enemy of my enemy is my friend” concept. Ad Age characterized the campaign and the collection of Google Express partners (37 in all) as an “anti-Amazon alliance,” which was sort of announced during … [Read more...] about Can Google Express help traditional retail level the playing field with Amazon?
Amazon just upped the ante in the battle of the virtual assistants
Yesterday, at a pre-emptive event in Seattle, Amazon introduced new Alexa devices to keep its lead in the battle for the smart home. Google is having its own hardware event on October 4. Amazon introduced six products. First and foremost, it presented a more compact, cheaper Echo with better sound. It comes in six different colors or skins. It starts at $99, which is much cheaper than the original Echo’s price ($179). Many people will likely compare this price to Apple’s forthcoming HomePod and opt for the less expensive device. The company also introduced Echo Plus, which is being marketed as a smart home hub. The device looks like the original Echo but is also less expensive at $149 and includes upgraded speakers. The $99 Echo also works as a smart home hub, but the Echo Plus includes additional hardware that reportedly makes smart home device connections easier and entirely voice-activated. The novel Echo Spot is a rounder, smaller version of Echo Show. It’s like … [Read more...] about Amazon just upped the ante in the battle of the virtual assistants
Report: 57% of smart speaker owners have bought something with their voice
There are roughly 20 million smart speakers now in the US. And more than half of device owners have used them to buy something, according to survey data from NPR and Edison Research. The data released this week is part two of a report first introduced in July. Called “The Smart Audio Report,” the data are based on a survey of 800 people who owned at least one smart speaker and an equivalent number who did not. Part one of the report found very high levels of satisfaction among device owners: 65 percent of smart speaker owners said “they would not want to go back to their lives before getting one of these devices” and 42 percent said they were now “essential” to daily life. But the core of the second report is demographics and purchase behavior. It’s somewhat surprising is that consumers have started to buy things through these devices. But the report confirms their potential as e-commerce drivers. The survey found that 57 … [Read more...] about Report: 57% of smart speaker owners have bought something with their voice
Report: Google beats Amazon for product-search reach, but rival sees greater loyalty
Another survey has highlighted Amazon’s outsized role in shopping and product discovery. This one comes from performance marketing platform Kenshoo. The company commissioned a survey of 3,100 consumers in the US, the UK, Germany and France. The survey findings echo others before it that show Amazon is either the starting point for product research or plays a prominent role in the customer purchase process. According to the survey, more people across these markets actually use Google in shopping and product discovery, however, Amazon is consulted by 56 percent as their starting point. That’s the highest percentage I’ve seen to date. The numbers were fairly consistent across markets. However, in the US, Facebook played a larger role than in the other countries, with 36 percent saying they use it before making a purchase. Bing, Pinterest, Instagram, blogs and Twitter were also consulted by shoppers in smaller numbers. The survey found that 26 percent check Amazon in … [Read more...] about Report: Google beats Amazon for product-search reach, but rival sees greater loyalty
When it ‘can’t answer that,’ Alexa begins recommending third-party skills
Most of the random questions you ask Alexa devices will be met with “Hmm, I don’t know that” or “Sorry, I’m not sure.” By comparison, Google Home, with its search index access, typically does a better job on general knowledge and information queries. To better compete with Google over time, Amazon devices have started to recommend third-party skills. Voicebot.ai reported on this in the context of stock price information. I was able to duplicate the scenario for skills associated with stock prices (“Alexa, what’s the 52 week low for Apple stock?”). I got a skill recommendation. I also got a recommendation tied to horoscopes. I asked for my horoscope and it recommended Elle Horoscopes. “Would you like to add that?” Alexa offered. Yet I had difficulty finding other examples beyond these two. I asked dozens of travel-related questions — I have the Kayak skill installed — and not only did it not provide … [Read more...] about When it ‘can’t answer that,’ Alexa begins recommending third-party skills
Alexa and Cortana will soon work together, allowing each to access the other
Earlier this morning Amazon and Microsoft announced that their virtual assistants will soon work together. Alexa devices will be able to access Cortana, and Cortana will be able to open Alexa: Alexa customers will be able to access Cortana’s unique features like booking a meeting or accessing work calendars, reminding you to pick up flowers on your way home, or reading your work email – all using just your voice. Similarly, Cortana customers can ask Alexa to control their smart home devices, shop on Amazon.com, interact with many of the more than 20,000 skills built by third-party developers, and much more. It’s an enlightened approach on the part of both companies. Alexa will benefit from Cortana’s general knowledge and web-search capabilities, as well as Office integration. Cortana gains distribution via Amazon hardware devices. It’s also consistent with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella’s vision to make Microsoft software tools available on rival … [Read more...] about Alexa and Cortana will soon work together, allowing each to access the other
Walmart offering voice shopping via Google Assistant and Home
Google and Walmart have announced a partnership to bring Walmart voice shopping to the Google Assistant and Google Home. Free delivery will also be available through Google Express, which is changing its pricing structure. Though not discussed in either company’s blog post, the move is likely a response to Amazon voice shopping via Alexa devices. It’s also part of Walmart’s efforts to increase its e-commerce business and reach new audiences. The initial use case will be product reordering, but beyond that, Walmart intends to use its data to make personalized shopping recommendations based on purchase history. The company also has ambitious plans for voice shopping and offline fulfillment: One of the primary use cases for voice shopping will be the ability to build a basket of previously purchased everyday essentials. That’s why we decided to deeply integrate our Easy Reorder feature into Google Express. This will enable us to deliver highly personalized … [Read more...] about Walmart offering voice shopping via Google Assistant and Home
Google rolling out hands-free calling on Google Home to US and Canada
At Google I/O, the company announced that it was going to allow calling via Google Home. Now, Mountain View is rolling out the capability for the US and Canada in English, with Canadian French coming soon. The device will permit calling to your Google contacts and businesses by voice alone. Alexa devices can call one another or users with Alexa apps on their smartphones. Microsoft’s Cortana has also promised calling capabilities via Skype. However, Google Home’s calling range is broader and more useful than the Amazon feature because it doesn’t require a corresponding app on the other end. Most business owners, for example, aren’t going to have Alexa devices to receive calls. I wasn’t able to test the new calling feature because my Google Home told me, “Sorry, I can’t make calls yet.” Once it fully rolls out, users are supposed to be able to initiate calls by simply saying, “Hey Google, call…” Calls will then be routed … [Read more...] about Google rolling out hands-free calling on Google Home to US and Canada
NPR survey: Americans love their smart speakers, 42% call them ‘essential’
Americans love their “smart speakers” and they plan to buy more of them. That’s according to a recent, in-depth consumer study from NPR and Edison Research. The survey polled more than 1,600 respondents (equally divided between device owners and non-owners) and found that 76 percent of owners had Amazon Echo devices, while 16 percent had Google Homes; another 8 percent said they owned both. Just under 60 percent of respondents (58 percent) reported owning one device. However 24 percent had two and, interestingly, 18 percent had “three or more” smart speakers in their homes (this question goes to sheer number of devices vs. brand). However, 45 percent of the audience said they planned to buy another smart speaker. Smart speaker market share breakdown The report extrapolated smart speaker ownership to the US population as a whole (12+ years old) and asserts that 7 percent of Americans own at least one smart speaker. That suggests about 20 million smart … [Read more...] about NPR survey: Americans love their smart speakers, 42% call them ‘essential’