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Google Chirp To Rival Amazon Echo

Posted by msmash on from the mission-echoing-echo dept.

An anonymous reader writes: Google is working on a competitor to the Amazon Echo, the smart speaker that has proved to be a sleeper hit for Amazon. The device, which will resemble an OnHub router, has not been officially named yet but is internally known as the Chirp. It has long been suspected that Google was working on a voice-controlled speaker that could integrate with Nest, since Google acquired Nest two years ago. While the Chirp isn't ready for release at next week's Google I/O developer conference, it will most likely receive honorable mention as the conference will highlight voice control, personal assistance, and virtual reality.

2 of 100 comments (clear)

  1. There's already "chirp" by tekrat · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Chirp is software to program Ham Radios.

    When will these oversized companies with their own army of lawyers actually CHECK to make sure they aren't stepping on someone else's toes?

    I'm sure Google will sue the programmer of the other software.... even though he had it first.

    --
    If telephones are outlawed, then only outlaws will have telephones.
  2. Re:Sleeper hit? by jerk · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Echo isn't impressive, if you can find anyone with one of these 'sleeper hits' for more than a week, ask them how much they use it ... and then I dare you to find me the person who doesn't regret wasting the money after the first month is over.

    Okay, I'll bite. My girlfriend and I use Echo several times a day, every day. Whether it's to ask the forecast for that day or the next, to set a timer for tea, to turn the lights on/off when we walk into the kitchen (where our Echo lives), or for the latest news brief from NPR and BBC (though you can set different ones). I've also used it for unit conversions while cooking or baking and it's used fairly frequently for playing Pandora stations or something from Amazon's music service since it's actually got a very nice speaker built into it.

    I find it much, much more reliable than Siri (which is disappointing, being an Apple user) and fairly close to Google's Now as far as speed and accuracy. They're constantly adding new features and send an email every Friday letting you know what's new and how to use it.