Google Chirp To Rival Amazon Echo

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.

Comments

Sleeper hit?

[BitZtream]

What? Sleeper hit? I don't know anyone that owns one outside of my office, the one we have in the office is for testing and it sucks. I hear them talking to it all the time and continually repeating themselves trying to get it to figure out what they actually mean.

Voice 'activation' or 'recognition' SUCKS currently. These types of devices ride a VERY SHORT hype train just like Siri did, and then no one at all cares. I suspect that the general public doesn't give a flying fucking about any voice recognition anymore.

Now tell me ... WHY DO I NEED a voice controlled speaker to integrate with my thermostat and fire alarm ... two things that I NEVER touch. You set the temp and you leave it, it heats or cools the house as needed, if you have a good thermostat (note, the Nest devices are actually pretty shitty as far as 'smart devices' go.) it has sensors in each room that detects occupancy and temp and adjusts the temp based on the rooms people are in.

No one cares about voice recognition in its current, almost absolutely useless state. Its nothing more than a broken toy. The only people who are telling you Amazon has a 'hit' is Amazon.

Stop slashvertising and get a cluepon. 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.

Re:Sleeper hit?

[jerk]

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.

Re:Sleeper hit?

[jerk]

You do this multiple times a day? You have a problem.

Since you know so much about me, you know that our weather actually changes from day to day, sometimes even in the same 24-hour period. I've even checked the weather, wanted to hear the news headlines of the hour, and set a tea timer within mere minutes of each other. Craziness, I know!

cause switches you walk by are hard ...

We don't actually walk by the switches for the lights in question. One is mounted in an area that's inaccessible because the refrigerator we installed is larger than ones the kitchen was designed for in 1963. I installed a Lutron switch with a remote control that's affixed to the front of the fridge with a magnet. Call it laziness, poor kitchen design, or whatever...it works (very well) for us and we like it.

Because this is easier and faster than reading it ...

Yes, actually. I don't have to get out , wake it from sleep, then launch or navigate to . Our local newspaper isn't worth the price of the paper it's printed on, so I simply say "Alexa, what's in the news?" while making my tea or coffee and she plays the briefing within 3 seconds.

My "excuses" are simply my use cases. It's a convenience for us and it was well worth the $99 they were charging for the Echo at the time. It's not quite the impulse buy it used to be at its current price point, but if mine were to die out of warranty, I'd likely replace it with another.

Re: Sleeper hit?

[WillRobinson]

I will chirp in, pun intended. I use the grocery list the most while having hands full taking things from the fridge. Second setting timers for what I am cooking and alarm clocks. Third is my drive times then weather and music. Looking up fun facts during arguments is fun too. Way more useful around the house than that smart watch would ever be. Voice recognition is superior to Siri . I find the smart interface to to my AnyMote to clumsy at the moment and use the direct connect from my pad or phone more to control my IR devices. But hay that's just software and it can get better. No smart light yet. I am building my own.

There's already "chirp"

[tekrat]

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.

Re:There's already "chirp"

[pr0t0]

has not been officially named yet but is internally known as the Chirp

Easy there ham-cowboy, it's just a code name, not the official name. Companies use IP stuff for internal names all the time.

The telescreen barked:

[Thud457]

Winston Smith! You can do better than that. Your hands are barely reaching your knees.

Echo Owner Here

[ohieaux]

I got in early on the Echo and we've yet to find a good use case for it. It's a decent speaker for playing Amazon Prime music and will answer SIMPLE questions. But for the most part, it cannot answer the questions we throw at it. We use Google or Siri in those cases.

Since it listens to everything said in the room, I'd be less comfortable with Google eavesdropping on my life than I am with Amazon.