Re:Google Pixel’s Assistant Can Now Control Your Smart Home
by IanCal on Thursday June 29, 2017 @07:13AM
(#14662251)
I just tried this, I don't have a pixel but I did have control over my hue bulbs. Now I don't.
Sometimes google's releases are utterly baffling to me, I have no idea what capabilities I have or should have with a variety of their software. Sometimes it's not released yet, or it is, but on a rolling upgrade so I won't get it for weeks or it's there but because a language setting is "UK" it's not enabled and even then it seems like functionality is coming and going.
Re:Google Pixel’s Assistant Can Now Control Your Smart Home
by baybal2 on Thursday June 29, 2017 @07:20AM
(#14662276)
A big problem with all those talking speakers - "IOT Hubs" or how they call them is that people have very little incentive to use them over their phones.
The current wave of smart home devices like Google Home or Echo are nothing new, similar devices were available from OEMs for years, and no big brand was willing to sell them for that obvious reason.
Samsung made the right bet to glue all of their smart home offerings to their smartphones. Google's idea with nest was a miss because nobody was ready to buy it just to play with specially locked down "Made for Nest" webcams and other appliances, when everybody can buy a 10$ Chinese webcam that works just fine by itself.
Same with HomeKit fiasco, nobody really needs overcomplicated platform-lockdowned appliances that do not work without cloud connectivity and enforced DRM verification every 24 hours, when "Uncle Liao Electronics" provides what is a superior alternative in eyes of an average consumer
Sometimes google's releases are utterly baffling to me, I have no idea what capabilities I have or should have with a variety of their software. Sometimes it's not released yet, or it is, but on a rolling upgrade so I won't get it for weeks or it's there but because a language setting is "UK" it's not enabled and even then it seems like functionality is coming and going.
The current wave of smart home devices like Google Home or Echo are nothing new, similar devices were available from OEMs for years, and no big brand was willing to sell them for that obvious reason.
Samsung made the right bet to glue all of their smart home offerings to their smartphones. Google's idea with nest was a miss because nobody was ready to buy it just to play with specially locked down "Made for Nest" webcams and other appliances, when everybody can buy a 10$ Chinese webcam that works just fine by itself.
Same with HomeKit fiasco, nobody really needs overcomplicated platform-lockdowned appliances that do not work without cloud connectivity and enforced DRM verification every 24 hours, when "Uncle Liao Electronics" provides what is a superior alternative in eyes of an average consumer
> It is unfortunate that the Home Control feature is not available on Pixel Phones right now because it was available for a limited edition.