Homeowners now have three strong options of smartphone hubs for their homes, namely, Google Home as well as Apple HomeKit and the Amazon Echo.
Smart Home
The smart home is no longer a science fiction fantasy, as it has really arrived. There are several technical hubs, like the Apple HomeKit, the Amazon Echo and the newly released Google Home. The smart devices allow the homeowner to access all smart technology, such as locks and thermostats or music and much more using voice commands. You no longer need to type in a command or a question into the search bar or even make manual manipulations to control panels.
Which is the Best One?
However, all the three smart home options are excellent and it is a difficult decision. All of them are able to perform similar tasks and are compatible with similar third party services like Nest thermostats or SmartThings security and so on. However, they are not exactly the same and do have some distinguishing features.
Google Home
It comes at a cost of $129.99 and just by saying OK Google, it can play your music from Spotify or Pandora or manage the grocery list, set an alarm or turn on the lights in the room and so on. In short, you can achieve anything that would otherwise require typing in the words on your Android phone or on the laptop.
The assistant has a better grasp over language, when compared to Echo, so the conversation is usually productive. The assistant seems to know all the answers, as it has been answering such questions for millions of users since 1997 with the Google Search engine.
Echo from Amazon
It costs around $179.99 and came into the market much earlier in 2014, thereby having a huge head start. It has sold around three million units in the United States. You can ask its assistant, called Alexa, to play music or do all the things mentioned above and more.
As far as skills are concerned, Echo is the leader with more than 300 skills. It can call Uber for you or read the Fitbit statistics, order products and much more. However, Alexa is not as intelligent as the Google assistant and does not give precise answers all the time. It is a tried product and if you find the price tag hefty, you can opt for Amazon Dot, which is offered at $49.99, though the speaker is smaller and not as sensitive.
Apple HomeKit
This is more of a framework to be used for communication and control of the accessories that are connected in your home and not a physical device. The Home app from your iPhone or iPad can be used for accessing the service. All you have to do is to tap for Siri and the intelligent assistant will respond to your commands. Apple users will naturally gravitate towards this service and it might be a smart choice for them. However, in case of older app versions, users have to first activate Siri and then make voice commands, which could prove to be a deterrent.