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IoT showdown: Amazon Echo vs Google Home
Comrade • 2017
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Amazon Echo
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MEET AMAZON ECHO
Echo is a smart speaker developed by Amazon.com
Released June 23rd, 2015, Echo responds to the name "Alexa". It’s capable of voice interaction, music playback, making to-do lists, setting alarms, streaming podcasts, playing audiobooks, and providing weather, traffic and other real-time information. It can also control several smart devices using itself as a home automation hub.
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Google Home
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MEET GOOGLE HOME
Google Home is a smart speaker developed by Google.
Released November 4th, 2016, as part of its "Made by Google" product line, the product stands as a rival to Amazon Echo in the smart speaker industry.
Google has its services integrated into the operating system, and supports features such as streaming through Google Play Music, YouTube Music, Spotify, TuneIn, Pandora, and iHeartRadio by simply saying ‘Hey Google’ or ‘Ok Google’.
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The EvaluationTwo IoT devices enter, one leaves.
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THE EVALUATION
Criteria
• As IoT continues to evolve, we constantly examine the latest gear and trends to understand IoT’s impact and possibilities. This understanding helps us guide our clients and explore new solutions.
• Over the course of three weeks, several comrades evaluated Google Home and Amazon Echo—both in the office and at home— to compare their capabilities
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WHAT WE EVALUATED
Criteria
• Design
• Setup and ease of use
• Responsiveness
• Integrations
• Music integration
• Speaker quality
• General tasks
• Surprise/Delight
• Value
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• Packaging is slightly garish
• Comes in two colors, plus a baby DOT smaller format
• Sleek design, but a bit too large
• Activity ring is easily visible and clear
Echo Google Home
Who’s got the look?Overall product and packaging design
• Packaging design is well executed
• Changeable base creates a versatile look for different settings
• Smaller and less obtrusive
• Hidden LEDs are playful and on brand
Score:
7Score:
8
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• Requires app to set up and wireless direct connect to work
• Amazon Echo app is singularly focused
• Took a few minutes to set up and seemed a little laggy. Wi-Fi connection seemed tenuous at times.
Echo Google Home
Easy, peasy, fresh and breezy.Setup and ease of use
Score:
7Score:
9• Requires app but uses
bluetooth to establish connection and setup
• Benefits from having all devices (Chromecast, connected TVs) under the same app for easy crossover
• Setup process was quick and responsive
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• Very adept at picking up voice commands up to 5 feet away
• Understood a wide range of voices
• Can change name to “Echo,” “Computer” or “Amazon”
Echo Google Home
Can you hear me now?Responsiveness
Score:
7Score:
8• Very adept at picking up voice
up to 5 feet away
• Slightly better at understanding voices with accents
• Cannot change wake word without a rootkit
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• Able to do a number of home automation tasks (Hue, WeMo, Insteon, Smart Things)
• Integrates well with the major music services (iHeartRadio/Spotify/Pandora)
• Hue integration recently updated for more control
• Benefits from Yelp for nearby restaurants
Echo Google Home
Who’s got mad skillz?Integrations
Score:
8Score:
8• Able to do a number of
home automation tasks (WeMo, Hue, Nest, Honeywell, LIFX, Smart Things, Android OS)
• Integrates well with the major music services (Spotify/Pandora/YouTube)
• Hue integration was more advanced
• Uses power of Google to find relevant answers
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• Good integration with Pandora and Spotify
• Plays personal music libraries through Prime –250 free songs :|
• Use of “Skills” allows a wide range of more specific controls and integrations
Echo Google Home
Can you dance to it?Music integration
Score:
7Score:
8• Good integration with
Pandora and Spotify
• Plays personal music libraries through Google Play – 50,000 free songs :D
• Can also pull from Youtubecreating a much wider reach, especially internationally
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• Good clarity and fills the room with sound
• Easy control through top ring
Echo Google Home
Boom.Speaker quality
• Great clarity and more bass, despite smaller size
• Controlled through touch on flat surface
Score:
7Score:
8
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• Alexa performed slightly better for movies, TV or music questions
• Uses Yelp for nearby food recommendations
• Easily finds nearby business hours, weather
Echo Google Home
Do it.General tasks
• Better at general knowledge questions
• Better at traffic queries
• Weather inquiries more thorough
Score:
8Score:
8
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• With over 10K different skills and open architecture, Amazon has some great add-ons
• Shopping is easy and tied in well with Prime
Echo Google Home
Wait, what?Surprises and delights
• Clever writing by Onion and Pixar writers gives extra firepower
• Integrations are being added continually with great partnerships
• When asked to sing, Home currently has a funnier song
Score:
7Score:
8
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• Choice advantage with more variations, including a smaller profile DOT unit at $49 dollars, and a bluetooth-only version
• Main unit comes in white and black
Echo Google Home
Bang for the buckValue
• Only one unit, but better priced at $129 (vs Echo’s main unit at $179)
• Swappable bases to add more color and to fit in with more decor
Score:
8Score:
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FINAL SCORE
Overall
EchoScore:
66
HomeScore:
72
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FINAL THOUGHTS
Conclusion
• With many partnerships, actions and an aggressive product evolution plan, Google Home has great potential to lead in this field, with a slightly better product overall.
• Amazon has a two-year head start and open skills integration, giving it an integration and rapid development advantage, though it suffers from a potential governance and management challenge.
