Introducing…
14
Google Home
And following a recent update, you can now
make calls using your Google Home. Calls to both
mobiles and landlines are completely free, with
the exception of international calls. All you need
to do to make a call is ensure that the person you
want to speak to is set up in Google Contacts,
then ask Google to give them a call. Easy!
Interacting with the Google Home is natural,
as it has support for contextual conversation flows
(such as ‘What’s the weather going to be today?’
followed by ‘And tomorrow?’) and can mine
the vast Google knowledge graph for answers.
Questions have less need to be specific in
structure than on rival products; commands such
as ‘How old is this celebrity, ‘How far is this place’
or ‘Tell me the score in the football’ work when
phrased in different ways.
Google Home products are set up and
configured using a Google account and the
Google Home app, which is available from the
Play Store for Android devices and the App Store
for iOS. This is used to connect the device to
your Wi-Fi network, train different voices, change
settings and install applications. As Google
Home is powered by Google Assistant, when
applications are added they work not only on the
Home products, but on other Assistant-powered
devices too such as phones, tablets and even
Android Auto-enabled cars.
Google Home devices are fun to use and they
contain some clever little easter eggs hidden
away. Try ‘Hey Google, make me a sandwich’
or ‘Hey Google, what did my cat say?’ There are
loads more hidden away too! If you’re looking for
a Google Home action to impress your friends,
one of our favourites is Akinator. A spin on the
classic ’20 questions’ game, Akinator prompts you
to think of a person, real or fictional, which it will
then try and guess using a series of questions. Get
started by saying ‘Hey Google, Play Akinator’.
Google Home products
are set up and configured
using a Google account