News: Google Home UK release date confirmed
Fantastic news! After almost three months of Google Home being US only, we finally have official confirmation of a UK release date, and it’s coming this year. According to the BBC, a Google spokesperson confirmed that the air freshener-like cylinder will launch in the UK in Q2 2017. Not too long to wait eh?
What does this mean? Well, we’re getting Google Home much earlier than first thought (I had money on late 2017), and we should see Google’s digital assistant show up in shops in Spring time – between March and May to be specific. We’re yet to hear any official pricing but given Brexit-induced pound weaknesses, don’t expect Google Home to retail near the US’ $129 asking price. Stay tuned for my full Google Home review, when it eventually shows up on UK shores.
That being said, you can find out everything you need to know about Google Home, including UK release date, price and features, below.
Google Home: Everything you need to know
Google Home, the tech giant’s fantastically dinky little personal butler, is here. Hot on the heels of Amazon’s own Echo and Echo Dot home assistants, Google Home has already taken the US by storm. Patiently waiting for that UK release date? Here’s how to get Google Home in the UK.
It looks like one of those motion activated air fresheners, but Google Home is the perfect companion for your everyday activities. Keeping tabs of your comings and goings via Google Calendar, you can also ask it questions with the wealth of Google’s knowledge to back it up, too. Need some entertainment? Ask it to play music or, shout at it to stream your favourite TV shows and movies straight to your Chromecast.
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Now, Google Home is still only available in the US. It’s been over three months since that little butler first popped up in homes in the States, but we’re still waiting for an official UK release date (and any other country for that matter). There are a few workarounds to get your hands on Google Home in the UK, though.
Here’s how you can get Google Home in the UK, as well as official UK release date info and everything you need to know about Google Home.
Google Home: How to get Google Home in the UK before release date
Getting a Google Home device over to the UK at the moment is a little tricky and there’s no guarantee it’ll be anything more than an expensive ornament once it gets here. Even after going through all the trouble to get one in your home, it won’t really work as intended.
While Google’s own services such as Calendar, Drive and Gmail should technically work, other stuff like subscription-based YouTube Red for instance, isn’t even available in the UK yet. Pair that with the fact it might not recognise your British voice and you might have wasted your money. That being said, there is a way to get one sent to the UK.
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If you’re lucky enough to have a relative who lives Stateside, you could ask nicely to ship one over. If not, there are a couple of services on offer that could help source a Google Home unit for you. Of course, you could always just get one from the Google Play Store yourself, although you’ll need a US address and a way to ship it over to your UK home.
While you wait for Google Home’s official UK release, here’s absolutely everything you need to know.
Google Home: UK Release date and price
Undercutting the Amazon Echo by $50, Home is a considerably cheaper option at $129. While there’s no word yet on a global release date, we do know you can pre-order Home right now in the US, and it’ll be in stores in the states on November 4.
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Google Home: Everything you need to know
Cutting it short, Google Home is a Wi-Fi-enabled Bluetooth speaker powered by Google Assistant, which also uses Google’s own search engine too. It’s voice-powered, with only a capacitive touch panel on the top of the wonderfully dinky little device.
It should fit nice and snug on your bookshelf or on top of your chest of drawers without taking up too much space. It’s not as tall as the Echo but does have a slightly bigger footprint, though.
It’s got different customisable bottoms too, in various colours and finishes to match it up with your home décor. Underneath the swappable base you’ve got a fancy high-excursion speaker for audio playback. At the top you’ve got four LEDs, in Google colours, for interacting with it.
It looks a little bit like a large baby monitor, but for adults. You can ask it all sorts of stuff, from a morning schedule briefing, to phrase translations ahead of your holiday. I’ll be heading off to Rome soon, so “Where’s the pub?” in Italian would be something useful to learn.
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There’s clearly a significant draw with Google Home compared to its Echo rival. Firstly, its main purpose isn’t really in driving e-commerce such as with Echo’s insistence on buying content through Amazon’s own services.
Another big appeal is that if you’re already invested in the Google architecture, what with Drive, Gmail, Play Music and Video, you’ll fit right in with Home. It syncs directly to your Google account, and can help manage pretty much any aspect of it, should you let it.
Home can connect to pretty much any wireless smart device in your home. You’ll be able to turn your lights on and off if you choose to connect it to Nest for instance, and can even set timers and alarms on any device that’s currently connected. You’ll be able to set it up with IFTTT, Samsung SmartThings and Phillips Hue too, for a super-connected home.
By far the most intriguing aspect is Home’s own audio-casting feature. Much like Amazon Echo’s connectivity with their Fire tablets, you’ll be able to stream music from any Android device, using it as a sort of visual hub to control your tunes. You can also stream video to your TV via YouTube and Netflix soon if you’re so inclined.
As with any always-listening device in your home, a couple of privacy concerns are flagged up. Google has made it clear, though, that it’ll only listen for things you actually give it permission to. Home can learn all sorts of details about you, your calendar, emails and family schedule, but only if you let it. Want to mute the mic? Just press the button on the front.
Google WiFi
There’s another Google router making its way to your homes soon too. Google WiFi, priced at $129, is significantly cheaper than Google’s other OnHub offerings. The fancy thing about Google WiFi is that it forms a sort of mesh network that links multiple routers together to cover your entire home. We’re already being heavily encouraged to take advantage of this, with a three-pack on sale for $299.
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Network monitoring is easily the best feature about Google’s newest router. Google WiFi will constantly monitor for network congestion, moving devices to different channels for speedier performance. We’ve all suffered from major network congestion in the past and hopefully, this will be the end of it. You’ll also be able to control connected devices and WiFi settings, helping to remove the hassle of frequent router management.
The router comes with two Gigabit Ethernet ports for wired connectivity and supports Wireless AC1200 2×2 which can use multiple network channels simultaneously. As is the case with Google Home, we won’t be seeing Google WiFi make an appearance in the UK just yet, but expect it to launch in the US in November.
Google Home: Early verdict
It looks to be a pretty heated contest between both Google and Amazon in the digital voice assistant race. While the Echo has had a decent head start, without any proper competition, Home just might shake things up a little. As for who’ll be crowned the winner, we’ll have to wait and see until I get some more quality time with Home.
Considering we won’t be getting Google Home in the UK at the same time as our friends over the pond, Amazon has the crown for the time being, at least over here. Of course, we’ll be giving Google Home a proper test if and when it finally hits our shores so check back at Expert Reviews for our full review.
