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The example you gave asking about the the heart rate is my current gripe with Alexa. Alexa feels like I'm using an app via voice control, but if I could ask it

The example you gave asking about the the heart rate is my current gripe with Alexa. Alexa feels like I'm using an app via voice control, but if I could ask it questions and reliably receive answers like you described that would take it up to the next level for me. I have no doubt that if Google wants it can get into the various partnerships, app addons, etc that Amazon's lead has given them, but if Amazon can't catch up to Google Home in terms of being able to understand and answer me without my having to get frustrated and just pull out my phone and search it myself, they're already ahead and as a user interested in these types of devices you already have me reading and considering switching. You're not the first person to point out that Home has better conversational understanding of voice commands in my searching post-reading your comment.

justicezyx 10y ago
> Google wants it can get into the various partnerships What made you believe Google can do this easily? When comparing Amazon and Google in their tracking record working with partners, I think Amazon always did a better job. 1. Amazon has the majority of their sales through 3rd party sellers. I can find source if you demand it, will be lazy ATM. 2. FBA is a huge success. 3. AWS's partnership seems a level ahead of GCP. 4. Amazon had a better relationship with international market, like in China, India, etc. And played a much more impactful roles in their presented market. On the contrary: I really cannot find much success story for Google's partnership. They once acquired MOTO, then ditched it. They routinely release seemingly fancy and existing techs, and quickly abandon them in their newly shifted priority... > Amazon can't catch up to Google Home in terms of being able to understand and answer me without my having to get frustrated If you consider Amazon started with seemingly 0 prowess in AI (they actually have good data mining and ML stuff for their A9 branch, but that is so 0 compared to Google), and claimed such a lead in such a short time in terms of market recognition, then their speed actually is not an issue at all. Remember that Google's core strength perfectly matches the smart home applications, and Amazon's previous work in this area is pretty much blank. Such extraordinary improvement already proves Amazon caught up pretty fast. You still have the key issue though. Amazon extends their business through Alexa directly. On the contrary, how Google directly extends their business through Home? Note how long does Youtube wait for successful monetization. If the same happens to Home, then during this time period, Amazon already achieved what they wanted. When put into context, and correlated with past, the Amazon vs Google race in smart home, IHMO, favors Amazon.
- libraryatnight 10y ago
  That makes sense, and my reasoning for Google is they have money and they have users. The way they behave now certainly doesn't scream 'we're going to blow your mind with partnerships,' but I feel like if it was something they sought aggressively it would come somewhat easily. Pure speculation, nothing more. And if they chose to do so, with a superior interaction experience, there's the edge. What you say appeals to my sense of logic, and I have a habit of buying the product that's cooler to me but the general populous lets it die (dreamcast comes to mind lol). I just don't think anyone should discount the AI here, and Alexa as an AI from the user perspective is not great. It really is almost just a voice controlled app from a use standpoint - if there's something more complex going on there, the user is unaware of it. I've never felt like I was using a virtual assistant with Alexa, ever. If Google can deliver a sense of actual interaction, that's amazing, that's the future to me. Basically for me the winner is the one who makes the AI that I can talk to like the Star Trek computer, and step one there is it has to answer my damn questions.
  - yohui 10y ago
    I don't understand how the list of "partnerships" makes sense. None of the examples (third-party Amazon sellers, FBA, etc.) are what I would think of in terms of services I want from a home assistant, unless the goal is to order stuff from Amazon. Neither do I understand the difficulty finding examples of Google working with other companies: Chromecast, Android, the Play Store, and Google APIs are all examples, and much more relevant to an AI assistant at that.

justicezyx 10y ago

> Google wants it can get into the various partnerships What made you believe Google can do this easily? When comparing Amazon and Google in their tracking record working with partners, I think Amazon always did a better job. 1. Amazon has the majority of their sales through 3rd party sellers. I can find source if you demand it, will be lazy ATM. 2. FBA is a huge success. 3. AWS's partnership seems a level ahead of GCP. 4. Amazon had a better relationship with international market, like in China, India, etc. And played a much more impactful roles in their presented market. On the contrary: I really cannot find much success story for Google's partnership. They once acquired MOTO, then ditched it. They routinely release seemingly fancy and existing techs, and quickly abandon them in their newly shifted priority... > Amazon can't catch up to Google Home in terms of being able to understand and answer me without my having to get frustrated If you consider Amazon started with seemingly 0 prowess in AI (they actually have good data mining and ML stuff for their A9 branch, but that is so 0 compared to Google), and claimed such a lead in such a short time in terms of market recognition, then their speed actually is not an issue at all. Remember that Google's core strength perfectly matches the smart home applications, and Amazon's previous work in this area is pretty much blank. Such extraordinary improvement already proves Amazon caught up pretty fast. You still have the key issue though. Amazon extends their business through Alexa directly. On the contrary, how Google directly extends their business through Home? Note how long does Youtube wait for successful monetization. If the same happens to Home, then during this time period, Amazon already achieved what they wanted. When put into context, and correlated with past, the Amazon vs Google race in smart home, IHMO, favors Amazon.

libraryatnight 10y ago
That makes sense, and my reasoning for Google is they have money and they have users. The way they behave now certainly doesn't scream 'we're going to blow your mind with partnerships,' but I feel like if it was something they sought aggressively it would come somewhat easily. Pure speculation, nothing more. And if they chose to do so, with a superior interaction experience, there's the edge. What you say appeals to my sense of logic, and I have a habit of buying the product that's cooler to me but the general populous lets it die (dreamcast comes to mind lol). I just don't think anyone should discount the AI here, and Alexa as an AI from the user perspective is not great. It really is almost just a voice controlled app from a use standpoint - if there's something more complex going on there, the user is unaware of it. I've never felt like I was using a virtual assistant with Alexa, ever. If Google can deliver a sense of actual interaction, that's amazing, that's the future to me. Basically for me the winner is the one who makes the AI that I can talk to like the Star Trek computer, and step one there is it has to answer my damn questions.
- yohui 10y ago
  I don't understand how the list of "partnerships" makes sense. None of the examples (third-party Amazon sellers, FBA, etc.) are what I would think of in terms of services I want from a home assistant, unless the goal is to order stuff from Amazon. Neither do I understand the difficulty finding examples of Google working with other companies: Chromecast, Android, the Play Store, and Google APIs are all examples, and much more relevant to an AI assistant at that.