Thursday, July 27, 2017

Google Home vs Echo

Google Home:
*GH is not as easy to control all functions, lists, setup, etc. as Echo.
But you can do this on your PC's browser . . .
This address will allow you to access volume, pause, stop.
chrome://cast/#devices
Chrome's "Cast" button will allow the same thing as the above address.
https://support.google.com/chromecast/answer/7249696
Take the suggestion and "pin" the Cast button to the Task Bar.

The above are Chromecast functions built into Google Home.
*So, it is easier to "cast" audio from your PC to GH than Echo. Echo needs to connect by Bluetooth. But in some ways Bluetooth is superior to Cast (mentioned below). They each have strengths and weaknesses.
*GH sound is not as bright as Echo. It almost sounds muffled to me. It is clear (how does that exist with "muffled"?) and gets loud however.

Echo:
*Echo can be set up with a wifi connected PC. GH cannot.
http://alexa.amazon.com
Lists, devices and a host of things can be accessed from here.
It's really crazy the GH does not have something like this. I don't get it.

Echo hears better than GH, in my opinion. I can almost whisper and Echo hears me. Not so with Google Home.

*Both have Bluetooth. Connection to Google Home's Bluetooth was easier (depends on location). GH has Chromecast also and is handier to listen to a Chrome browser audio without changing the audo in Bluetooth for a quick connection.

Echo grabs wifi signal in areas Goggle does not.

Maybe more evaluation to come but for now . . .

*If I had to choose one it would be Echo. Not that Google Home is bad. I just don't find it as useful at the moment. I had Echo before GH and I have several Echos so I am biased and don't use GH as much. I probably don't know all of its capabilities.

Curl, Wget, Winget & Powershell Install or Download Commands

After the mess I made in previous posts this summary might be useful.     Thanks PatchMyPC, the great and powerful program downloader and up...