Tag Archives: Google Home

The best hardware, software and AI—together

Today, we introduced our second generation family of consumer hardware products, all made by Google: new Pixel phones, Google Home Mini and Max, an all new Pixelbook, Google Clips hands-free camera, Google Pixel Buds, and an updated Daydream View headset. We see tremendous potential for devices to be helpful, make your life easier, and even get better over time when they’re created at the intersection of hardware, software and advanced artificial intelligence (AI).


Why Google?

These days many devices—especially smartphones—look and act the same. That means in order to create a meaningful experience for users, we need a different approach. A year ago, Sundar outlined his vision of how AI would change how people would use computers. And in fact, AI is already transforming what Google’s products can do in the real world. For example, swipe typing has been around for a while, but AI lets people use Gboard to swipe-type in two languages at once. Google Maps uses AI to figure out what the parking is like at your destination and suggest alternative spots before you’ve even put your foot on the gas. But, for this wave of computing to reach new breakthroughs, we have to build software and hardware that can bring more of the potential of AI into reality—which is what we’ve set out to do with this year’s new family of products.

Hardware, built from the inside out

We’ve designed and built our latest hardware products around a few core tenets. First and foremost, we want them to be radically helpful. They’re fast, they’re there when you need them, and they’re simple to use. Second, everything is designed for you, so that the technology doesn’t get in they way and instead blends into your lifestyle. Lastly, by creating hardware with AI at the core, our products can improve over time. They’re constantly getting better and faster through automatic software updates. And they’re designed to learn from you, so you’ll notice features—like the Google Assistant—get smarter and more assistive the more you interact with them.


You’ll see this reflected in our 2017 lineup of new Made by Google products:

  • The Pixel 2 has the best camera of any smartphone, again, along with a gorgeous display and augmented reality capabilities. Pixel owners get unlimited storage for their photos and videos, and an exclusive preview of Google Lens, which uses AI to give you helpful information about the things around you.
  • Google Home Mini brings the Assistant to more places throughout your home, with a beautiful design that fits anywhere. And Max is our biggest and best-sounding Google Home device, powered by the Assistant. And with AI-based Smart Sound, Max has the ability to adapt your audio experience to you—your environment, context, and preferences.
  • With Pixelbook, we’ve reimagined the laptop as a high-performance Chromebook, with a versatile form factor that works the way you do. It’s the first laptop with the Assistant built in, and the Pixelbook Pen makes the whole experience even smarter.
  • Our new Pixel Buds combine Google smarts and the best digital sound. You’ll get elegant touch controls that put the Assistant just a tap away, and they’ll even help you communicate in a different language.
  • The updated Daydream View is the best mobile virtual reality (VR) headset on the market, and the simplest, most comfortable VR experience.
  • Google Clips is a totally new way to capture genuine, spontaneous moments—all powered by machine learning and AI. This tiny camera seamlessly sends clips to your phone, and even edits and curates them for you.

Assistant, everywhere

Across all these devices, you can interact with the Google Assistant any way you want—talk to it with your Google Home or your Pixel Buds, squeeze your Pixel 2, or use your Pixelbook’s Assistant key or circle things on your screen with the Pixelbook Pen. Wherever you are, and on any device with the Assistant, you can connect to the information you need and get help with the tasks to get you through your day. No other assistive technology comes close, and it continues to get better every day.

New hardware products

Google’s hardware business is just getting started, and we’re committed to building and investing for the long run. We couldn’t be more excited to introduce you to our second-generation family of products that truly brings together the best of Google software, thoughtfully designed hardware with cutting-edge AI. We hope you enjoy using them as much as we do.

Source: Google Chrome


The Google Assistant, powering our new family of hardware

Today we introduced Google Home Mini and Google Home Max, a new Pixel phone, a new Pixelbook and Pixelbook Pen, and Pixel Buds. Something all of these products have in common is the Google Assistant. With new Assistant features throughout the entire line-up, they’re built with the Assistant in mind, ready to help you get more done.

But let’s take a step back. Exactly one year ago today, we first introduced the Google Assistant, which lets you have a natural conversation with Google. We said the Assistant should be helpful, simple to use, available where you need it and that it should understand your context—location, device you’re using, etc. And that’s exactly what we’ve been working toward. So before diving into what’s new today, let’s take a look at some of our highlights from the past year:

  • Hardware that works with your Assistant—Android phones, iPhones, headphones, voice-activated speakers like Google Home and others from several manufacturers, Android Wear and Android TV.
  • Your Assistant in more languages and places—Google Home in the U.K., Canada (English and French), Australia, Germany, France and, today, Japan. The Assistant on eligible Android phones and iPhones is also available in Brazilian Portuguese, Japanese, Korean and, coming soon, Italian, Spanish (in Mexico and Spain) and Singaporean English.
  • Smart home devices and platforms that work with your Assistant—you can now control over 1,000 smart home products from more than 100 brands, including August Home, Logitech Harmony, Nest, Philips Hue, SmartThings and Wemo.
  • Features to make your Assistant better—we’ve introduced Hands-Free Calling, reminders, shopping, shortcuts, step-by-step instructions to millions of recipes, and more. And of course Voice Match, which enables different household members to get personalized help on a shared device. So when you ask a question, the Assistant can recognize it’s your voice and respond with your news preferences, calendar, commute, and reminders. Starting today, Voice Match will be available in every country where Google Home is available (U.S., U.K., Australia, Canada, France, Germany and Japan).

We’ve come a long way in the past year, but we’re even more excited about what’s still in store, starting with what we’re announcing today. Here’s a look at what’s coming over the next few months:

Choose a new voice: The Assistant now has two voice options, starting in the U.S., so you can choose a voice that’s right for you. Try it today by going to settings in your Google Home app or Google Assistant on your phone and navigating to preferences.

Spend time with family: The Assistant will soon have more than 50 new ways for families to have fun, and with support for kids’ accounts managed with Family Link already on Android phones and coming to Google Home, you can have fun whether you’re on the go or at home. Soon, you’ll be able to say "Ok Google, let's play a game" and go on an adventure with Mickey Mouse, identify your alter ego with Justice League D.C. Super Hero, or play Freeze Dance in your living room. You can learn by saying "Let's learn" and then quiz yourself with games like "Talk Like a Chef" or "Play Space Trivia." When it's time for bed, try saying "Ok Google, tell me a story" to hear classics like Snow White and original stories like “The Chef Who Loved Potatoes.”

Manage your routines: Your Assistant will soon be able to help you manage your daily routines across your devices. So, once you’ve set up your preferences, when you say “Ok Google, let’s go home” your Assistant can update you about your commute, text your partner that you’re on your way and play your podcast where you left off. And when you get home, just say “Ok Google, I’m home,” and it will turn on the lights, adjust to your desired temperature and share your reminders.

Transactions: Over the next week, you’ll also be able make fast and easy purchases with your Assistant, starting with 1-800-Flowers, Applebee’s, Panera and Ticketmaster. So you’ll be able to say, “Ok Google, talk to Ticketmaster” to your Assistant on your phone to find and buy your tickets.

Broadcast: With the new broadcast feature, your Assistant can round up the family and announce to Google Homes around the house that it’s dinner time. Just say, “Ok Google, broadcast: come on upstairs for dinner in 5 minutes.” The best part—you can even broadcast from your phone to Google Home with your Assistant. Just say "Ok Google, broadcast: I'm on my way!”

Explore with Google Lens: We’re bringing an early preview of Google Lens to Pixel phones. At the start you’ll be able to look up landmarks, books, music albums, movies, and artwork, by tapping on the Lens icon in Google Photos. Over the next few weeks, we’ll add more capabilities, as well as the ability to use Lens in the Google Assistant. With the Assistant, it will provide a conversational experience for quick help with what you see, right in the moment.

Get things done with Pixelbook and Pixelbook Pen: On Pixelbook, your Assistant can help you send a quick email, create a new doc or get the details of your next calendar event. And with Pixelbook Pen, you can circle text or images on your screen to get more information or take action. Looking at a photo and wondering where the beautiful mountainscape is located? Circle it and let your Assistant do the rest.

On the go with Pixel Buds: Pixel Buds are optimized for the Google Assistant on Android phones, so you can play music, have notifications read to you, get directions or set a reminder, all without looking at your phone.

Control your smart home with Nest: With Nest Camera, you can say “Ok Google, show me the entryway on my TV” to your Assistant on Google Home and keep up with what’s going on in your home. Coming next year, with the Familiar Faces feature on Nest Hello, when the doorbell rings and Nest Hello recognizes the person at the door, it will automatically have the Assistant broadcast that information to all the Google Home devices in the house. So you can know who’s there right when they arrive.

So that’s what’s new with the Assistant. We’re continuing to make it more helpful and more available on new devices—whether you’re at home, on the go or somewhere in between—and in new languages and countries.

With all of the improvements built up over the past year, the Assistant can help you get more done and give you more time to focus on what matters. And we’re excited about what the future holds—with our expertise in natural language understanding, deep learning, computer vision, and understanding context, your Assistant will just keep getting better. Over time, we believe the Assistant has the potential to transform how we use technology—not only by understanding you better but also by giving you one, easy-to-use and understandable way to interact with it. All you have to do is say “Ok Google” to get help from your own personal Google.

The Google Assistant, powering our new family of hardware

Today we introduced Google Home Mini and Google Home Max, a new Pixel phone, a new Pixelbook and Pixelbook Pen, and Pixel Buds. Something all of these products have in common is the Google Assistant. With new Assistant features throughout the entire line-up, they’re built with the Assistant in mind, ready to help you get more done.

But let’s take a step back. Exactly one year ago today, we first introduced the Google Assistant, which lets you have a natural conversation with Google. We said the Assistant should be helpful, simple to use, available where you need it and that it should understand your context—location, device you’re using, etc. And that’s exactly what we’ve been working toward. So before diving into what’s new today, let’s take a look at some of our highlights from the past year:

  • Hardware that works with your Assistant—Android phones, iPhones, headphones, voice-activated speakers like Google Home and others from several manufacturers, Android Wear and Android TV.
  • Your Assistant in more languages and places—Google Home in the U.K., Canada (English and French), Australia, Germany, France and, today, Japan. The Assistant on eligible Android phones and iPhones is also available in Brazilian Portuguese, Japanese, Korean and, coming soon, Italian, Spanish (in Mexico and Spain) and Singaporean English.
  • Smart home devices and platforms that work with your Assistant—you can now control over 1,000 smart home products from more than 100 brands, including August Home, Logitech Harmony, Nest, Philips Hue, SmartThings and Wemo.
  • Features to make your Assistant better—we’ve introduced Hands-Free Calling, reminders, shopping, shortcuts, step-by-step instructions to millions of recipes, and more. And of course Voice Match, which enables different household members to get personalized help on a shared device. So when you ask a question, the Assistant can recognize it’s your voice and respond with your news preferences, calendar, commute, and reminders. Starting today, Voice Match will be available in every country where Google Home is available (U.S., U.K., Australia, Canada, France, Germany and Japan).

We’ve come a long way in the past year, but we’re even more excited about what’s still in store, starting with what we’re announcing today. Here’s a look at what’s coming over the next few months:

Choose a new voice: The Assistant now has two voice options, starting in the U.S., so you can choose a voice that’s right for you. Try it today by going to settings in your Google Home app or Google Assistant on your phone and navigating to preferences.

Spend time with family: The Assistant will soon have more than 50 new ways for families to have fun, and with support for kids’ accounts managed with Family Link already on Android phones and coming to Google Home, you can have fun whether you’re on the go or at home. Soon, you’ll be able to say "Ok Google, let's play a game" and go on an adventure with Mickey Mouse, identify your alter ego with Justice League D.C. Super Hero, or play Freeze Dance in your living room. You can learn by saying "Let's learn" and then quiz yourself with games like "Talk Like a Chef" or "Play Space Trivia." When it's time for bed, try saying "Ok Google, tell me a story" to hear classics like Snow White and original stories like “The Chef Who Loved Potatoes.”

Manage your routines: Your Assistant will soon be able to help you manage your daily routines across your devices. So, once you’ve set up your preferences, when you say “Ok Google, let’s go home” your Assistant can update you about your commute, text your partner that you’re on your way and play your podcast where you left off. And when you get home, just say “Ok Google, I’m home,” and it will turn on the lights, adjust to your desired temperature and share your reminders.

Transactions: Over the next week, you’ll also be able make fast and easy purchases with your Assistant, starting with 1-800-Flowers, Applebee’s, Panera and Ticketmaster. So you’ll be able to say, “Ok Google, talk to Ticketmaster” to your Assistant on your phone to find and buy your tickets.

Broadcast: With the new broadcast feature, your Assistant can round up the family and announce to Google Homes around the house that it’s dinner time. Just say, “Ok Google, broadcast: come on upstairs for dinner in 5 minutes.” The best part—you can even broadcast from your phone to Google Home with your Assistant. Just say "Ok Google, broadcast: I'm on my way!”

Explore with Google Lens: We’re bringing an early preview of Google Lens to Pixel phones. At the start you’ll be able to look up landmarks, books, music albums, movies, and artwork, by tapping on the Lens icon in Google Photos. Over the next few weeks, we’ll add more capabilities, as well as the ability to use Lens in the Google Assistant. With the Assistant, it will provide a conversational experience for quick help with what you see, right in the moment.

Get things done with Pixelbook and Pixelbook Pen: On Pixelbook, your Assistant can help you send a quick email, create a new doc or get the details of your next calendar event. And with Pixelbook Pen, you can circle text or images on your screen to get more information or take action. Looking at a photo and wondering where the beautiful mountainscape is located? Circle it and let your Assistant do the rest.

On the go with Pixel Buds: Pixel Buds are optimized for the Google Assistant on Android phones, so you can play music, have notifications read to you, get directions or set a reminder, all without looking at your phone.

Control your smart home with Nest: With Nest Camera, you can say “Ok Google, show me the entryway on my TV” to your Assistant on Google Home and keep up with what’s going on in your home. Coming next year, with the Familiar Faces feature on Nest Hello, when the doorbell rings and Nest Hello recognizes the person at the door, it will automatically have the Assistant broadcast that information to all the Google Home devices in the house. So you can know who’s there right when they arrive.

So that’s what’s new with the Assistant. We’re continuing to make it more helpful and more available on new devices—whether you’re at home, on the go or somewhere in between—and in new languages and countries.

With all of the improvements built up over the past year, the Assistant can help you get more done and give you more time to focus on what matters. And we’re excited about what the future holds—with our expertise in natural language understanding, deep learning, computer vision, and understanding context, your Assistant will just keep getting better. Over time, we believe the Assistant has the potential to transform how we use technology—not only by understanding you better but also by giving you one, easy-to-use and understandable way to interact with it. All you have to do is say “Ok Google” to get help from your own personal Google.

The Google Assistant, powering our new family of hardware

Today we introduced Google Home Mini and Google Home Max, a new Pixel phone, a new Pixelbook and Pixelbook Pen, and Pixel Buds. Something all of these products have in common is the Google Assistant. With new Assistant features throughout the entire line-up, they’re built with the Assistant in mind, ready to help you get more done.

But let’s take a step back. Exactly one year ago today, we first introduced the Google Assistant, which lets you have a natural conversation with Google. We said the Assistant should be helpful, simple to use, available where you need it and that it should understand your context—location, device you’re using, etc. And that’s exactly what we’ve been working toward. So before diving into what’s new today, let’s take a look at some of our highlights from the past year:

  • Hardware that works with your Assistant—Android phones, iPhones, headphones, voice-activated speakers like Google Home and others from several manufacturers, Android Wear and Android TV.
  • Your Assistant in more languages and places—Google Home in the U.K., Canada (English and French), Australia, Germany, France and, today, Japan. The Assistant on eligible Android phones and iPhones is also available in Brazilian Portuguese, Japanese, Korean and, coming soon, Italian, Spanish (in Mexico and Spain) and Singaporean English.
  • Smart home devices and platforms that work with your Assistant—you can now control over 1,000 smart home products from more than 100 brands, including August Home, Logitech Harmony, Nest, Philips Hue, SmartThings and Wemo.
  • Features to make your Assistant better—we’ve introduced Hands-Free Calling, reminders, shopping, shortcuts, step-by-step instructions to millions of recipes, and more. And of course Voice Match, which enables different household members to get personalized help on a shared device. So when you ask a question, the Assistant can recognize it’s your voice and respond with your news preferences, calendar, commute, and reminders. Starting today, Voice Match will be available in every country where Google Home is available (U.S., U.K., Australia, Canada, France, Germany and Japan).

We’ve come a long way in the past year, but we’re even more excited about what’s still in store, starting with what we’re announcing today. Here’s a look at what’s coming over the next few months:

Choose a new voice: The Assistant now has two voice options, starting in the U.S., so you can choose a voice that’s right for you. Try it today by going to settings in your Google Home app or Google Assistant on your phone and navigating to preferences.

Spend time with family: The Assistant will soon have more than 50 new ways for families to have fun, and with support for kids’ accounts managed with Family Link already on Android phones and coming to Google Home, you can have fun whether you’re on the go or at home. Soon, you’ll be able to say "Ok Google, let's play a game" and go on an adventure with Mickey Mouse, identify your alter ego with Justice League D.C. Super Hero, or play Freeze Dance in your living room. You can learn by saying "Let's learn" and then quiz yourself with games like "Talk Like a Chef" or "Play Space Trivia." When it's time for bed, try saying "Ok Google, tell me a story" to hear classics like Snow White and original stories like “The Chef Who Loved Potatoes.”

Manage your routines: Your Assistant will soon be able to help you manage your daily routines across your devices. So, once you’ve set up your preferences, when you say “Ok Google, let’s go home” your Assistant can update you about your commute, text your partner that you’re on your way and play your podcast where you left off. And when you get home, just say “Ok Google, I’m home,” and it will turn on the lights, adjust to your desired temperature and share your reminders.

Transactions: Over the next week, you’ll also be able make fast and easy purchases with your Assistant, starting with 1-800-Flowers, Applebee’s, Panera and Ticketmaster. So you’ll be able to say, “Ok Google, talk to Ticketmaster” to your Assistant on your phone to find and buy your tickets.

Broadcast: With the new broadcast feature, your Assistant can round up the family and announce to Google Homes around the house that it’s dinner time. Just say, “Ok Google, broadcast: come on upstairs for dinner in 5 minutes.” The best part—you can even broadcast from your phone to Google Home with your Assistant. Just say "Ok Google, broadcast: I'm on my way!”

Explore with Google Lens: We’re bringing an early preview of Google Lens to Pixel phones. At the start you’ll be able to look up landmarks, books, music albums, movies, and artwork, by tapping on the Lens icon in Google Photos. Over the next few weeks, we’ll add more capabilities, as well as the ability to use Lens in the Google Assistant. With the Assistant, it will provide a conversational experience for quick help with what you see, right in the moment.

Get things done with Pixelbook and Pixelbook Pen: On Pixelbook, your Assistant can help you send a quick email, create a new doc or get the details of your next calendar event. And with Pixelbook Pen, you can circle text or images on your screen to get more information or take action. Looking at a photo and wondering where the beautiful mountainscape is located? Circle it and let your Assistant do the rest.

On the go with Pixel Buds: Pixel Buds are optimized for the Google Assistant on Android phones, so you can play music, have notifications read to you, get directions or set a reminder, all without looking at your phone.

Control your smart home with Nest: With Nest Camera, you can say “Ok Google, show me the entryway on my TV” to your Assistant on Google Home and keep up with what’s going on in your home. Coming next year, with the Familiar Faces feature on Nest Hello, when the doorbell rings and Nest Hello recognizes the person at the door, it will automatically have the Assistant broadcast that information to all the Google Home devices in the house. So you can know who’s there right when they arrive.

So that’s what’s new with the Assistant. We’re continuing to make it more helpful and more available on new devices—whether you’re at home, on the go or somewhere in between—and in new languages and countries.

With all of the improvements built up over the past year, the Assistant can help you get more done and give you more time to focus on what matters. And we’re excited about what the future holds—with our expertise in natural language understanding, deep learning, computer vision, and understanding context, your Assistant will just keep getting better. Over time, we believe the Assistant has the potential to transform how we use technology—not only by understanding you better but also by giving you one, easy-to-use and understandable way to interact with it. All you have to do is say “Ok Google” to get help from your own personal Google.

Source: Google Chrome


Welcoming Mini and Max to the Google Home family

Today, we’re welcoming two new products to the Google Home family: Google Home Mini is small and mighty for hands-free help in every room. And Google Home Max is our biggest and best-sounding Google Home ever. They’re both radically helpful, and packed with the power of the Google Assistant, including some brand new features.

Google Home Mini

Mini makes the Google Assistant more accessible than ever at home. We designed it to fit naturally in any room. It’s sleek and smooth, with no corners or edges, and about the size of a donut. Its fabric enclosure is durable, yet transparent enough to let through both light and sound. The LEDs under the fabric light up to show you when your Assistant hears you. And it projects 360-degree sound so you’ll never miss a beat. With far-field microphones, Mini can hear you even when there’s music playing or there’s other noise in the background. Mini comes in three colors—Chalk, Charcoal and Coral. At $49, Google Home Mini works on its own or you can have a few around the house, giving you the power of Google anywhere in your home.

Google Home Mini

Google Home Max

Max redefines audio, in a way that only Google can—with AI. Its high-fidelity sound is built on a foundation of premium hardware. With dual 4.5-inch high-excursion woofers, you’ll get deep, balanced bass. And Max can play loud, really loud…so you can fill even the largest room in your home with your favorite music. In fact, it’s 20 times more powerful than the original Google Home.

Max is our first speaker with Smart Sound, a new audio experience powered by Google’s artificial intelligence. It’s what allows Max to adapt to you—your environment, your context, and your preferences. Smart Sound automatically adjusts for where you place Max in a room, so if you decide to move your speaker a few feet, it will dynamically tune itself within seconds.

Max works with a wide range of music services and supports Bluetooth and auxiliary port . And Max was made to fit your space and style; it can be placed vertically or horizontally and comes in two colors—Chalk and Charcoal.


Google Home Max

The Google Assistant

The entire Google Home family has the Assistant built in, so you can get answers from Google, tackle your day, enjoy your entertainment, and control your smart home. The Google Assistant is the only assistant that recognizes your voice, and up to five others in your home, so that you can all get a personalized experience The Assistant is always getting better, and today we’re introducing a few new features:

Help with everyday routines 
You can already say “Hey Google, good morning” to hear about your day, including your personalized schedule, commute time, the weather and news. Soon your Assistant will be even more helpful with your daily routines. With a single command, you can control multiple smart home devices plus get information you need in the moment. So “Hey Google, goodnight!” can turn off your lights, turn down the temperature, and let you know tomorrow’s first meeting.

You can also broadcast a message to let the family know when it’s time to get a move on. Just say “Hey Google, broadcast it’s time to leave for soccer practice!” and it’ll play on the other Google Home devices around the house.

Features for families
We’re making Google Home more fun for the whole family, with 50+ new experiences for you to try out. Learn something new, or imagine with storytime. There are also plenty of fun activities; go on an adventure with Mickey Mouse, identify your alter ego with the Justice League D.C. Super heroes, or play Freeze Dance in your living room. These experiences will be supported by Family Link accounts on the Assistant, letting parents create accounts for their children under 13.

Smarter home
Now you can control more than 1,000 smart home products from 100+ brands, with just your voice. Starting today, we’re also introducing new ways to control your Nest products. If you have a Chromecast, you can keep an eye on your home with just your voice. Say “Hey Google, show me the the backyard” to see a live feed, right on your TV. And it won’t stop there; learn more about the ways that Nest will work with your Google Assistant in the Nest Blog.

Learn more about all the new features available from the Google Assistant in this post.

Availability

Google Home Mini is $49 and will be available in stores starting October 19. You can pre-order yours online today at the Google Store, Best Buy, Walmart, Target, Verizon and more. Mini will also be available in the U.K., Canada, Germany, France, Australia, and soon Japan. Voice Match is now available in those countries as well. Google Home Max will launch in the U.S. for $399 and comes with 12 months of ad-free YouTube Music—this offer is for new subscribers only and you have until February to claim it (check out the terms). Starting November 13, you can pre-order online from the Google Store, Best Buy and other retailers.

Welcoming Mini and Max to the Google Home family

Today, we’re welcoming two new products to the Google Home family: Google Home Mini is small and mighty for hands-free help in every room. And Google Home Max is our biggest and best-sounding Google Home ever. They’re both radically helpful, and packed with the power of the Google Assistant, including some brand new features.

Google Home Mini

Mini makes the Google Assistant more accessible than ever at home. We designed it to fit naturally in any room. It’s sleek and smooth, with no corners or edges, and about the size of a donut. Its fabric enclosure is durable, yet transparent enough to let through both light and sound. The LEDs under the fabric light up to show you when your Assistant hears you. And it projects 360-degree sound so you’ll never miss a beat. With far-field microphones, Mini can hear you even when there’s music playing or there’s other noise in the background. Mini comes in three colors—Chalk, Charcoal and Coral. At $49, Google Home Mini works on its own or you can have a few around the house, giving you the power of Google anywhere in your home.

Google Home Mini

Google Home Max

Max redefines audio, in a way that only Google can—with AI. Its high-fidelity sound is built on a foundation of premium hardware. With dual 4.5-inch high-excursion woofers, you’ll get deep, balanced bass. And Max can play loud, really loud…so you can fill even the largest room in your home with your favorite music. In fact, it’s 20 times more powerful than the original Google Home.

Max is our first speaker with Smart Sound, a new audio experience powered by Google’s artificial intelligence. It’s what allows Max to adapt to you—your environment, your context, and your preferences. Smart Sound automatically adjusts for where you place Max in a room, so if you decide to move your speaker a few feet, it will dynamically tune itself within seconds.

Max works with a wide range of music services and supports Bluetooth and auxiliary port . And Max was made to fit your space and style; it can be placed vertically or horizontally and comes in two colors—Chalk and Charcoal.


Google Home Max

The Google Assistant

The entire Google Home family has the Assistant built in, so you can get answers from Google, tackle your day, enjoy your entertainment, and control your smart home. The Google Assistant is the only assistant that recognizes your voice, and up to five others in your home, so that you can all get a personalized experience The Assistant is always getting better, and today we’re introducing a few new features:

Help with everyday routines 
You can already say “Hey Google, good morning” to hear about your day, including your personalized schedule, commute time, the weather and news. Soon your Assistant will be even more helpful with your daily routines. With a single command, you can control multiple smart home devices plus get information you need in the moment. So “Hey Google, goodnight!” can turn off your lights, turn down the temperature, and let you know tomorrow’s first meeting.

You can also broadcast a message to let the family know when it’s time to get a move on. Just say “Hey Google, broadcast it’s time to leave for soccer practice!” and it’ll play on the other Google Home devices around the house.

Features for families
We’re making Google Home more fun for the whole family, with 50+ new experiences for you to try out. Learn something new, or imagine with storytime. There are also plenty of fun activities; go on an adventure with Mickey Mouse, identify your alter ego with the Justice League D.C. Super heroes, or play Freeze Dance in your living room. These experiences will be supported by Family Link accounts on the Assistant, letting parents create accounts for their children under 13.

Smarter home
Now you can control more than 1,000 smart home products from 100+ brands, with just your voice. Starting today, we’re also introducing new ways to control your Nest products. If you have a Chromecast, you can keep an eye on your home with just your voice. Say “Hey Google, show me the the backyard” to see a live feed, right on your TV. And it won’t stop there; learn more about the ways that Nest will work with your Google Assistant in the Nest Blog.

Learn more about all the new features available from the Google Assistant in this post.

Availability

Google Home Mini is $49 and will be available in stores starting October 19. You can pre-order yours online today at the Google Store, Best Buy, Walmart, Target, Verizon and more. Mini will also be available in the U.K., Canada, Germany, France, Australia, and soon Japan. Voice Match is now available in those countries as well. Google Home Max will launch in the U.S. for $399 and comes with 12 months of ad-free YouTube Music—this offer is for new subscribers only and you have until February to claim it (check out the terms). Starting November 13, you can pre-order online from the Google Store, Best Buy and other retailers.

Must be the Music on Google Home

Finding and listening to your favorite music is one of the most popular things to do with the Assistant on Google Home. It’s always been a great speaker—and now it plays more tunes with new services from Deezer and Spotify, along with cool new ways to play and find your favorite music.

First on the mic is Spotify Free— rolling out this week in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, France and Germany you can add a Spotify Free account to your Google Home. It’s easy to sign up and you can do it right in the Google Home app. With a simple “Ok Google, play Today’s Top Hits” you’re off to explore fresh jams and deep cuts.

Next up, your music. Do you have tons of songs on your phone? Don’t fret, with Bluetooth® Audio you can now stream your favorite songs from your Android phone, iPhone or other Bluetooth-enabled devices. It’s a great way to enjoy even more music on Google Home.

You can also get help from your Google Assistant when you’re looking for just the right tune, and you can have fun doing it. Try this: describe your favorite album artwork, maybe the one with the baby in the water or the four guys walking across the street in London. Or maybe you only remember a few of the lyrics of a song. Just say “Ok Google” and then share what you do know. Either way, your Assistant can name that tune and start playing it.

And Google Home has a multi-room feature, letting you enjoy the same song in every room by grouping any combination of Google Homes, Chromecast Audio or Chromecast built-in speakers together.

Google Home users in Germany and France are already using Deezer, and pretty soon those of you in the US, UK and Canada will have that option too. In addition to Deezer and Spotify, you can stream music from Google Play Music, Pandora, YouTube Music and 100+ Google Cast-enabled audio apps.

So keep the songs pumping on your Google Home, and tune in for more new cool features from the Assistant on Google Home soon...

Introducing free calls with your Assistant on Google Home

Hi, hello, hey, howdy … no matter how you start a call, your Google Assistant is ready to help!  You can already ask your Assistant on your phone to make a call and soon, you'll be able to do the same on Google Home—hands-free—in the U.S. and Canada. Call anyone (at their home, on their mobile or at their office). It’s easy to use, and it’s free. ☎?

Busy in the kitchen and in need of help? Just say “Hey Google, call Dad” to ask about that one ingredient you always seem to forget (salt? baking powder? who knows!). Because the Assistant on Google Home recognizes your voice, you’ll reach your dad instead of just any dad.  

In addition to Dad, you can also make free calls to your own personal contacts, as well as millions of businesses across U.S. and Canada.* Calling the bakery on 24th Street, ordering flowers from the nearest florist, and wishing grandma a happy birthday are now as easy as “Hey Google.” We’re starting to roll out Hands-Free Calling on Google Home today to users in the U.S. and Canada. To get started, say “Hey Google, call...” and calls will be made over your Wi-Fi connection.

The recipient will see “Unknown” or “No Caller ID.” By the end of the year, we'll make it possible for your own mobile number to be displayed. However, if you’re a Google Voice or Project Fi user, you can already choose to have the person on the other end see your phone number by going to your Assistant settings accessible in the Google Home app.

So go call your dad, grandma, the bakery, the local florist…whomever you’d like! It’s easier than ever.

*Google Home by default can call businesses and your Google Contacts. Learn more at our Help Center about how your other contacts stored on your phone can also be used on Google Home. Calls to premium rate numbers as well as international numbers outside of the U.S. and Canada are not supported unless you link your Project Fi or Google Voice account, at which point you’ll be billed at the published respective listed rates. Calls to 911 are not supported.

Hands-free help for new parents

If you're a new parent, chances are you have a lot of questions and lots of places to get information. Friends recommend books. Doctors help maintain feeding schedules. Family members give you grandma’s remedies.

In the spirit of pitching in, we’ve pulled together some of the top baby-care related questions from Google Search to give new parents some much-needed help!

And since you already have your hands full with a baby, bottles and more, we’re showing how your Google Assistant on Google Home can help give you answers STAT, hands free. So, for example, you can ask:

  • When do babies start teething?
  • How do I know if my baby is too cold?
  • Why won’t my baby sleep?

In addition to quickly finding answers to these burning questions, you can also set reminders and alarms, play lullabies and add the latest newborn necessity to your shopping list—all with just your voice. Of course, these answers aren’t intended as a substitute for professional medical advice. Your Google Assistant does not have its MD. Yet. Learn more on our website.

And congratulations. No doubt you’ll be a pro in no time.

Now we’re cooking—the Assistant on Google Home is your secret ingredient

Cooking without burning the food can be hard enough. But before you even get there you have to prep your ingredients, all while trying not to get flour and eggs on, well, everything. Unless you’re a graceful TV chef, your favorite recipe book may end up covered in unbaked cookie.

But what if you could listen to a recipe and your favorite music, all at the same time? To help you perfect your kitchen skills, we’re introducing the ability to cook with the Google Assistant on Google Home.

Thanks to Bon Appetit, The New York Times, Food Network and more, you’ll be able to follow step-by-step cooking instructions for more than 5 million recipes. Creating your next banana bread masterpiece or stuffed chicken valentino for a dinner party feast will be easier than ever.

So here’s your recipe … for recipes on Google Home:

Step 1: Pick a recipe! Go to the Google Assistant on your Android phone or to Google Search (iOS or Android) and find a recipe. Once you pick your favorite, select the “Send to Google Home” button. Whether you’re at home or on the go, your recipe will be saved.

Step 2: Once you’re ready to cook, just say “Ok Google, start cooking" or "Ok Google, start recipe."

Step 3: Gather your ingredients, your apron and you’re halfway there.

And, for those times when you’re not sure if you missed a step or just need to repeat the directions, say “Ok Google, repeat” or “Ok Google, what’s step two?”

Step 4: While you stir and taste test, you can also continue to get things done with your Google Assistant on Google Home. All while you’re following the recipe, you can play your favorite music, ask about conversions (teaspoons to tablespoons, tablespoons to cups -- who can remember that stuff?) and set a timer or two.

Step 5: Enjoy your meal!

cooking with the Google Assistant on Google Home

This feature will roll out over the coming week, so if you don't have it yet, try again in a few days! And if you’re looking for inspiration, you can also say “Ok Google, let's make macaroons” and we’ll give you a recipe to start.

There’s no set-up necessary—just send a recipe to your Google Home or start on the device and you’re ready to start cooking.