Google Home vs Amazon Alexa … not quite a review!

I’m a total sucker for a good line of marketing. And, with data collection being what it is these days, I’m like putty in the hands of the big marketers. But I’m happy to be a subject in the marketing wars. It’s like I’m having an out of body experience, watching myself be manipulated.
And that can be fun!

Two of my favorite companies are Google & Amazon. I use their products & services so much that I can hardly remember what life was life before they came to be. I haven’t totally lost it though: sometimes I will drive to the corner store without my GPS app running! And while I certainly make an effort to shop locally, not everything is available locally. So I’m glad to have an online alternative.

I noted, above, that this is not quite a review. It’s not that I can’t do a good review, it’s just that I don’t want to take the time to learn how to use these devices any better than I already do. If it doesn’t all fall into place automatically, I’m not bothered enough to take the time to go learn how to do any more. I got my first Google Home about a year ago. Google’s marketing strategy must have been winning my mind then.

It was great & I expected it to do all those wonderful things without me even thinking about it. But I’m really not doing much with it. It hung out in the living room … where it gave us the time, the weather, & who starred in what movie … but not much else. I started giving the device shopping list items, but then I couldn’t find them on the app. Where were these things hiding? I had the Home app on my phone & I had to do the whole “Hey Google” thing in the middle of the grocery store. I was afraid someone would recognize that I was a total idiot & stopped doing that! Again, no time to play & explore, just forget it for now. The Home device found it’s way to the bathroom, where it provides morning music at shower time. And that’s nice. But I never did get around to hooking up security cams & all the other stuff I dreamed of it doing when I bought it.
One day … soon!

About a month ago, I saw Amazon’s Echo Dot Gen 3 on sale. About half price. Oh well, why not! It started out in the living room, where it gave us the time, weather, & who starred in what movie. And I can add things to the shopping list. But now, I can find the shopping list on the Alexa app on my phone! Woohoo! This one is still in the living room & I subsequently signed up for a free trial of Prime. I’m watching some Amazon programming & it’s pretty good. I’m getting Amazon music, which is also pretty good. Today is the last Amazon Prime Day, by the way. This is like mid-summer Boxing Day sales on Amazon, with special deals for us special Prime members! Being a Prime member in Canada wasn’t a great deal one time. Now it’s got some shows & movies included, along with some music & books. I don’t think it’s the full version of any of those platforms, I’ll learn more when the full trail finishes & I’m back in the cheap seats. But this does add some value to the membership in Canada. The US version is more expensive than the Canadian one, but the US users get a lot more for their buck. Coincidentally (not!), Google offers sales around the same time as Amazon’s Prime Days.

Anyhow, I found myself buying an Amazon 4k TV Fire Stick in the Prime Day sale. Was I manipulated? Again!?!
Who cares … now I’m curious to see how involved I become with the Fire Stick. I already have Roku & Chromecast, so that will be an interesting comparison to make too.

A side-note here: Google & Amazon started playing together about a week ago. So now, we can cast Amazon’s Prime Video through Google’s Chromecast. And YouTube is available on Amazon’s services. Woohoo!
I’m sure it was all very complex but, as an end user & a faithful subject of their marketing plans, I’m just glad they’ve managed to get together on this front. It felt a little like two of my friends were having an unnecessary squabble!

I’m not sure I understand why we can’t change the voices & names on these things. Amazon gives a couple or three options but really, let me call my smart thing whatever I want, you guys. At least then, when I’m in the grocery store, I can pretend I’m having a phone conversation with my buddy, Seamus!

Back to the whole marketing thing … something tells me that Amazon is currently winning the award for control of my brain. And my wallet. The Amazon systems are just making it a little easier for me to be drawn in.
But I am overcome with guilt!
After all, I love Google too. And I really want that Google Home Max. I have nowhere to put it, really. But I want it anyway!

While all this stuff has gotten pretty smart, it’s not like it’s fully interactive AI yet. But maybe that’s a good thing. One day, I’m really going to take the time to learn how to use both products. Properly. And maybe then I’ll do a real review.

Meantime though … I’m enjoying stumbling through this stuff with both Google & Amazon.
What’s your favorite smart assistant?
What are some of your favorite uses for your little digital buddy?
And what’s it doing for you today!?!