Category: IoT

Google Home Devices Starting to Ship

November 3, 2016 Google, Google Home, IoT No Comments

It appears that shipments for the new Google Home device have started for readers.  Multiple readers have either emailed or commented on Google+ of receiving shipment notifications of the $129 Google Assistant-powered device.  I too have received a shipment notification with it expected to arrive at the end of the week.

Aimed at competing with the Amazon Echo, Google Home brings the power of Google Artificial Intelligence to give you detailed information about your day, upcoming events, search information, travel information and the like.   While it is for everyone in the family, it tied to a single primary Google account.  Like Google OnHub, Home is aimed at sitting out in the open and doesn’t look like a piece of techno-kit sitting on a shelf.

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Google Publishes Supported Apps for Google Home

October 7, 2016 Google, Google Home, IoT, Smart Home No Comments

Earlier this week when Google Home was announced, we got a small sample of the apps and services that it will support in the event. It was pretty clear from the demos that Google Calendar, YouTube and Google Play Music would be supported, as well as some smart home solutions, but it wasn’t fully outlined.  Now that has been solved thanks to a posting in the Google Support pages.  The page outlines everything that is going to be supported by the Google Assistant-driven smart speaker when it starts shipping next month but you can bet this list is going to be changing as time goes on.

As for music, here is what is supported:

  • Google Play Music
  • YouTube Music
  • Spotify
  • Pandora
  • TuneIn
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OnHub Adds Phillips Hue Support

August 31, 2016 Android, IoT, OnHub No Comments

Today marks the first anniversary of the release of OnHub, the home router that aimed at making Wi-Fi connectivity easy.  Beyond this though, OnHub was positioned with its antenna array and other features as being a potential hub for home automation and Internet of Things (IoT) integration.  To date, that promise has gone largely unfulfilled with the exception of IFTTT support a few months ago.  That is changing today with an announcement from the team at Google that OnHub is now partnered with Phillips so you can control your Hue lights with your OnHub.

Today, we’re celebrating OnHub’s first birthday and announcing a new partnership with Philips Lighting, the first connected home device you can control directly with OnHub. We know people don’t like having too many apps on their phones, so we made it possible to control your home’s Philips Hue lights without downloading an app. Now anyone connected to your OnHub can type “On.Here” in a computer, tablet, or mobile browser and control the most popular features of your Philips Hue lights from there. Crank up the party lights!

It’s is a great addition to see to the router and hopefully is a sign of things to come.

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