Items tagged with google home mini
Google has made a lot of inroads with its "Home" family of Google Assistant-powered smart speakers that include the Home, Home Mini, and Home Max. However, in recent months, some users have been left with non-functioning devices due to faulty firmware upgrades. After a failed firmware update, the affected devices will seemingly reboot normally, yet show all four LEDs lit up. Once this happens, the device is no longer responsive and will not answer to any voice commands. However, according to Android Police, some users were able to get their Homes to break free of this failsafe mode by powering cycling the device. In addition, some users have been able to factory reset their devices...
Read more...
Spotify has announced that is it bringing back its Google Home Mini offer, but this time around, the offer is available to more subscribers. Spotify Premium subscribers on Premium Individual and Premium Family master accounts can now get the free Google Home Mini. The caveat is that the giveaway is while supplies last, and there is no indication of how many Home Mini devices are available. The giveaway is available to both new and existing Spotify Premium users. That means if you only signed up today, you are still eligible. The free giveaway started today, October 22, 2019. Last year the deal was only offered for Premium for Family users. When Spotify is combined with the Google Home Mini, users...
Read more...
We are still more than two months away from Christmas, but Google has found itself in the giving mood and is playing Santa Claus for some lucky Assistant users. Just as it has done with some YouTube Premium subscribers, Google is gifting free Home Mini speakers to select Assistant users. There does not appear to be a whole lot of rhyme or reason to who exactly gets chosen, other than users who active use Google Assistant. If you are one of them, be on the lookout for the freebie offer from Google in your feed. The only caveat is you have to pay a few bucks for shipping. Source: XDA Developers That's not a bad deal, considering you are getting a $49 product for around five bucks. The voice controlled...
Read more...
Updated 12/24/2018 @ 3:25pm Target's promotion may have ended, but Adorama is offering the same deal on its site. You can get the Google Home Hub in Charcoal or in Chalk, and two Google Home Minis are added automatically to your cart. The total price comes to $99 with free shipping and no tax for most. Original Story: Last week we told you about a smokin' deal on the Google Home Hub for last-minute Christmas shoppers. At the time, you could get the Google Home Hub plus two Google Home Minis for $129 with free shipping. Today, however, Target is blowing that deal out of the water by offering the same combo for just $99. But you have to act fast, because Target's offer...
Read more...
Have you still not found the perfect gift for the techie on your Christmas shopping list? Well, if your gift recipient is into the smart home scene -- or is looking to get started -- B&H Photo Video has a smokin' deal on a Google Home combo pack. For starters, you'll get Google's newly released Home Hub, which retails for $149. However, B&H Photo Video has the device on sale right now for $129, which represents a $20 savings. On top of that, the retailer is throwing in a pair of Google Home Mini speakers for free. B&H Photo claims that the pair of Google Home Minis has a retail value of $50, which is about right given Black Friday pricing on the smart speakers. The Google Home Hub...
Read more...
Walmart has some alternatives to the deals that we talked about over the weekend on Amazon streaming devices. The deals that Walmart is promoting include the Google Smart TV Kit for $49, which is a $25 discount off the regular $74 price for the bundle. What the package offers is a Google Home Mini and a Chromecast; Walmart says this bundle is exclusive to its stores. Most are probably familiar with what Chromecast has to offer; it lets you stream content to your TV from Netflix, Vudu, and other sources. Now is an excellent time to add more Google Home Mini devices to your home with Walmart offering a 2-pack of the small AI assistants for $50; that is a $38 discount off the usual $78 price for...
Read more...
This time of year many people are gearing up for Amazon Prime Day. Not to be outdone by their competitor, eBay is offering a free Google Home Mini with qualifying purchases of $119 or more. Customers will simply need to shop for $119 worth of items (not counting the cost of the Mini), add a Google Home Mini directly from Google’s eBay page, and enter the coupon code “PMINI4FREE” at checkout. Customers will receive their Google Home Mini within ten business days. Most items on eBay count as qualifying purchases. The few exceptions are from the Coins & Paper Money, Gift Cards & Coupons, Warranties, Protection Plan, and Real Estate categories. Customer will also no longer...
Read more...
There's no doubt that smart voice assistants like the Google Home Mini and Echo Dot are incredibly popular with consumers, and extremely useful for grabbing quick snippets of information or controlling our smart home devices. However, these small speakers aren't exactly known for their superior audio quality when it comes to music playback. Google is looking to change that with a Google Home update will allow you to control your third-party Bluetooth speakers. To enable this functionality, you simply need to open the Google Home app, and proceed to device settings. You will then be able to pair your Google Home device with a compatible Bluetooth speaker (Bluetooth 2.1 or newer) and set it as...
Read more...
New research has come out that looks at the number of Americans that own a smart speaker along the lines of the Amazon Echo or Google Home devices. The research came from NPR and Edison Research, and found that 16% of Americans own a smart speaker, putting the figure at around 39 million people. That the figure is up 128% from January 2017, and the leading product in the segment is the Amazon Echo family. According to the numbers in the report, 11% of Americans own an Amazon smart speaker, with 4% owning a Google Home device. The number of people who received a new smart spaker during the holiday shopping season was very high according to the report, 7% say they acquired at least one...
Read more...
Back in October Google disabled the touch controls on the Google Home Mini after a flaw in the controls left the speaker listening to everything that was said in a home. The touch controls on the top of the unit were supposed to be used to activate the Google Assistant. Originally it was said that the touch controls were permanently removed from the speaker, but Google has reactivated the functionality in the latest preview firmware for the device. Rather than simply tapping the top of the Home Mini, you now have to long-press the side of the device. The functions returning with touch controls include pausing music, stopping alarms, ending a call and so on. If you want the Google Home Mini to...
Read more...
What was supposed to be a temporary workaround that was doled out to Google Home Mini smart speaker owners has now turned permanent, effectively disabling a key feature of the device. Users can no longer activate the speaker's Google Assistant by tapping on the unit's touch panel. Following the latest update, the only way to engage the artificial intelligence technology is to say, "Okay Google" or "Hey Google." Google initially disabled the touch-to-activate feature ahead of the smart speaker's global launch in response to a glitch discovered by reviewers. Under normal circumstances, Google Home Mini would mind its own business and pretty much ignore any surrounding chatter until it received...
Read more...
Earlier this month Google rolled out some new products that took aim directly at Amazon and the Echo line of devices. Those new Google devices include the Google Home Mini and Google Home Max. The Home Mini is set to launch on October 19 and ahead of that official launch, as Google and other manufacturers normally do, the device was placed in the hands of reviewers around the globe. One of those reviewers is reporting that the Home Mini he was writing about was almost constantly recording sounds in his home. For some folks, this might not be a big deal, but all of the audio it records is sent out to Google servers. Google isn't sitting around listening in on all that audio; what the device hears...
Read more...
When it comes to AI smart speaker, Amazon has been the market leader with its Echo ever since it was introduced back in late 2014. The retail giant just recently refreshed its Echo family, but Google isn’t sitting idly by. In fact, it is expanding its “Home” speaker family with the introduction of the Google Home Mini and the Google Home Max. The first one we’ve talked about previously, but the second was a complete surprise to us. The Google Home Mini was announced is a direct answer to the popular Amazon Echo Dot and is priced at just $49. While the device can playback music, that's not its primary focus. Google instead hopes that the lower price point and the "low impact" design will make...
Read more...
We told you that leaks surrounding Google's upcoming hardware refresh would get more frequent as we approach tomorrow's keynote, and retail giant Walmart didn't disappoint today. Not only did Walmart mistakenly put up a preorder listing for the Google Home Mini, but it also managed to get in a single shot of the Google Pixel 2 XL as an added bonus. As we previously reported, the Google Home Mini is a downsized version of the Google Home. The "Mini" has all of the functionality of its bigger brother including full Google Assistant integration, but it looks more discrete and doesn't resemble an air freshener. According to the product listing, which has since been taken down, the fabric-covered...
Read more...
We've seen plenty of leaks regarding the Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL over the past few months, but this might be the most fruitful of them all. We have what are claimed to be images of both new flagship Android Oreo devices. According to Droid-Life, the Pixel 2 XL (not Pixel XL 2 as it has previously been referenced), will be available in two different color options. The first is black, while the second is primarily white, with a black glass panel on the upper backplate. Overall, the design of the smartphone adheres very closely to what we saw with the Pixel and Pixel XL. This time around, however, the device is being made by LG. As with previous leaks, it's clear that the Pixel 2 XL will only...
Read more...
