After months of anticipation, tech giant Google on Tuesday announced the launch of Google Home and Home Mini voice-activated speakers for its Indian audience.
As per Rishi Chandra, Vice President of Product Management, Google Home, the device understands Indian accents, and will respond to with uniquely Indian contexts. Furthermore, he noted that Google Assistant will work seamlessly for across all devices.
The top surface of the device contains LEDs that provide visual feedback when Google Home recognises the "Hey Google" command. In those moments when voice won't do, the top surface is also a capacitive touch panel, thereby enabling the user to play music or adjust the volume with a single touch.
In a blog post, Rishi stated that Google Home was designed with two microphones to enable accurate far-field voice recognition. The microphone system uses a technique called neural beam forming, and has been tested with simulations of noisy environments and applied machine learning to recognise patterns that allow us to filter and separate speech from noise.
"This allows us to deliver best-in-class voice recognition and minimise error rates -- even from across the room," he added.
Google Home Mini is sleek and smooth, with no corners or edges. And it's small enough to easily place anywhere in your home. It's almost entirely enclosed in custom fabric. It's durable and soft, but also transparent enough to let through both light and sound. The four LED lights underneath the fabric that light up to show users when it hears them or when it's thinking. Mini has far-field mics so it can hear even when there's music playing or loud noise in the background: its circular design it can project 360-degree sound, with just one speaker.
The company further stated that Google Assistant on Google Home has been designed to help get more stuff done with simple voice commands. Up to six people can connect their account to one Google Home, and the device will be able to recognise each voice distinctly.
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"The device can play songs, playlists, artists, and albums from music subscription services like Google Play Music (with a six-month subscription, on us), along with offers from Saavn and Gaana. You can also pair Google Home or Home Mini with your favorite Bluetooth speaker and set it to be the default output for all your music," said Rishi.
Google Home can also help take control of one's home, right from switching lightings on and off, using compatible smart devices from brands like Philips Hue, D-Link and TP-Link. A user having Chromecast can also use voice commands to play Netflix, or YouTube. Furthermore, users can also enable a multi-room by grouping Google Home devices together (with Chromecast Audio, Chromecast built-in and Bluetooth speakers) to listen to the same song in every room.
Google Home and Google Home Mini will be priced at Rs 9,999 and Rs 4,499 respectively. While the former is available in the shade of chalk, the latter is available in chalk and charcoal shades, with Coral coming soon.
The devices, part of the Made by Google family of hardware products in India, will be available for purchase online exclusively on Flipkart, and in over 750 retail stores across the country including Reliance Digital, Croma, Bajaj Electronics, Vijay Sales, Sangeetha, and Poorvika.
In the days to come, Google said Assistant on Google Home will continue to get better over time as more features are added, including Hindi language support. The company also stated that Google Home is open to third-party apps for the Assistant.
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