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Control YouTube's live TV service with Google Home
You can already use a Google Home speaker to control regular YouTube videos if you have a Chromecast device, but what about YouTube TV? You're set from now on. Google has enabled voice control over its cord-cutting television service from Home speakers, making it possible to change channels without touching your remote. You can ask Google Assistant to play a specific channel or show, and it's smart enough to recognize fuzzier requests. Tell it to "play the MLB game" and it'll switch to baseball without needing a specific channel or team, for instance.
Google Home Mini review: Taking aim at the Echo Dot
They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. If that's true, Amazon must be tickled pink right now. The obvious inspiration for last year's Google Home was the Amazon Echo, and it's just as obvious that the new Google Home Mini is taking cues from the Echo Dot. To be fair, it's a logical strategy: By packaging all of Alexa's features into a smaller and cheaper package, Amazon expanded the Echo ecosystem and made it easier to blanket your house with voice-activated assistants. Google is now doing the same, right down to the price. The $49 Home Mini does almost everything the larger Home does, at a price that makes the idea of buying three or four to place around the house a lot more palatable. For that to be worthwhile, though, the Google Assistant and the Home Mini hardware both need to seamlessly integrate themselves into your home and make your life easier.
Google disables Home Mini's top button so it won't record everything
Google hasn't even started shipping the Home Mini yet, but its launch has been marred by an unusual situation where some of the devices would record and upload practically any sound. As a result, Google says it's taking the step of disabling all top touch functionality on the Home Mini. While owners can still control it using their voice and a volume switch on the side -- that's it. A software update for all existing Home Minis should roll out by October 15th, well ahead of the products retail debut on the 19th.
Google Home Mini bug could make it record audio 24/7
Some of the Home Mini speakers Google gave away during its recent Pixel event aren't working correctly. That's what the company found out when it examined the unit it gave to Artem Russakovskii from Android Police. Russakovskii told the tech titan that the device he got from the recent Pixel event was recording sounds in his house 24/7. He noticed that his Home Mini would flash its lights even if he doesn't activate it by saying "OK, Google" or by giving the touch panel a long press. When he checked his activity portal, it was filled with recordings saved on Google's server that could make a conspiracy theorist shout "I knew it!" Since the company is releasing the speaker in a few days, it took Google less than three hours to scoop up the rogue speaker from his home.
Google Home Mini hands-on: Smaller, cheaper, subtler
Google's most adorable product launch today is definitely its puck-size Home Mini. No more imposing cylinders with AI voices, it's much, much, smaller and just less "tech." At $49, it'll square up against Amazon's Dot, but like the Dot, it will act as a gateway smart speaker for those not willing to throw down bigger sums of money. I took a look at the Home Mini at Google's satellite London event, and if other speakers left you cold, this unassuming AI speaker might win you over.
Google will show off its new gear at NYC and LA pop-up shops
If you want to get a good look at one of Google's array of just-announced devices, you're in luck. The company has two pop-up shops coming October 19th to New York and Los Angeles where you can drop in, fondle the goods. Unlike like last year's temporary retail spots, you'll be able to buy products there rather than having order whatever you want to be shipped to your home.
UK pricing for Google's Pixel 2, Home Mini and Pixelbook
Even though many of the devices from today's Google's Pixel 2 event had leaked beforehand, there was still plenty left to surprise. Leading the way were the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, but we also got our first look at the Google Home Max and Mini, the 2-in-1 Pixelbook and the new wireless Pixel Buds. Some will be available in the UK soon, others will take their time to make their way across the Atlantic. Here's how much some of that new gear is going to cost you.
Google Home Mini is a basic $49 smart speaker
If you feel the regular Google Home is overkill when you just want to ask about the weather, you're in luck: As rumored, Google has introduced the cut-down Home Mini. For all intents and purposes, it's Mountain View's take on Amazon's Echo Dot. The puck-sized, fabric-covered device drops music-grade speakers in favor of a narrow focus on Google Assistant voice commands (including a Find My Phone feature) and, as you might imagine, a lower price to match. At $49, it's competitive with the Dot and decidedly more accessible than the standard Home. Pre-orders start now, and it ships October 19th to all seven countries where Home sells today.
Google's mini Home speaker may ship on October 19th
If there was any doubt that Google's October 4th event will include a miniature Home speaker, Walmart just erased it. The big-box retailer briefly posted a listing for the Google Home Mini that not only shows off the puck-like Assistant device, but gives an idea of what to expect when it launches. The Mini will reportedly ship around October 19th for $49, and you might not even have to pay that much. You see, Walmart has an tie-in with Google Express that cuts $25 off the price of orders until January 15th. That means you could be paying as little as $24 -- not bad for a brand new alternative to the Echo Dot.
What to expect at Google's Pixel 2 event
Almost exactly a year ago, Google unveiled a host of new products, a veritable "Made By Google" ecosystem, as the company called it. The most notable devices were the Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones and Google Home smart speaker, but Google also launched the Daydream View VR headset, a mesh-WiFi system and a 4K-capable Chromecast. It was easily the company's biggest push into Google-branded hardware. But one year later, the Pixel and Pixel XL have been lapped by new devices from Samsung, Apple and LG, among others. We're due for a refresh, and we'll almost certainly get that in San Francisco on Wednesday, October 4th, when the company hosts its next big product launch. New phones are basically a shoo-in, but there's a bunch of other hardware that Google will likely show off. Here's what to expect.
Google's mini Home speaker and Pixel 2 XL leak ahead of October event (updated)
If Google was trying to keep all its October 4th announcements under wraps, it just failed in spectacular fashion. Droid Life has obtained images and details for three of the headliners, and it's clear that there are a few surprises even if you've been following the leaks pretty closely. To start, that rumored tiny Home speaker has a name and a face. It's the Google Home Mini (at left), and it's basically what you'd expect: an Echo Dot-like $49 puck that ditches the higher-quality speakers in favor of a laser-like focus on Google Assistant. You won't get to swap coverings like you can with the full-size Home, but you will have the option of an eye-catching coral color in addition to more pedestrian charcoal (black) and chalk (white/silver).
