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Google is selling the Home Max smart speaker again, for now
While flashing a message saying the device is sold out and prompting customers to try out a pair of the new Nest Audio devices instead, the Google Store will still let you check out a Charcoal-colored Home Max speaker for $179. On eBay, they're available for $159.
Google's Home Max premium speaker launches in the UK
Google's most expensive speaker option is finally available in the UK. It's certainly taking the tech giant some time to release Home Max in markets outside North America, but it's at least making its way to more places around the globe -- it also arrived in Australia a few weeks ago. Mountain View created Home Max to be 20 times more powerful than the ordinary Home speaker, so it can fill even large rooms with high-fidelity sound and a deep, balanced bass thanks to its 4.5-inch high-excursion woofers.
Google's Home Max speaker arrives in Australia
Google's high quality Home Max speaker is coming to Australia. The company's most expensive audio product, which boasts sound 20 times more powerful than the standard Google Home, will be available in the country from August 9. The Australian release supports Assistant's latest features, such as Multiple Commands, as well as Home Max's biggest draw, Smart Sound, which automatically adapts to the environment of a room.
Google's summer sale cuts Home Max and Pixel 2 XL prices
Google is trimming the prices of some of its most desirable products under the guise of a summer blowout sale. The company's official store is discounting its flagship smartphone, the Pixel 2 XL, knocking $100 off the price of both the 64GB and 128GB variants. Purchase either device and, at the checkout, you'll see that the former now costs $749, while the latter will set you back $849. Even better, however, is that if you buy two Home Max speakers, you'll find the price reduced by $150, from $798 down to $648.
Google Home now handles three requests at the same time
Google Home speakers can already perform two commands at the same time. But what if you live in a particularly connected household, where you may need to juggle more tasks? The company has an answer: support three simultaneous requests. So long as you form full queries with "and" in between, you can multitask like a pro using only the spoken word. This could be particularly helpful if you want to turn on the lights, increase the temperature and play some tunes without having a Routine in place.
Could Google’s ‘Smart Sound’ be more than just a gimmick?
Welcome to your living room, the latest battleground for tech companies vying for your allegiance. What started as Amazon staking its claim with the Echo line of smart speakers now includes competition from Google and Apple, too. It's not just tiny smart speakers, either -- all three companies have launched Hi-Fi systems in the past few months in an attempt to appeal to audiophiles. But while the Sonos One with Alexa and the Apple HomePod have mustered a ton of press since their debuts, the Google Home Max hasn't picked up quite as much traction. It's not that the Home Max is underwhelming -- it's just that the Sonos One is surprisingly affordable, while the HomePod launched to much fanfare because it's Apple's first foray into the smart-speaker space. For its part, Google has focused on extolling the benefits of machine learning in the Home Max. This time it's being marketed as Smart Sound, and it's the special sauce that enables the Max to tune itself to any room. But it's still a work in progress, and whether it's doing anything that's discernible to the human ear is up for debate.
Google Home Max review: An assistant for music lovers
Smart speakers like the Amazon Echo and Google Home have proved useful -- but they tend not to sound very good. Sure, they're serviceable in a pinch, and are better than most cheap Bluetooth speakers, but they don't compare to options like the entire Sonos lineup, let alone a nice set of bookshelf speakers like the Audioengine A5+. That's slowly changing, though: The Alexa-powered Sonos One speaker performs well and is affordable, while Apple's forthcoming HomePod sounded excellent in a brief demo we saw earlier this year. Google's Home Max is the company's first attempt to join the HiFi audio space -- it does everything that the smaller Home speakers do, but with significantly larger and higher-caliber components. Of course, that higher quality comes at a significantly higher price. At $399, the Home Max is more comparable with dedicated, higher-quality speakers. But the Home Max offers a unique combination of simplicity, high-quality audio and voice-activated features courtesy of the Google Assistant.
Google's high-quality Home Max speaker goes on sale for $399
Google launched its high-quality Home Max speaker with Google Assistant in October, and the last we heard (via a Best Buy leak), it was set to arrive on December 11th. That date was spot on, it turns out, as the Home Max has indeed gone on sale at both Best Buy and Verizon. It's also live on Google's own online store.
Google lists all the devices Home supports for easy reference
The number of gadgets Google Home supports is getting pretty large these days. According to the company, more than 1,000 smart home devices from more than 150 brands play nice with its smart speakers to control things around your house. That's quite a lot of gadgets. If you're looking for a way to find out whether or not your Google Home, Mini or Max will work with the specific smart devices you have in your own home, the company has provided a new support page that lists all the compatible gear.
Smart speakers are working their way into every home
Apple, Google and Amazon have all announced smart speakers that are more like gadgets than audio gear. Of course, whenever a tech company attempts to build audio gear, the specter of the iPod HiFi looms large. Apple's ill-fated attempt to build the perfect speaker was considered a flop thanks to its high price and limited functionality. It was a glorified iPod dock that set you back $349 and couldn't even connect to the internet or FM radio. A decade later, smart speakers look ready to take over the world. And what happens next is going to be very interesting.
Live from Google's Pixel 2 event!
It's already been a year since Google officially announced its pair of Pixel smartphones, the Google Home speaker and a host of other hardware products. Naturally, that means it's time to do it all over again. At an event in San Francisco, Google is expected to reveal the new Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL phones, updates to the Google Home line, a convertible Chromebook and more. We'll be there live bringing you the news as it develops with our up-to-the-minute liveblog, and we'll have hands-on and first impressions from the event afterwards. Keep an eye on this page for everything as it's announced -- Google's event kicks off on October 4th at 12PM ET / 9AM PT.
