Back in late March, a report surfaced that stated Google was working on an Amazon Echo-like device. Not many details were known at the time, but really, how much info does one need? The Amazon Echo is a pretty straightforward device. You speak to it, it listens. It can play music from Amazon Prime Music, can create shopping lists for you, and even works with Nest, if you own a smart thermostat. Now, picture all of that stuff, but built by Google for use with Google’s multitude of services.
According to sources of re/code, the device’s internal codename at Google is Chirp. Working like Google Now does on your smartphone, a user could say, “OK, Google” and the device will await your command.
We expect Chirp would do virtually everything Echo can do, such as play music from Play Music, read books aloud from Play Books, create calendar events that are synced with your Google Calendar app, and give you a breakdown of top news stories from sites you frequent. It is also reported that Chirp will look similar to an OnHub WiFi router.
Sadly, the same sources claim that Chirp is not expected to be launched during this year’s Google I/O, which takes place next week in Mountain View, CA. However, it is expected that the device will be teased on stage during the keynote, with launch set for later this year.
Is Chirp shaping up to be something you want inside of your home?
there was a time when i would salivate over something like this from google. that time has passed thanks to their own incompetence. i no longer trust google to support anything they take a flyer on. i’m sick of being their test subject and to be left holding the bag when they decide to have their “spring cleaning”. i’d rather support a company i KNOW will support their product for the long term. message to google: you can only pull the plug on beloved programs, apps and devices so many times before i simply refuse to take anything you do seriously. as the old adage goes, “fool me once…”
Why do we need this when my phone has Google Now and can do the same things?
I’m in the same boat. The Echo looks cool, but I don’t really understand how it’s better than using my phone. Admittedly I’d be more interested in a Google version, but it’d have to be much cheaper to pay for a “dedicated ok google device”
Well for me I dont always walk around with my phone on my person or have my tablet with me. My phone is normally in my bed room and I dont always want to pick something up to look up information or play music. Echo is in our living area were we dont normally have cell phones tablets. It just makes sense for a certain group of people where much less for others.
For me, the home automation stuff is something that Google doesn’t have down yet. With my Echo, I can say “Turn off all the lights” as I’m going to bed and all the lights in my house go off. Until Google Now can do things like complete home automation by voice, it’s not a competitor.
When is just you with your phone in your apartment I am sure that is fine. But, when you have a home that you are trying to add automation to with a wife, kids, and visiting relatives having a central voice control system makes a lot more sense.
And automating the wife, kids and visiting relatives really should be an additional goal for home automation. 😉 lol
“Ok Google, sexy time!” *Hue lights dim and go red, Marvin comes on the speaker, and the ceiling fan runs on low*
I wonder if that is already an IFTTT recipe?
If it isn’t, it should be. lol
didn’t realize echo will only do amazon music.was just about to buy one. good thing I didn’t
It does Spotify as well
All my music is on google play.
Well kinda. If you have Prime and pay an extra $20 a year, you can upload unlimited songs into the Amazon cloud. I uploaded 2500 MP3’s from my computer to Amazon. They’re all tagged correctly and I can mix and match playlists with both my songs and stuff that’s free out there on Amazon Prime.
Result is, I can stream pretty much anything I like anywhere with the Amazon app. No need for memory storage anymore and both portable and Bluetooth-able. I was quite the DJ on my buddy’s boat last Sunday.
I can also tell my Echo to “play my music” and she’ll randomly select through all my songs.
I am invested in Google’s world, so this sounds very interesting to me.
Who wouldn’t want Google recording everything going on in ; if home? They seem trustworthy.
BS, every company will do it!
Even Amazon. My wifes echo makes the listening sound even when we dont say… Alexa.
Tease? Release already! And it’d better work with Wink, Nest and everything the Echo does or it’ll be DOA. Proprietary doesn’t cut the mustard with these devices.
I can absolutely see Nest support… Wink (Zigbee/Z-Wave) is doubtful seeing as how Nest/Google are pushing Thread. However, there’s been some discussion about Thread being inter-operable with Zigbee and Z-Wave.
I’ll be FURIOUS if all my z-wave devices won’t work.
I’m in the same boat… Just going on what would be logical for Google to do. Plus, there was a time when they were teasing that the OnHub was going to be the Echo killer.
I have zero faith that Google will pull off a first release that will perform even close to how well Echo does.
Google doesnt do proprietary, you should know better than that. There will be an API just like they did with the fingerprint sensor. It will take a bit for the “partners” to support it but Google has always been about “more users! more partners!” because for them the ecosystem is the whole point of it.
bs, google is all about propprietary. they let some features work, but block most it if its not running on google product… Windows has 0 google apps. You can run them in chrome, some in other browsers. Google is all about its product (rightfully so from a business perspective).
Uhh, you obviously dont understand even the words we are talking about.
Google not wanting to make apps for a basically dead ecosystem is not propretary. They make apps for a competing and considerably more successful one. And they allow anyone else to make competing apps on their platform.
We all know you are just a bitter WinMo fan.
SMH … if you think a 300 Million user base is a dead platform… can’t fix stupid.. <>
Sure man, its single percentage of the market place. Its alive, but its like that plant you forgot to water for a week.
Like said, its obvious you are just a pissed off WinMo user who still doesnt understand the difference between proprietary and “not interested in putting development resources into making apps for an ecosystem that is 3% of the market.”
You want Google apps but not Android, get an iphone.
Im not talking about winmo not that it matters… Troll gonna troll. Buh felicia.
Yeah, you are a troll. But if you arent talking about winmo then what? Does Blackberry even have an OS anymore? Because Google makes apps for their primary competitor and the only other OS that has meaningful market share, IOS.
So no matter what OS you are talking about its all BS because you dont even understand the meaning of the word proprietary.
I’ve had the echo for a few months now and as much as I’ve disliked Amazon hardware previously, Google has a hell of a bar set to compete against. The echo is AWESOME. Here’s to hoping Google can pull off something even better.
My Echo/Wink Hub integration is like freaking Star Trek. I love how well it works.
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This is exactly what I am planning on investing in if Google doesn’t wow me at I/O.
The only reason I haven’t bought an Echo is no native support for Google Play lkasjdfl ….. All Access.
You can connect to the Echo over BT though and stream GPMAA that way. But really not the same… :-/
I feel like I’m not the only one that doesn’t get excited about Google products anymore because the chance of it being half baked and unsupported in a year is pretty high.
Not different then the Apple keynotes. They are pointless. Apple is half baked or half in the mixing bowl on alot of there hype. It’s no different.
Meh
Chirp?! Is it made by Nextel? lol
Nexus Chirp!!!! Woo!!!
Eh I’d rather a mycroft
Prefer Jarvis, myself.
If Google releases something like this, I’d certainly enjoy using it, as Google already has pretty good voice assistant support, but I think that the extent of its usability will be determined by whether or not they allow 3rd party support like the Echo. I personally feel like that’s something I would need in a centralized virtual assistant setup, as opposed to something on my phone.
Its obviously just an extension to the “OK Google” system and that already has integration baked in. Its just up to the partners to make use of it.
But that’s just it- the integration Google has for Google Now is not enough. They need an open API so that any developer can create extensions that plug into it or Chirp will never be as good as Alexa imo. There shouldn’t be a list of ‘Google Approved’ integrated apps, (http://www.google.com/landing/now/integrations.html) there should only be an API and extensions that plug into it.
Well, youre talking about the Google Now cards. That isnt this. Now cards is inputting content into Google Now.
The voice actions is a different animal:
https://developers.google.com/voice-actions/
Voice actions IS an API, its just up to people to code their applications to make use of it.
That is actually very interesting! I had no idea that the Now Cards and voice actions were separate. I thought that Google had to okay EVERYTHING that plugged into Now. It’s great to hear that this could be a thing though. Now I’m just disappointed that I haven’t heard more about custom voice actions.
Yeah the biggest issue right now is not enough people are plugging into it. Hopefully it will gain traction. Id think something like this, where the voice actions is the only thing it does, kind of forces their hand.
I mean look at chromecast, that thing has blown up. Pretty much the only people who dont support it are the cable companies themselves for fear of competition.
Interesting…