Google Assistant voice recordings reviewed by humans include private conversations

Some voice snippets uploaded by Google Assistant are being reviewed by human contractors, as with Amazon Alexa, and can potentially include sensitive conversations, reports say.

Roger Fingas 6 years ago 33

Review: Lenovo's Google-equipped Smart Clock is a solid choice when bedtime means bedtime

You'll have to go elsewhere if you want all the features of a Google Nest Hub or Echo Show, but for smartspeaker buyers who just want a cheap wake-up and bedtime option, the Lenovo Smart Clock doesn't disappoint.

Roger Fingas 6 years ago 20

Belkin ships three-way, HomeKit-ready Wemo Smart Light Switch

Belkin on Monday shipped the new Wemo Smart Light Switch, compatible with Apple HomeKit, Amazon Alexa, and Google Assistant.

Roger Fingas 7 years ago 8

Google Assistant response speed getting improved by on-device processing

The Google Assistant will be quicker to respond to user queries faster by performing processing on the device, the search company revealed at Google I/O, with the next generation of the virtual assistant able to quickly switch between apps and help with multitasking in Android than for previous versions.

Malcolm Owen 7 years ago 21

Apple's Siri ties with Google Assistant for most-used voice assistant

A Microsoft study suggests that Apple's Siri is on par with Google Assistant for worldwide usage, despite the latter being available on a wider range of devices.

Roger Fingas 7 years ago 29

Google Duplex restaurant bookings arriving on iPhone in coming weeks

Google is preparing to expand the availability of Duplex, its automated calling feature for Google Assistant, to iPhones in the coming weeks, allowing users of the digital assistant to book tables at restaurants in 43 states across the United States.

Malcolm Owen 7 years ago 5

The Nest Secure has a hidden microphone, and Google didn't tell owners for 18 months

Owners of Google's Nest Secure system are upset about a microphone on the product suddenly being enabled for Google Assistant — one that they weren't aware existed.

Roger Fingas 7 years ago 62

Hands on with the HomeKit compatible ConnectSense V2 smart outlet

At the Las Vegas Consumer Electronics show, AppleInsider met up with ConnectSense and got to try out the second version of the company's smart outlet, with HomeKit, Google Home, and Amazon Alexa compatibility — without a bridge.

Victor Marks 7 years ago 15

Honeywell debuts T9 and T10 Pro smart thermostats, lack HomeKit support

During the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Honeywell parent company Resideo has shown off two new smart thermostats — the T9 and T10 Pro. While both add quite a few new features for users of the controlling app, they lack HomeKit support — at least for now.

Andrew O'Hara 7 years ago 9

Siri accuracy dramatically improves in latest smart speaker showdown

Siri on HomePod improved its standing in an annual smart speaker comparison carried out by analyst Gene Munster's Loup Ventures, with Apple's virtual assistant weathering a barrage of accuracy tests to place second behind Google Assistant.

Andrew O'Hara 7 years ago 24

Amazon Alexa & Google's Assistant are inexcusably terrible at knowing when they're called

As smart speakers continue to encroach into our lives, the cheaper ones from Google and Amazon need to get better at knowing when we do and don't want them to speak up.

Andrew O'Hara 7 years ago 57

Review: Polk Assist is an attractive and small speaker with Google Assistant support

With the popularity of the Amazon Alexa lineup and Apple's own HomePod, others have been rushing to market with their own speech recognition-capable speakers, baking in Microsoft's Cortana, Amazon Alexa, or as in the case of the Polk Assist — Google Assistant. AppleInsider takes a look to see what it offers the Apple user.

Andrew O'Hara 7 years ago 2

Review: Harman Kardon's Google-powered Citation 100 sounds great in an unremarkable way

The Citation 100 is a high-quality smartspeaker, and possibly an easy choice for people already bought into Harman Kardon, but otherwise there's not much reason to choose it over speakers from the likes of Apple, Google, or Sonos.

Roger Fingas 7 years ago 5

You can now awkwardly summon Google Assistant on your iPhone with Siri Shortcuts

Google has taken advantage of Siri Shortcuts in iOS to make its own Google Assistant more useful, with iPhone and iPad users now able to bring up the search company's digital assistant by vocal command, by adding the "Ok Google" trigger to Siri.

Malcolm Owen 7 years ago 7

Hands on: Harman Kardon's Google-equipped Citation 100 smartspeaker

Smartspeakers are not just proliferating rapidly, but becoming de facto in the high-end audio market, led by products like the HomePod, Sonos speakers, and the Google Home Max. Harman Kardon's $300 Citation 100 is another emblematic example, equipped with Google Assistant.

Roger Fingas 7 years ago 8

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