Google Assistant Updates

7 Ways your Assistant can help with your last minute vacation

Do your research. “Ok Google, what’s the weather in Vancouver?”
Schedule your flight. “Ok Google, show me flights to Vancouver on Saturday”
Road tripping instead? “Ok Google, play my summer 2017 playlist.”
Pick your adventure. “Ok Google, what should I do in Vancouver?”
Eat, drink and be merry. “Ok Google, what are the best restaurants in Vancouver.”
Camping? “Ok Google, show me places to camp near Vancouver.”
And if you can’t have one last summer getaway, you can always reminisce … “Ok Google, show my photos from Spain in August.”
 
Your Google Assistant is coming to new speakers, appliances and more

Speakers

As you know, the Assistant is already available on Google Home and soon, it will be coming to a number of new speakers, including the Zolo Mojo by Anker, TicHome Mini by Mobvoi and the GA10 by Panasonic. And this is just the start, we’ll continue to update this blog post as more speakers are announced this week.

With the Assistant on speakers, you can ask questions (“Ok Google, how far away is the moon?”), keep up with your schedule (“Ok Google, tell me about my day”), control your smart home (“Ok Google, dim the living room lights”) and more. You can also expect your same Google Assistant to be, well, just about the same across speakers—so you can cast music and set multiple accounts to work on one speaker. That way your Assistant will be able to distinguish your voice from your roommate or partner. And since it’s the Google Assistant, you can expect great speech recognition, natural language processing and the ability to ask those “tough” contextual questions (“Where is the Eiffel Tower?” Followed by, “How tall is it?”)

Big or small, round or square, no matter what smart speaker fits into your house or your budget, your Assistant can help you get more done. These speakers will be coming out later this year and while availability may differ by device, most will be available in the US, UK, Australia, Canada, Germany and France.

Appliances

“Ok Google, wash my clothes.” Sweeter words have never been said! Starting later this year, with manufacturers like LG, you’ll be able control your appliances, including washers, dryers, vacuums and more from your Assistant on your smart speaker, Android phone or iPhone (any device with the Google Assistant built in!). Need to clean up? It’s as easy as “Ok Google, start vacuuming.” Want to know if your favorite jeans are clean? “Ok Google, are my clothes clean?” or “is the laundry done?” Getting help around the house will be easier than ever.

And more…

The Assistant already supports more than 70 home automation manufacturers, including Honeywell, Netatmo, TP-Link and Wemo, so you can get help with everyday things using your voice. Whether you need to dim the lights to 20%, set the sprinkler, or turn on your slow cooker, you can just start with “Ok Google....”
 
The Google Assistant, powering our new family of hardware

Choose a new voice: The Assistant now has two voice options, starting in the U.S., so you can choose a voice that’s right for you. Try it today by going to settings in your Google Home app or Google Assistant on your phone and navigating to preferences.
Spend time with family: The Assistant will soon have more than 50 new ways for families to have fun, and with support for kids’ accounts managed with Family Link already on Android phones and coming to Google Home, you can have fun whether you’re on the go or at home. Soon, you’ll be able to say "Ok Google, let's play a game" and go on an adventure with Mickey Mouse, identify your alter ego with Justice League D.C. Super Hero, or play Freeze Dance in your living room. You can learn by saying "Let's learn" and then quiz yourself with games like "Talk Like a Chef" or "Play Space Trivia." When it's time for bed, try saying "Ok Google, tell me a story" to hear classics like Snow White and original stories like “The Chef Who Loved Potatoes.”
Manage your routines: Your Assistant will soon be able to help you manage your daily routines across your devices. So, once you’ve set up your preferences, when you say “Ok Google, let’s go home” your Assistant can update you about your commute, text your partner that you’re on your way and play your podcast where you left off. And when you get home, just say “Ok Google, I’m home,” and it will turn on the lights, adjust to your desired temperature and share your reminders.
Transactions: Over the next week, you’ll also be able make fast and easy purchases with your Assistant, starting with 1-800-Flowers, Applebee’s, Panera and Ticketmaster. So you’ll be able to say, “Ok Google, talk to Ticketmaster” to your Assistant on your phone to find and buy your tickets.
Broadcast: With the new broadcast feature, your Assistant can round up the family and announce to Google Homes around the house that it’s dinner time. Just say, “Ok Google, broadcast: come on upstairs for dinner in 5 minutes.” The best part—you can even broadcast from your phone to Google Home with your Assistant. Just say "Ok Google, broadcast: I'm on my way!”
Explore with Google Lens: We’re bringing an early preview of Google Lens to Pixel phones. At the start you’ll be able to look up landmarks, books, music albums, movies, and artwork, by tapping on the Lens icon in Google Photos. Over the next few weeks, we’ll add more capabilities, as well as the ability to use Lens in the Google Assistant. With the Assistant, it will provide a conversational experience for quick help with what you see, right in the moment.
Get things done with Pixelbook and Pixelbook Pen: On Pixelbook, your Assistant can help you send a quick email, create a new doc or get the details of your next calendar event. And with Pixelbook Pen, you can circle text or images on your screen to get more information or take action. Looking at a photo and wondering where the beautiful mountainscape is located? Circle it and let your Assistant do the rest.
On the go with Pixel Buds: Pixel Buds are optimized for the Google Assistant on Android phones, so you can play music, have notifications read to you, get directions or set a reminder, all without looking at your phone.
Control your smart home with Nest: With Nest Camera, you can say “Ok Google, show me the entryway on my TV” to your Assistant on Google Home and keep up with what’s going on in your home. Coming next year, with the Familiar Faces feature on Nest Hello, when the doorbell rings and Nest Hello recognizes the person at the door, it will automatically have the Assistant broadcast that information to all the Google Home devices in the house. So you can know who’s there right when they arrive.
 
Google Assistant - Android Apps on Google Play

The Google Assistant app provides another way to launch the Assistant that’s already available on your phone. It allows you to quickly access your Google Assistant with one tap. You can still access your Assistant by pressing and holding down your home button or by simply saying, "Ok Google."

Remind yourself to send a birthday card, make calls hands free during your commute, and unwind by playing your favorite tunes. You personal Google is here to help. Ask your Google Assistant questions and get things done. Use it anytime, anywhere.

With the Google Assistant, you can:

• Make quick phone calls on the go ("Call Mom")

• Send text messages ("Text Sara I am running late")

• Set reminders ("Remind me to buy a birthday gift for John")

• Take a selfie ("Take a selfie")

• Set calendar events ("Set a calendar event for dinner with Charlie tomorrow from 7-9")

• Play music ("Play jazz music on YouTube")

• Navigate places ("Get me directions home")

• Weather information ("Do I need an umbrella today?")

• Receive updates on the latest news ("Tell me the news")
 

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