I just got an email invite to order it. It says it works with smarthings. I ordered it to see how it compares with echo. If it doesn’t blow it away then I might have a hard time changing 3 echoes and the 3 2nd gen dots pre ordered.
1 Like
When Amazon introduced Echo, they offered it to Prime customers at 50% discount ($99). If Google were smart, they would do the same and offer it to SmartThings customers for half-price, but I guess based on Echo’s success they’re pretty sure it will fly off the shelves anyway. We’ll see.
5 Likes
So does Harmony Remote…just sayin…
2 Likes
and mine works not sure your point on that.
2 Likes
Yeah I think your right. But I have to guess 2nd gen dot is priced lower for pre order then it will be after. Can see the price dropping that low. What amazes me is ebay has them for 70.00 and more saying available on Oct 20th. It amazes me what people try and do.
It definitely will … though a perceived “discount” wouldn’t hurt.
I rushed to buy two of the original Dots (after being in the Echo pre-purchase group), but then Amazon subsequently came out with a cheaper model.
There’s no logical for large companies to discount “flashy” gadgets for pre-order. If they are wise, they want to keep the size of the first Customer group to be relatively small in order to shake out bugs and maintain reputation. So there’s no need to forego revenue.
As we know from Google Glass, they had plenty of demand even at the very high price and completely unproven technology.
I agree thats why I can’t wait to see if the price goes up or stays $50. And if google home stays 129 or goes up.
1 Like
Sorry just don’t trust any ST “works with” integration anymore. Harmony integration has failed so many times over the past 2 years. Not sure you have been on the system long enough to experience it but I have stopped using Harmony mostly because I get too frustrated when it stops working and I spend time debugging it just to discover another update broke it.
That was mostly due to insane media hype, that is until the term glasshole was coined. That totally killed the product. 
1 Like
The only failure I have had in 6 months with harmony is through alexa. The app has worked every time.
There have been multiple changes to how the harmony/smart things integration works in the last year, at least four that I know of, and none of them preannounced. This did result in things temporarily not working, although often the fix was very simple like just opening the app and closing it again. But it has been an ongoing struggle for me, since I can’t do the maintenance on it.
I ended up dropping the official harmony/SmartThings integration just because I couldn’t keep up with the changes.
1 Like
Glad it works better for you. I like JD have mostly given up. I use the home buttons to control switches but I don’t try to have ST control my media devices anymore using ST. It’s less frustrating to pick up the remote and start my devices.
1 Like
I do use Harmony with Echo every day, but I use Yonomi or the IFTTT channel. 
1 Like
Quick, what’s the coolest product Google has ever announced and then supported? Oh, and software doesn’t count. Right, exactly — there isn’t one. Google’s software services are immensely popular and infuse our daily lives. It’s hard to imagine anything before Google Search, Gmail, Calendar, Docs or Google Maps, etc. But on hardware it’s usually the same story: a swing and a miss (e.g. Chromebook Pixel, Nexus Player, OnHub router, Pixel C, Google Glass just to name a few).
For that reason, I am definitely waiting for Google Home v2, since Google’s track record for hardware products has been dismal at best and usually early end of life…
On the other hand, my Amazon Echo is working perfectly with Amazon Services, SmartThings, Ecobee and integrates very nicely with controlling me numerous Sonos systems. I can even enhance the Echo’s Skills environment using their AWS templates and install freeware like Ask Alexa, etc…
I’d say Chromecast. It’s not the best streaming device by any measure, but it’s cheap and dead simple. That’s what matters most to most people, it seems.
2 Likes
Yeah, I was going to say Chromecast, too. 
Same here. I’m not in a hurry to jump on GH bandwagon, but I’m glad a lot of folks feel adventurous. I happily let them blaze this trail. 
1 Like
I’ll pick one up at Best Buy, try it out for a week, and return it if I don’t like it. I try most of the new voice technologies.
1 Like
I will concede that Google’s Chromecast has a following and a very attractive entry price, but Chromecast vs. Roku Streaming Stick vs Amazon Fire TV Stick: Here’s a story of David and the Goliath and where Chromecast is falling behind the competition after “first to own the video stick market”. We will have to see how Google Home stays up with a market that will soon see an Apple/Siri offering.
I don’t think it’s fair to compare Chromecast with Roku or FireTV. Chromecast is not a set-top box, but rather a streaming accessory for the smartphone/tablet. It’s a separate category. Limited but quite useful if you’re smartphone-centric.