mrken30

We have both. Amazon is better for amazon prime music and for smart home devices. I can control my fire TV with amazon, turn on my lights and set the temperature. I like the option of being able to use a bluetooth speaker, but the google speaker sounds better than the dot. Alexa drop in has been used a couple of times to talk to the baby sitter.

Google is weird because it speaks to me in an English accent, gives me weather in celsius and talks about Tescos. This is because I have a UK google account. It speaks to the rest of the family with an American accent. Google is better for general information searches. Google recognizes German and can translate without the need of an additional app. Google can also use google voice if you have it.

rebs

I have an Amazon Echo and a couple of Amazon Dots.

I happily use the full size Echo for playing music - I'm no music snob and it's totally fine for me.

However, I don't like to play music on the Dots - I find those just not quite good enough for music. In addition to the sound quality, I find the volume a bit limiting - even on full volume, I can find it a bit hard to hear it clearly from the other side of the room. That's particularly noticeable on spoken stuff like talk radio.

Guindalf

Er, I'm sitting here listening to my Echo Dot through my Bose Soundlink Mini Bluetooth speaker!

I also have an original Echo in the living room and, just added, a Show in the bedroom (as an alarm clock as well as all the other features.

I have basic home automation (living room lighting plus two Harmony hubs to control the TVs in the living and bed rooms.

Added to all that, I have two Fire TVs (three if you count the Stick that's not being used at the moment), so I can search and run streaming from multiple locations.

Alexa may ask if I want to buy following a search, but I'm susceptible to subliminal sales tactics and rarely bothered by having to respond negatively to her.

I would recommend Alexa without reservation.

petitefrancaise

ok... so for DS dorm room?
what would the echo or echo dot actually do for him?

will it connect to Bluetooth headphones to play music?
He likes spotify/pandora
I can't help thinking that he'd have a load of fun with stupid google searches

kimilseung

Echo Dot definitely connects to Bluetooth headphones.

mrken30

Google home works well with Pandora and spotify. Google home does have a bluetooth pairing option, so I am assuming it will connect to headphones.

ChocolateBabz

Yes I just listen through her, hubby connects her to the surround sound system occasionally. Not having to shout upstairs multiple times is a wonderful thing!

kimilseung

It's Bluetooth the other way on the home, it's a receiver not a trsnsmitter.They want you to buy a Chromecast to use other speakers.

mrken30

This is a little annoying. Thankfully the speaker on google home sounds a lot better than the echo dot. I'm still finding it strange she replies to me in an English accent.

uk_grenada

Eh, echo dots use several voices, mine speak american till they connect to my account then switch to english. However ive never heard a smart device with a decent speaker, and i think ive heard most, and there are too many limitations to bluetooth for audio use, range, interference and quality, i highly recommend using native wifi for audio, choose a decent smart speaker the has wifi handling. If you ever want them to work in groups, this is doubly important.

mrken30

I wouldn't call it a decent speaker, but it's an OK speaker on the home, the dot speaker just is not very good.

I couldn't find a way to may Alexa speak with an English accent.

This is all I could find via google.

Recently, Google made it so you could change the voice of its Assistant between male and female. Apple has built up the choices for male and female voices for Siri in multiple languages and accents since 2014. This is something Amazon has yet to explore with Alexa.

This was a fair review of both.
https://www.buzzfeed.com/nicolenguye...Okg#.yg2VnmY3q

uk_grenada

The location thing is a little confusing with alexa. You can select the voice

https://www.groovypost.com/howto/ama...-speak-german/

Englishmum

My six year old granddaughter who lives in England was amazed when we were chatting on Skype and I said “OK Google, turn the tree on” and the Christmas tree lights came on.

I then asked her to give the Google command to turn the tree lights on and off and she had such a lot of fun, doing it all the way from England!

mrken30

I tried this, it seems to make it speak English for everyone. Not just for English speaking people.

mrken30

My 4 year old had speech delay issues, but he is quite capable of saying "Alexa, turn on Christmas" and the tree lights up and all the lights outside turn on.