Get to know the Google Home Mini better

Get to know the Google Home Mini better

When Google launched its first smart speaker back in 2016, it was already well behind its Seattle-based rival, Amazon. The e-commerce and cloud computing giant had already unleashed the Echo, Echo Tap, and Echo Dot. With the launch of Google Home Mini, Google made a comeback, intending to give a tough fight to the likes of Amazon’s Echo Dot and other smart devices.

The Google Home Mini is an attractive device and has a richer feel than its counterparts. The device looks like a cloth-covered pebble and it is small enough to fit in your palms. Cloaked in coarse fabric, it is available in colors of coral, chalk, aqua, and charcoal. The lower portion is coated with grippy silicone to resist sliding and oily fingerprints. It powers up through a micro USB slot and a power cord with a round plug.

Setup
You need to have a Google account and the Google home app installed on your phone before setting up the Google Home Mini. Once it connects with the Wi-Fi of your home or office, all you need to say is “OK Google” or “Hey Google” for the smart device to recognize your voice and link it with your Google account. Once this setup is complete, it is up to you to decide the extent of your dependence on it and how much it can do for you. For instance, you will have to set up the payment information through the app if you wish to order groceries online through Google Home Mini.

Here’s what Google Home Mini can do :

  • It has all the capabilities of its predecessor, Google Home. It includes an extra feature called “voice match.” Once set up, the mini uses this feature to match the voice and detect who is asking for information.
  • You can set up shortcuts to give the Mini specific directions for a particular task. For instance, creating a shortcut for Michael Jackson videos on YouTube and simply saying “Hey Google, make me dance” will play the saved videos.
  • Google has also introduced an interactive feature for children’s entertainment called “family link” which consists of games, beatboxing, storytelling, and much more.
  • You can also make Google Assistant work with a number of smart home devices simultaneously. It can lock your doors, turn off lights. It also allows you to play movies on Google Play; a feature not available in its predecessors.
  • The hands-free calling feature allows you to make phone calls to anyone on your contact list, assuming they live in the USA, Canada, or Mexico.

In conclusion, the Google Home Mini is ideal if you are looking for a small, affordable ($49) device to assist you in your daily activities. It is loud enough for its size, it can be streamlined with other Home devices but it cannot be used as a foundation for smart devices for your home or office.

Related Reading

Tips for Buying the Best Dog Food

Tips for Buying the Best Dog Food

Most of the dogs do not have a food fuss and may eat almost anything that you feed them. Dogs are not choosy at all when it comes to food and nutrition. Hence, it is important to make sure that the food that you are purchasing for your dog is healthy. The landscape of dog food has been developing by leaps and bounds in recent times. There is a wide variety of options to choose from in the online and offline market. Given the wide range of options that are available today, buying the best dog food might seem to be a confusing task indeed. All the commercial pet food that is available in the market today is regulated by the FDA. Therefore, most of the products do contain nutritious, healthy, and safe ingredients. But it does help to know certain basic factors you should look for while buying food for your dog. Prioritize on the nutritional guarantee The best dog food, which meets the dog’s needs adequately has a statement written on the label of the product, from the Association of American Feed Control Officials. Buy from some of the best dog food brands, such as Fromm Family Foods, Earthborn Holistic, Nature’s Variety Instinct, and The Honest Kitchen.
Different Types of Kitchen Cabinets Available for Your Home

Different Types of Kitchen Cabinets Available for Your Home

The most important aspect when designing your kitchen is deciding on the type of cabinets. In addition to functionality, kitchen cabinets score on aesthetics as well. Once the layout is planned, you can go ahead with choosing the cabinets. If you’re remodeling your home or just the kitchen, what you need to consider are the types of cabinets that furnish your kitchen. Here are a few types of kitchen cabinets that you can choose from. Base cabinets These kitchen cabinets are mounted on the floor and they are placed after checking out the floor plan. A major part of your job in the kitchen is on these base cabinets, which hold and support the countertops. These base cabinets are combined to carve out kitchen islands. A number of base cabinets are fused/set against one another and installed on site. The base cabinets, in addition to supporting the countertops, serve as drawers to hold your cutlery and appliances. Wall cabinets Mounted on the walls, these cabinets can store everything, right from your cookware to cookbooks. In terms of design, they offer utmost flexibility. Wall cabinet kitchen is available in varying heights, multiple widths, and custom depth options. This customization helps you to fit in your stuff of varying shapes and sizes into the wall cabinets.
How to Pick the Right Dog Food for a Sensitive Stomach

How to Pick the Right Dog Food for a Sensitive Stomach

In today’s world, where you are presented with over a dozen choices for every item you would purchase for your own kitchen, it is not surprising that you have an equal number of options for your dog’s food. However, choosing the perfect brand and formula for your dog out of a range of options in the market is not an easy job. Your pet depends on you and trusts you to make the right choice for them. Therefore, it is imperative that you do your research about the products available in the market, understand what your dog needs, know what might be your pet’s problems, and then make a sound decision. What is a sensitive stomach? Dogs are known to have voracious and large appetites. Keeping that in mind, it is normal to assume that they have strong stomachs. They can eat close to anything be it sweets, bakes, chewy gum, hard leather or even woolen socks for that matter! It always so happens that the strongest of them are prone to allergies and can develop a disorder which is medically translated as a sensitive stomach. This might be due to a sudden change in the food habits or even due an infection picked up from somewhere.
All You Need to Know about Cat Food

All You Need to Know about Cat Food

For cat owners, cat food is a hot topic. You need to think about it in different aspects. The best thing is to know which ingredients are good for cat food and which are harmful. If you are aware of this, you can get an idea about the quality of the cat food just by going through the label. It is always sensible to stick to one brand of cat food. However, you may also want to try and prepare cat food yourself. There are also various options for wet cat food as well. Cat’s love for fish is universal, so you can do without going for expensive cat food. Nevertheless, whether you buy it or prepare cat food at home, you need to ensure that the food contains enough nutrition and calories. You would need to have some idea about the ingredients that must be present in cat food and make a worthy selection for your cat. Basic ingredients present in good cat foods Cats need a variety of nutrients to stay healthy and active; they need various vitamins, minerals, fats, proteins, and oils. The following is a brief explanation of the basic ingredients that should be present in cat foods.