Report: Google to debut ‘Home Mini’ smart speaker for $49 on October 4

The device is Google's answer to the low-cost Amazon Echo Dot.

Google is set to reveal the Pixel 2 smartphone and potentially other hardware at an event on October 4, in time for holiday shopping. While the Pixel 2 is set to be the star of the event, a prominent supporting role will be played by the new “Google Home Mini.”

This is apparently Google’s answer to the low-cost Amazon Echo Dot. According to Droid Life, it will be priced comparably at $49 and be available in three colors.

The device will support the Google Assistant and reportedly will provide the same functionality as Google Home. It’s all but certain the sound quality won’t be as good. And there may be other hardware compromises to bring costs down. It will very likely broaden the market for Google Home and the Google Assistant.

Amazon has created multiple Alexa devices for different budgets:

• Dot — $49
• Echo Tap — $129
• Echo — $179
• Echo Show — $229

Amazon often discounts the devices and offers multiple purchase incentives, including on the Dot. To date, Google has only introduced the Home, which retails for $129 but is often discounted to $99. Apple’s Siri-powered HomePod is going to retail for $349 and is positioned as a higher-end smart speaker for the Sonos demographic.

According to one estimate, Amazon dominates the US smart speaker market today. It has also been projected that by the end of 2017, there will be 30 million of these devices in US households. Assistant-enabled smart speakers are the cornerstone for the smart home ecosystem, and we’re in the midst of a land-grab right now.

ComScore has projected that roughly 50 percent of US search queries will be voice-initiated by 2020. More smart speakers in more American homes will help accelerate that trend.

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Google adds trending searches and instant answers to iOS app

Google adds previously introduced Android search capabilities to iOS app.

With a new search app update for iOS, Google has added trending searches and instant answers. (TechCrunch noticed it earlier today.) It replicates a previously introduced Android feature which reportedly resulted in an outcry, causing Google to enable an opt-out.

In the “what’s new” discussion in the iOS App Store, Google says:

• See searches that are trending around you when you tap on the search box to start a search
• Get instant answers to your questions as you type them, before you even complete the search. Try it out by typing for “goog stock” or “how tall is the eiffel tower” and see the answer show up in the suggestions below the search box
• Easily give feedback on any suggestions you see while typing — just swipe left and tap on the “info” icon

The trending searches appear to be national rather than specific to my location. The data appear to be Knowledge Graph data, but it’s not consistent — answers don’t always appear to factual questions — or as rich as the Google Answer Box, which appears after the search is actually entered.

Apple offers a somewhat richer version of instant answers with its Spotlight Search on Safari, though there’s no trending data.

Trending searches will be interesting to some people. Others will be indifferent; still others may be horrified (“Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte”). If they were truly local queries, it would be more interesting to me.

Instant answers has some utility for quick facts. But it’s now faster, easier and more efficient to use voice search or Google Home, if you have one. I can ask for the time in London or “what’s the population of the United States?” much more quickly with my voice than my phone keyboard.

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Search in Pics: Google sleep capsules, YouTube control room & golden Android figurine

In this week’s Search In Pictures, here are the latest images culled from the web, showing what people eat at the search engine companies, how they play, who they meet, where they speak, what toys they have and more.

YouTube control room at the Google Moscow office:

Google Japan sleep capsules:

Google cake hat:

Gold Android figurine:

Source: Instagram

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