THE #1 AV NEWS PUBLICATION. PERIOD.

The Google Home Mini May Be Small, But It Is Also Mighty Useful

This holiday season I gifted a small, simple smf useful electronic device that can play music, control your home, integrate to other smart devices very easily, assist you throughout you day and night, and so much more through the power of the internet. It’s offered in a variety of colors, can be bold or blend into the rooms decor and only costs $30.

The Google Home Mini may be small, but it brings big opportunity to your otherwise non-connected home or office. Similar to the size of a doughnut, this connected home device from Google is offered in chalk, charcoal, coral and aqua, four colors that seem to be aimed at the design community. Consumer electronics, something I’ve written about for many years now, has often lacked more aesthetic options, including color options. Google has been shaping up its hardware division in the last few years, and 2018 was a big winner for them. They had a big push at CES (Consumer Electronics Show) in Las Vegas, Nevada, earlier in January of 2018, where they had a nice pop-up experience center where they showcased hardware we wouldn’t see until later in the year, but also showing their integrations with other hardware and how voice control is the new remote control.

All throughout 2018, I witnessed other pop-up locations around the country showcasing similar experiences with automation in mind, and the Google Assistant at the helm of control. You might think “That’s great for the Google fanboy like you, Johnny, but what about the other half who use Apple products”? All you need is a Gmail account and the benefits of this experience awaits you as well; no proprietary phones required — the Google assistant can run on your iPhones too.

Regardless of your smartphone ecosystem of choice, this gift is enjoyable, educational and an all around good piece of technology to own in your home, office, and/or home away from home (they make a battery now for the Mini). Google’s Mini isn’t really that new in terms of what it does, but since the holidays, a new price drop makes the $30.00 Mini a strong contender for smart home enthusiasts, and music junkies alike.

My gift recipients had either already had some form of Google Hardware with the Assistant or none at all, but all of them were able to set it up within minutes, ages ranging from 12 to 60. Some of these same recipients also received other Google devices, or devices that integrated well with the Mini, so it added value to thing they already had, as well as made those things more fun to use and interact with, like Chromecast devices, Nest Doorbells and cameras.

You might ask why integrations with my gift is important, or wonder why I’ve even mentioned they received other Google branded gifts, and/or already owned a few themselves. It’s because creating a seamless ecosystem for your home, office and living spaces is important, and you want to feel comfortable there, not overwhelmed with too many options that require standalone controls; it’s not a good practice to live within a place that has too many separate “remotes,” which will only cause confusion and frustration.

Despite what you may think about the Google ecosystem, you have to admit, they have built some pretty visually pleasing hardware that plays well with it’s own kind, as well as with others. Don’t agree with me? Say “Hey Google, email johnny@rAVePubs.com,” and tell Google to share your idea of a better one with me.

 

Top