Recent content by jacksmith21006

  1. J

    Nest 3 vs. Ecobee4: Which Smart Thermostat Wins?

    Well that is a super easy one. Nest 3. For so many reasons. But a big one is the Nest looks so much nicer.
  2. J

    Giving Away Free Google Home Minis Is the Dumbest Idea Ever

    But also unnecessary. Google started 2 years late and already now has the lead position. "Move over, Amazon Echo. Google Home now sits upon the smart speaker throne" Why on earth would they give them away? We started with an Echo and now have several Google Homes. It is really no contest.
  3. J

    5 Reasons to Buy the Google Home Mini (and 3 Reasons to Skip It)

    We started with an Echo but since purchased a Google Home and then more Google Homes. The biggest difference is the Google Home is just a lot easier to interact with. The Echo is very rigid in the language you have to use. Versus the Google Home you can talk to it more like how you would...
  4. J

    Google Home Just Beat Amazon Echo for First Time

    Not at all surprising. We started with the Echo but then purchased a Google Home. The Google Home is just a lot easier to interact with as it is much more forgiving on how you word things. But then also the Google Home is just a lot smarter. Perfect example is earlier this week. Sons...
  5. J

    DirecTV Now Gets Massive Update: How Does It Stack Up?

    Started with DirectTV but since switched to using YouTube TV and could not be happier. I had a Tivo for years and needed a cloud based DVR that felt as responsive as a local Tivo. Plus how in the world YouTube can give you unlimited recording I do not know but it makes a world of difference. I...
  6. J

    Mesh Router Face-off: Netgear Orbi vs. Google WiFi vs. Linksys Velop vs. Samsung Connect Home Pro

    Two things not considered and should be. First, is security. Google has found Broadpwn, Cloudbleed, Heartbleed, Shellshock, Meltdown and Spectre and have a security chip inside the GW. Google developed their own security chip which is inside the GW to lock the boot image to the hardware...
  7. J

    How to Beat YouTube TV’s Price Hike

    Once you get YouTube TV it will be very difficult to go back to the old way of watching TV. It gives you TV on demand, finally. So I set ours to record all the channels I watch 24/7. This allows me to then jump in any point and rewind. So when a story like yesterday with the high school...
  8. J

    Google Assistant Will Soon Beat Alexa in One Big Way

    To keep up with the Amazon Echo? We started with the Echo in late 2014 and now have several Google Homes. Google passed Amazon awhile ago. The biggest difference is that fact the Echo requires rigid language or basically commands you have to memorize to get it to do things. Versus the...
  9. J

    Apple’s HomePod: Too Little, Too Late?

    Hard to see gaining traction. But hopefully in the process they will improve Siri which is desperately needed.
  10. J

    Google Home Max Review Roundup: What Critics Love and Hate

    Planned on getting a HomePod but with Apple punting picked up a Max. One thing surprising is the Max does stereo with a single unit unlike the HomePod. This is something apple MUST fix before releasing. The Max also makes an incredible soundbar.
  11. J

    Amazon Fire TV Losing YouTube on Jan 1

    This really took too long. Amazon started this anti-competitive behavior over 2 years ago and Google should have pushed back hard at the time. Google should have removed Amazon app from the Play store day 1 and we would not be where we are at today. Amazon has now also removed Twitch from the...
  12. J

    How Real-Time Translation on Google Pixel Buds Works

    Man do I want a pair of these. Ordered a set but will not arrive for a few weeks. The stuff Google is doing with AI is the thing most like magic that we have in our world today.
  13. J

    Roku Ultra vs. Apple TV 4K vs. Nvidia Shield: Face-Off

    You forgot the best part by a mile on the Shield. The Google Assistant.
  14. J

    Alexa vs. Siri vs. Google Assistant: Which Smart Assistant Wins?

    Use Alexa, Siri and the Google Assistant almost daily and can say this is probably the worst review I have seen of the three. I do a lot of surfing and reading online and hate being jerky online but this comparison is just really, really bad. Google Assistant is well ahead of the other two...
  15. J

    iPhone 8 vs. Pixel 2: Why Apple Beats Google

    Really comes down to what is important to you. If you want the best camera you can get on a smartphone then you buy a Pixel. If you want iOS you do not. If you want Android and fluid experience is important to you then you buy a Pixel Personally I had iPhones since the 3G so the fluid...