Opinion
Beth Girdler-Maslen believes you should follow her in embracing Amazon Alexa while waving goodbye to Google Assistant
With over 300 million smart homes around the world, it’s clear that smart home devices are here to stay. Whether you’ve kept it simple with one simple standalone device or you have an entire ecosystem that controls your music, heating, lighting and more, the first and most important step to creating a smart home is picking a virtual or voice assistant.
Having a voice assistant at your beck and call 24 hours a day, seven days a week can make a huge difference to your day-to-day life. From asking questions about the weather and skipping songs, to turning on your lights and starting your morning routine, the likes of Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri deserve all the praise and attention they have. But which one should you choose?
As Home Editor for T3, I cover smart home intensely, trying out new products, reading the latest smart home news and teaching myself about all the technical stuff that bores everyone else. Many of my friends and family ask me about how to start a smart home and which voice assistant they should pick… and I’m always more than happy to oblige.
I’m a dedicated Android user and I’ve tried my fair share of Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant products, specifically the third generation of the Echo Show 8 and the Google Nest Mini. After many trials, tests and tribulations, I’ve decided to choose Alexa over Google Assistant… and here’s why.
While many people have strong feelings about Amazon (and rightfully so), it has set the standard of voice assistants with Alexa. The Alexa devices on offer are extensive, including the entire Echo, Ring and Blink line of products, and Alexa is also compatible with other smart devices like Philips Hue, Tado, Ecobee, Yale, Arlo and more.
Its compatibility and smart home features are what set Alexa apart from the rest
Its compatibility and smart home features are what set Ale
