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Google Home Hub
User: 9
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Avg: 7.9
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Tech
Google Home Hub brings you visual help for any moment at home. With the Google Assistant built in,...
Google Home Mini Smart Speaker
7.8
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Tech Watch
Entertainment, hands-free. Use your voice to play music on Google Home Mini or get more from your...
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Andy Heron (40 KP) rated Lenovo Smart Clock in Tech
Mar 6, 2020
Bird (1700 KP) created a post in Smashbomb Feedback
Mar 29, 2018
InfernalNinja (49 KP) rated Google Home in Apps
Jun 10, 2020 (Updated Jun 10, 2020)
Easily add smart devices to your WiFi, enabling voice commands (2 more)
Invite other members to your "Home", allowing to send each other reminders etc.
Simple, clean interface
Need a very strong WiFi for more devices (1 more)
If your network isn't secure, tech savvy hackers could hack most things connected to the app
Super convenient!
Ross (3282 KP) rated Amazon Kindle in Apps
Nov 7, 2017
The kindle app turns your high-tech smart phone into a (relatively) low-tech ebook reader. While this seems like a backward step, the added portability and the ability to sync your latest reading position on your kindle to your phone to seamlessly carry on is a massive advantage. This generally works but has on occasion been a bit of a letdown.
I have also used the app to store PDF files for things like zoo tickets or maps when travelling in case of poor internet signal meaning you couldn't download them later which worked well.
I have also used the app to store PDF files for things like zoo tickets or maps when travelling in case of poor internet signal meaning you couldn't download them later which worked well.
Dean (6921 KP) rated Child's Play (2019) in Movies
Jun 25, 2019
Friends 'til the end
Yet another reboot of Child's Play. I'm not sure we need another Chucky film to be honest but at least this had some new ideas. Set present day the Buddi doll can interact with a mobile app and other smart devices. This at least does allow for some fun plot elements and variety in kills. So it does differ in some ways from the original. The biggest problem is the look of Chucky. Not cute enough to be believable as a toy and not creepy enough to be scary. It's not bad as a Slasher film but nothing particularly memorable.
Matt Martin (12 KP) rated Google Home in Apps
Sep 18, 2020
Unbeatable
This is my first review here and I chose this because it's my most used and most raved about product. I tell everyone to get this. Philips hue smart lights all over my house RUN THROUGH GOOGLE. Three nest thermostats for my 3 zones in my house RUN THROUGH GOOGLE. The 2 nest hub maxes, 4 nest mini's, 3 nest wifi points, 6 chromecasts all RUN THROUGH GOOGLE. My nest yale locks for my 2 doors, nest home security system with points in every window and door, my nest video doorbell & 4 outdoor cameras all RUN THROUGH GOOGLE. The dozen tp link casa smart plugs I have for everything around the house, the multiple govee light strips behind tvs and furniture all RUN THROUGH GOOGLE. You get the point. When comparing Google to Amazon Alexa I think it's a no brainer. Google is far more user friendly. Google works with everything a lot easier. The routines are amazing. At night instead of walking around my whole house turning everything off, the lights, the tvs, the fan, remembering to lock the door... None of that, just say "shut it down" (or whatever you choose to say) and it does it all for you. In the morning the routines can wake up by a phrase, by sunrise or by time and can play music, then read you the news, then turn on the lights, then make you coffee. Nothing to remember to do everyday. It really does make life so much easier. Hot day and you forgot to turn the Ac's on before you left for work? Don't even trip dawg, just tell Google it's time to go home and it'll turn all that on and give you the estimated time of your commute and then start playing your favorite podcast from where you left off. You can create groups of speakers, so if I tell Google to play Colter Wall downstairs it plays on all 6 downstairs speakers. The things this can do are literally endless. I can't say enough good things about it. If you know your tech especially this is the way to go. Google has become a part of our families everyday life.
David (771 KP) rated Sonos PLAY:1 Wireless Speaker in Tech
Jul 25, 2018
Fantastic sound
I received this device as a giveaway from Smashbomb, that said this review will not be biased in any way. Thank you again Smashbomb.
On unpacking the Sonos Play:1 it was bigger than I had expected (oooo....errrr). It has a great build quality, is quite heavy but is a solid design. As I had been informed I was receiving the device I had already downloaded the Sonos app onto my Android phone (Huawei P10) so there was no waiting around to get it set up. The text steps and pictures to set up the device were clear to anyone, whether tech savvy (like myself) or the not so tech savvy (my Mum). It is recommended when setting up the device that you plug it in next to your internet router, when setup is completed, you can then move it to anywhere within Wi-Fi range in your abode. As I said follow the simple steps and you will be up and running in no time.
I had extra steps as I wanted to hook it up to my Amazon Echo as a smart device this was done by enabling the Sonos skill on the Alexa app and linking the accounts. As I don't have an Alexa device in my kitchen, I had decided that was where the Sonos Play:1 was going. I had previously named the device 'Kitchen', now all configured I could now ask on my Amazon Echo in another room to play whatever music I liked on 'kitchen' and sure enough the music started playing out of the Play:1. On the updated Alexa app for my Android device I can now give the same command when in the kitchen and it will begin playing.
The Sonos Play:1 has only 3 buttons, volume up/down and a play/pause button so you can manually turn the volume up and down. The play/pause button I thought was clever in that when pressed it stops playing but when pressed again it remembers what was playing, be it music or a radio station. With the Sonos app you can turn the volume up or down too.
The sound is very crisp and of very high quality considering it is coming over Wi-Fi, whatever you are playing through this device it will be an excellent sound experience. The Sonos app also lets you select music and radio sources within it, whatever you are subscribed or signed up for the Play:1 will be able to play it.
I hope this review has been helpful and if I hadn't been gifted a Sonos Play:1, I would have ended up buying one or putting it on my Birthday/Christmas list.
On unpacking the Sonos Play:1 it was bigger than I had expected (oooo....errrr). It has a great build quality, is quite heavy but is a solid design. As I had been informed I was receiving the device I had already downloaded the Sonos app onto my Android phone (Huawei P10) so there was no waiting around to get it set up. The text steps and pictures to set up the device were clear to anyone, whether tech savvy (like myself) or the not so tech savvy (my Mum). It is recommended when setting up the device that you plug it in next to your internet router, when setup is completed, you can then move it to anywhere within Wi-Fi range in your abode. As I said follow the simple steps and you will be up and running in no time.
I had extra steps as I wanted to hook it up to my Amazon Echo as a smart device this was done by enabling the Sonos skill on the Alexa app and linking the accounts. As I don't have an Alexa device in my kitchen, I had decided that was where the Sonos Play:1 was going. I had previously named the device 'Kitchen', now all configured I could now ask on my Amazon Echo in another room to play whatever music I liked on 'kitchen' and sure enough the music started playing out of the Play:1. On the updated Alexa app for my Android device I can now give the same command when in the kitchen and it will begin playing.
The Sonos Play:1 has only 3 buttons, volume up/down and a play/pause button so you can manually turn the volume up and down. The play/pause button I thought was clever in that when pressed it stops playing but when pressed again it remembers what was playing, be it music or a radio station. With the Sonos app you can turn the volume up or down too.
The sound is very crisp and of very high quality considering it is coming over Wi-Fi, whatever you are playing through this device it will be an excellent sound experience. The Sonos app also lets you select music and radio sources within it, whatever you are subscribed or signed up for the Play:1 will be able to play it.
I hope this review has been helpful and if I hadn't been gifted a Sonos Play:1, I would have ended up buying one or putting it on my Birthday/Christmas list.
Sarah (7798 KP) rated Amazon Echo Dot (3rd Generation) in Tech
Nov 4, 2019
Wonderfully useful and functional
I’m one of those people who often takes a while to get into and accept new technology. Not because I’m a technophobe, in fact I’m a massive techie and often the go to person for tech related issues within my family and friends. My issue is that I find a lot of technology is encouraging people to become lazier or become out of touch with basic home skills (like smart ovens or washers, I just don’t get it!). I’ve often lumped smart speakers like the Echo Dot in the same category in that I just didn’t see the point in them when most people still have functioning old school speaker systems. However I can honestly say my mind has definitely been changed for the better on the Echo.
Firstly it looks and feels great. I was expecting a rather flimsy feeling speaker but in fact it feels quite weighty and substantial, and the Sandstone version that I’ve bought looks rather sleek. It stands out and looks good but at the same time isn’t at any time the focal point in a room. The speaker aspect is rather good too and has a decent sound quality. I’ve placed this in my kitchen, as I have a fairly open downstairs and the sound easily reaches the entire floor - I can even speak to Alexa from my living room which is a good 7+ metres away with only a standard sized doorway for sound to reach through. Admittedly I had to mute the TV, but I’m still impressed she can hear me from there! The Echo Dot links up seamlessly with my Spotify account and I’m surprised it plays so well and doesn’t encourage you to try and sign up to Amazon Music instead.
The thing about the Echo Dot is that it isn’t just a glorified speaker and it’s only from owning one that I’ve truly appreciated this. As well as music, Alexa also helps out with so much more like reminders, timers and the weather as well as a whole host of fun features. There are so many fun things you can ask Alexa (google it if you haven’t already), too many to name although one of my favourites is “Alexa, find Chuck Norris”. There’s also the rather sad fact that as I live on my own, Alexa provides a rather welcome conversational partner and definitely less one sided than talking to the cat! I’m also a rather forgetful person, so having the ability to ask Alexa to set reminders when I can’t do something at the time (i.e. remembering to take the bins out when I’m in the middle of making dinner) is a god send. I’m surprised at how well the voice recognition works too. I’ve often experienced issues with voice recognition on mobile phones, because it doesn’t appear to like the northern accent, but Alexa so far has not had any issues. Maybe I need to speak “proper” Northern and see how she reacts...
I love this that much that I’m looking at buying a second Echo Dot for my upstairs so I have full coverage in my house, and can then take advantage of using Alexa as my morning wake up call amongst as well as being able to link both together to act as a multi room speaker system. Fingers crossed I’ll be able to get a bargain during Black Friday in a couple of weeks!
Firstly it looks and feels great. I was expecting a rather flimsy feeling speaker but in fact it feels quite weighty and substantial, and the Sandstone version that I’ve bought looks rather sleek. It stands out and looks good but at the same time isn’t at any time the focal point in a room. The speaker aspect is rather good too and has a decent sound quality. I’ve placed this in my kitchen, as I have a fairly open downstairs and the sound easily reaches the entire floor - I can even speak to Alexa from my living room which is a good 7+ metres away with only a standard sized doorway for sound to reach through. Admittedly I had to mute the TV, but I’m still impressed she can hear me from there! The Echo Dot links up seamlessly with my Spotify account and I’m surprised it plays so well and doesn’t encourage you to try and sign up to Amazon Music instead.
The thing about the Echo Dot is that it isn’t just a glorified speaker and it’s only from owning one that I’ve truly appreciated this. As well as music, Alexa also helps out with so much more like reminders, timers and the weather as well as a whole host of fun features. There are so many fun things you can ask Alexa (google it if you haven’t already), too many to name although one of my favourites is “Alexa, find Chuck Norris”. There’s also the rather sad fact that as I live on my own, Alexa provides a rather welcome conversational partner and definitely less one sided than talking to the cat! I’m also a rather forgetful person, so having the ability to ask Alexa to set reminders when I can’t do something at the time (i.e. remembering to take the bins out when I’m in the middle of making dinner) is a god send. I’m surprised at how well the voice recognition works too. I’ve often experienced issues with voice recognition on mobile phones, because it doesn’t appear to like the northern accent, but Alexa so far has not had any issues. Maybe I need to speak “proper” Northern and see how she reacts...
I love this that much that I’m looking at buying a second Echo Dot for my upstairs so I have full coverage in my house, and can then take advantage of using Alexa as my morning wake up call amongst as well as being able to link both together to act as a multi room speaker system. Fingers crossed I’ll be able to get a bargain during Black Friday in a couple of weeks!
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Be Frank With Me in Books
Feb 8, 2018
Alice has worked a string of dead-end jobs until she winds up as an assistant for a literary agent, Mr. Vargas. He is impressed with her work at a tech store (think Apple Genius Bar) and takes her under his wing. Eventually Mr. Vargas dispatches Alice to assist with one of his most famous, but reclusive, clients: M.M. "Mimi" Banning. Mimi wrote a famous bestseller book as a young woman and then basically disappeared off the grid. She's recently lost all her money in a Ponzi scheme, however, and she needs an assistant to help with delivery of a new manuscript. Enter Alice. However, when Alice arrives in California, she finds herself mainly acting as caretaker to Mimi's nine-year-old son, Frank: a quirky and unique boy who changes Alice's life.
There's really no way to describe this book. It was an excellent way to round out 2015 - it's a lovely and touching novel. While in theory it describes a bit of time in Alice's life, with most of the story coming from her point of view, the true hero of this story is Frank - amazing, wonderful, funny Frank. Frank would probably be deemed autistic, or at least somewhere on the spectrum, in our society, as he clearly has issues with being touched, interacting with his peers, and many other things. But he's also this amazing, unique, and smart boy - he dresses like a movie star from the '30s, has an endless supply of facts in his brain about everything (but doesn't comprehend sarcasm or humor), loves old films, and has a fierce and deep devotion for his mother -- no matter what she does.
As Alice gets to know Frank, Mimi, and the small cast of characters around them - mainly, Xander, Frank's piano teacher, who flits in and out of his life - she is as drawn to the boy as the rest of us. But can she save Frank (and Mimi) from the harshness of the outside world and their past? It's an interesting thought and one that doesn't lend itself to a typical beginning/middle/end plot. In some ways, not a lot happens in this book (though in some ways, a lot does), but its story is propelled by Johnson's excellent character development and descriptions. Frank, Alice, Mimi, and Xander really come to life in her hands. It's a funny book, a sad book, but a beautiful book. Certainly a worthwhile read. You'll find yourself thinking about these characters long after you turn the last page.
(Note: I received an advance copy of this novel from Edelweiss in return for an unbiased review.)
There's really no way to describe this book. It was an excellent way to round out 2015 - it's a lovely and touching novel. While in theory it describes a bit of time in Alice's life, with most of the story coming from her point of view, the true hero of this story is Frank - amazing, wonderful, funny Frank. Frank would probably be deemed autistic, or at least somewhere on the spectrum, in our society, as he clearly has issues with being touched, interacting with his peers, and many other things. But he's also this amazing, unique, and smart boy - he dresses like a movie star from the '30s, has an endless supply of facts in his brain about everything (but doesn't comprehend sarcasm or humor), loves old films, and has a fierce and deep devotion for his mother -- no matter what she does.
As Alice gets to know Frank, Mimi, and the small cast of characters around them - mainly, Xander, Frank's piano teacher, who flits in and out of his life - she is as drawn to the boy as the rest of us. But can she save Frank (and Mimi) from the harshness of the outside world and their past? It's an interesting thought and one that doesn't lend itself to a typical beginning/middle/end plot. In some ways, not a lot happens in this book (though in some ways, a lot does), but its story is propelled by Johnson's excellent character development and descriptions. Frank, Alice, Mimi, and Xander really come to life in her hands. It's a funny book, a sad book, but a beautiful book. Certainly a worthwhile read. You'll find yourself thinking about these characters long after you turn the last page.
(Note: I received an advance copy of this novel from Edelweiss in return for an unbiased review.)