A little over a year ago, Amazon launched Echo, an always-connected speaker/hub that allowed owners to receive answers to questions, hear the news, get the weather, and much more without pressing a button. Now, Google has released a competitor: Home. Google Home is a similar always-listening speaker that can respond to your questions, fire up some music, control certain home devices, and plenty more whenever you ask it to. Unlike the Echo, however, Home can work with one of Google’s most popular devices, the Chromecast, to allow you to stream YouTube videos and shows to the TV you have your Chromecast dongle plugged into, and it can work with other Home units and Google Cast devices. Google has worked to make Home’s audio responses short and sweet, while still leveraging Google’s power, so you aren’t listening to an entire Wikipedia entry after you ask a question. It launches later this year and price is yet to be announced.
PARTNER
Huckberry’s Essential Holiday Gift Guide
Unzip your coat and have some mulled wine on the house—you’ve arrived at your final gifting destination: The Holiday Gift Guide. It’s like your friendly neighborhood one-stop holiday shop, except instead of balsa wood ornaments, ours is packed with thoughtful gifts for everyone on your list. Future heirlooms, small-but-significant stocking stuffers, and gear for getting out there (or staying in)—are all right here. There’s no music playing in the background though, so you’ll just have to hum Bing Crosby while you click around instead.
