The Google Home ($129) connected wireless speaker has grown up a lot in the six months since it appeared on the scene. With support for multiple users, many more smart home brands, and third-party skills, it's finally a legitimate competitor to the Amazon Echo ecosystem. In some ways, Google Home is even better than Alexa—at handling multiple users, for instance. It hasn't quite caught up yet overall, but it's definitely getting there. Design and Setup The Google Home ($99.00 at Target) is an attractive gourd-shaped speaker with a removable woven gray base—additional fabric ($20) and metal ($20) options are available. It's 3.79 inches in diameter and 5.62 inches tall, and weighs about a pound. It looks like an ornamental candle, and thanks to the fabric base and various color options, it'll fit much more easily into various home decor than Amazon's somewhat utilitarian-looking black or white Echo speakers (even the smaller Echo Dot and Amazon Tap aren't particularly attractive). ...

The Google Home is a great-looking speaker with a voice assistant that's catching up to Amazon's Alexa, although it hasn't quite gotten there yet.

Attractive design; Removable color bases; Well-rounded sound; Multi-room audio

Still fewer skills than Amazon's Alexa; Doesn't work as a standard Bluetooth speaker

Looks classy, yet unobtrusive; You can control your home and music like Tony Stark; Search and translate functionality is brilliant; Can now recognise multiple users by voice;

Could sound better; Play Music doesn’t support adding to your library/playlists; You can’t add appointments, reminders, or send messages;

Let me first of all describe my own internet setup here in Oxford and that will give you some idea of my conundrum. Or is it a dilemma You can ask Google H to define a conundrum. And a dilemma. Oh and sometimes it uses Britannica as a source and at other times Wikipedia.

Something is happening in your home. We're already totally lost without the internet inside the house, and we fully expect the same connectivity out of the home too. Trouble is, we're all turning into phone zombies.

Google reinvented the wheel when it came to the Chromecast. A small, inexpensive piece of hardware that changed the way we used our television. Can they do it again with a speaker that hopes to change the way we deal with life?

Google Home is an excellent entry into the burgeoning smart speaker race that's revving up between the big US technology companies. Amazon's Echo and Alexa have a head start, but Google's Assistant is highly capable in many ways, but strangely half-baked in others.

great understanding; can answer lots and lots of questions; good sound; small

variable volume makes control difficult; can't always hear you; not much good for a non-Google user; privacy concerns

I've been watching the Home since it's launch. I'm an early adopter and love android and Google products. But with the feedback since launch, I'm glad I didn't plonk my money down for it.

Quickly access all of Google and the net with your voice

Needs an sound equalizer BAD! Too much bass

Starting point Overall, I'm pleased with the Home and happy that Google has opted to finally bring the device to Canada. Home could easily replace my Echo and probably will given how it matches the functionality Amazon's IoT device is capable of, but also features Google Assistant.

Sleek looking; Actually officially available in Canada; Reasonable price tag

Google Assistant sometimes disappoints; Multi-user support isn't available in Canada; Sound quality is lacklustre

Google Home is pretty much neck and neck with it's biggest rival, the Amazon Echo. That doesn't mean it's not an excellent product, though - especially for those who have already bought into Google's ecosystem.

Cheaper than the Echo; Chromecast support; Easy to use

Voice recognition and speech capabilities are slightly lacking

The Google Home was a joy to have some hands-on time with, however brief it may have been. The problem Google has on its hands with the device is choosing to focus heavily on its built-in AI, or more on supporting additional apps and smart hardware to make it more useful.