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.

You need the premium subscription for Amazon, YouTube etc to listen to your playlist. Its very handy and easy to operate. Its compact and follows instructions easily.

Google finally announced the intelligent smart speaker Google Home, which features Google's own AI Assistant. The smart speaker is head-on with rivals from the industry, namely the old player Alexa-assisted Echo from Amazon and the recently announced Siri-assisted HomePod by Apple.

The speaker might be small – it's a shade over 14cm tall – but it can be a big help every day. Think of it like a friend that knows everything that's constantly on call. You can ask questions, get it do things, play your music, keep you up-to-date and get you ready for your day.

Easy to set up; affordable; decent audio quality; amazing source of information; gets better the more you use it

Took a while to link smart devices

At £129, Google Home is a more personalisable connected speaker than those from its leading rivals; Swapping out the ability to buy stuff online using your voice for a better understanding of general queries out the box.

Great microphone performance; Customisable design; Expansive skill set; Effortless setup; Unobtrusive

This smart home device is basically Google's answer to Amazon's extremely popular Echo device and for the most part they are incredibly similar. Both will help you with various tasks and answer questions about weather, news, sports, etc.

Stylish – will blend into home nicely; Dozens of features; Can stream content straight to your TV (YouTube & Netflix; Connects with other smart home devices; Customizable design

More expensive than Echo Dot; Average audio quality; Need Google Audio device to connect with other speakers

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

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

Google has made the smart speaker race interesting with Google Home. It can do many of the same basic things as Amazon's Echo can, yet it costs less and has more visual appeal. The Echo delivers better sound, and it connects to far more smart devices, but you can expect Home's add-ons to increase...

Integrates with your Google tools; Controls Google Cast-enabled devices; Booming bass

Limited add-ons at this point; Lacks balanced sound; especially on vocals

It was only a matter of time before Google came out with something to compete with the Amazon Echo: After all, Google too has deep experience with both voice commands and search. Indeed, one of the things we like best about the new Google Home hub is how it responds to conversational inquiries --...

Tasteful design; Access to Google's massive knowledge graph; Google Assistant is conversational and context aware; Chromecast integration has the potential to be a killer feature

Speaker quality is only so-so for music; Limited third-party app support compared to Amazon; A handful of expected features aren't available at launch