Last year, Google showed off WaveNet, a new way of generating speech that didn't rely on a bulky library of word bits or cheap shortcuts that result in stilted speech. WaveNet used machine learning to build a voice sample by sample, and the results were, as I put it then, "eerily convincing." Previously bound to the lab, the tech has now been deployed in the latest version of Google Assistant. The general idea behind the tech was to recreate words and sentences not by coding grammatical and tonal rules manually, but allowing a machine learning system to see those patterns in speech and generate them sample by sample. A sample, in this case, being the tone generated every 1/16,000th of a second.

By the end of 2017, there will be over 33 million voice-controlled devices like Google Home and Amazon Echo in the hands of your customers. Even if you do not own one of these devices yourself, you're probably already familiar with how these devices are revolutionizing the online shopping experience. As an online retailer, you understand how important the omnichannel shopping experience is for your consumers. But have you ever considered that voice-controlled devices would become one of those channels you had to account for when creating content for your site? Here's what you need to know about voice-activated shopping as the popularity of these voice-activated devices grows.

Not 10 minutes after Amazon's surprise announcement of new Echo devices last week, I walked into a small meeting room in Google's Mountain View headquarters to hear about the new Google Home Mini and Google Home Max. If there was ever a sign that Google had a big hill to climb to stay competitive in home speakers, this was it. But Rishi Chandra, Google's GM of Home products, was characteristically relaxed about the whole thing, even joking about it. "It only shows we're in the early stages of this area, let's just say that. Chandra is going to need to hang on to that sense of humor, because even though Google is expanding its lineup of smart speakers, Amazon has clearly captured consumers' imaginations in a way that the Google Home has not. Amazon is in the lead in this category, even though, in some ways, the Google Home and the Google Assistant are more technically advanced than what Amazon has been offering. Part of Amazon's success has come because it's been able to offer lots of ...

Google's Pixel event today confirmed a lot of leaks and rumors, but it also held some surprises and software upgrades developed with machine learning. Marking its second year making hardware, Google announced the new Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL; an interesting new camera called Google Clips; a new Google Home Mini and Max; a Pixelbook, and an updated Google Daydream. If you missed any of it, we have the biggest announcements right here. They have the same camera, processor, and speaker specs. They have 12.2-megapixel rear cameras that have an autofocus with laser and dual-pixel phase detection, and optical and electronic image stabilization. In the front, the Pixels have a fixed-focus 8-megapixel camera.

Jefferson Graham is in the hands-on room at the Made by Google event in San Francisco, showing off new phones, speakers, computer and a camera with a built-in "Google Assistant." SAN FRANCISCO -- Google is getting into the camera business, but Clips is unlike any camera you might have ever seen. Spend some time with it, and you'll have questions about it. The $249 Google Clips looks like a teeny GoPro, but acts very differently. As a photographer, you don't choose the shot--the camera does it for you.

Sonos has unveiled a smart speaker that works with both Google and Amazon's AI assistants. The $199 Sonos One is voice controlled and works with 80 streaming services. It is the first consumer gadget to work with multiple voice AIs. The $199 Sonos One is voice controlled and works with 80 streaming services. The new speaker is driven by two Class-D digital amplifiers, one tweeter, and one mid-woofer.

First thing in the morning, the second your head pops off the pillow, you reach over and grab your Pixel off the nightstand. You check Twitter, thumb through email, poke at the New York Times app to make sure we're not at nuclear war. You stand, stretch, and say, "Hey Google, good morning." Your Google Home Max (because you wanted the best-sounding one, price be damned) reads out the weather and traffic conditions, lists off the day's events, and starts playing your Discover Weekly playlist as you turn on the shower. While you're toweling off, you remember your kid's soccer game tonight.

Sonos and Apple have some unexpected competition in the voice-activated speaker market this holiday season. Google's somewhat unexpected Home Max is built with high quality music playback in mind, first and foremost. At $399 ($50 more than the HomePod and $100 less than the Sonos Play:5), it's priced accordingly -- but at first listen, it has the chops to match up with those other speakers. And Google says that its machine learning capabilities will give the company a leg up other players in the market. In a controlled listening environment, Google gave the press a demo of how the Home Max sounds, as both a single speaker and in a stereo configuration.

Pixel Buds isn't just the name of my Android-centric group chat anymore -- they're Google's first attempt at a wireless headset, and they're pretty smart, too. It's not hard to look at them as the answer to Apple's surprisingly popular AirPods, but they're much more capable... as long as you don't mind a cord dangling behind your head. I'm told pairing with a Pixel is dead-simple -- just open the charging case, power them up, and you'll get a notification on the phone prompting a connection. Getting them in your ears is easy too, but nailing the fit takes a little extra work. Remember that cord I mentioned?

When Google Home first launched in late 2016, there weren't a lot of compatible devices--especially compared to the popular Amazon Echo. Nowadays, though, Google has expanded its family of smart home devices to include the Google Home Mini (ships in late October for $49) and the Google Home Max (available in December for $399). And the list of supported devices is growing rapidly as well to include top brands and categories like lights, locks, thermostats, plugs, and switches. With plenty of options to choose from, it can be hard to know which products are the right ones for you. While we're devoted to reviewing every new smart home device we can get our hands on, it's also important to know which works best with each platform.