Dale came up to me one day and he had this ring in his hand and he said'Will you marry me?'

Google is rolling out a new feature that lets you use the sides of the device to play or pause whatever you're listening to, be it music, news or if you want to end a call you're on. Right now, the touch-friendly side area of the Home Mini only works to control the volume, but now with a long press of the unmarked spots you can have some extra functionality. Back in October, Google had to disable the Home Mini's top button, after it was reported that the budget speaker was recording basically any and every sound. Thankfully, the search giant took care of that issue rather quickly -- but those are just the risks you take when you want the lavish life of a smart home.

It's the gift-giving season, and high-tech gadgets are more exciting than ever. Alexa, Siri, Cortana, and even "Okay Google" are ready to come over for holiday ham, ready to help you turn on a light or play you some Spotify. Those always-on microphones, cameras, and WI-FI connected devices are cheaper, cooler, and more convenient than ever. Yet, you still feel a little weird about their, you know, baser functions. Google and Amazon only record what they need to.

OKCupid (OKC) realizes that it needs to evolve if it wants to stay relevant in the ever-changing online dating world. Specifically, it'll start retooling how messaging works very soon. Starting next week the only way you'll see messages from randoms is if you visit their profile page; the only messages that populate your inbox will be from people you've already liked or already responded to. Sure, there's the risk that you might not see a message from someone special, but if you've been proactive on the site that really shouldn't be an issue. It's a little like how Bumble (seemingly the only dating service OKC parent Match Group doesn't own) handles messaging.

With 2018 almost here, vendors are wondering where and in what technologies budgets will be spent in the coming months. What once were cutting edge technologies only two years ago are now reaching the mainstream. We turned to a number of executives to find out what technologies they thought would shape the coming 12 months. Unsurprisingly, while they named many different types of technologies, one common denominator connected them all -- artificial intelligence (AI). According to Moritz Zimmermann, CTO of SAP Hybris, 2017 was the year companies tapped AI and machine learning to transform the customer experience, making stories from sci-fi a reality through the presence of robots in stores and the use of virtual reality that allowed shoppers to test drive cars, design houses and more.

Do you remember when Siri first spoke to you? It was impressive and a little bit scary. But mostly it was entertaining. We all figured out Siri's limitations within a few minutes of messing around with her artificial intelligence (AI) functionality. But today, an update: We have AI like Alexa, which can deliver flowers to our spouses at work, or tell us how to say "pork belly" in Portuguese.

Now is a good time to get started on smart home plans for yourself or someone on your gift list: Today, Best Buy is selling a Philips Hue smart bulb-Google Home bundle for $199. Usually that price would cover the Philips Hue bulb package alone. The bundle includes four Philips Hue white and color ambiance bulbs, a Philips Hue Bridge, and a Google Home smart speaker. Philips Hue is a popular choice for smart light bulbs, and when we last looked at them in late 2016--Philips has released a new generation since then--we found them to be the "best-looking bulbs on the market." As you might guess from the bundle, they also work with Google Home, which allows you to control the lights via voice commands.

If you've got an Echo or another Alexa-powered device around the house, you'll want to review your privacy settings. Kim Komando tells you how. More consumers are buying voice-activated assistants like the Amazon Echo 2, shown here. If you're one of them, it's important to check the privacy settings on these listening devices. People used to dream about robot secretaries.

It took Amazon a while to get its streaming music strategy truly off the ground -- its Music Unlimited service, with competes with Spotify, Apple Music and the like, only launched last fall. But today, both Music Unlimited and the Echo smart speaker lineup are expanding in a big way: Amazon has announced that both are available in 28 new countries, most of which are found across Europe and South America. Pricing for Music Unlimited will vary by area, but Amazon says it'll offer the same three plans it currently does -- including an Echo-only plan, the standard individual plan for smartphones, computers and other devices and a family plan for multiple users. Amazon's also not discussing pricing for Echo hardware, as that also will vary from country to country. But launching both the hardware and service at the same time is a smart move, as the company says its music service is designed with voice control in mind. Of course, Spotify and the like work just as well, but having both the Echo and Music Unlimited available at the same time will ensure new customers can use their new speakers to their fullest extent.

If you've got an Echo or another Alexa-powered device around the house, you'll want to review your privacy settings. Kim Komando tells you how. A link has been posted to your Facebook feed. If you've got an Echo or another Alexa-powered device around the house, you'll want to review your privacy settings. Kim Komando tells you how.