During his presentation at Alphabet Inc. subsidiary Google's (GOOG) event to launch Pixel phones earlier this month, CEO Sundar Pichai said the company's goal was to build a personal google for everyone. Google Home, which will be available at major retail stores starting tomorrow, is part of the company's ecosystem of devices to achieve that aim. A spate of reviews in tech publications provide more details about Google's personalization plans. Google Home is a competitor to Amazon.com Inc.'s (AMZN) home assistant Alexa and is outfitted with Google Assistant, the AI system that will soon become all pervasive in Google's hardware products.

Watch Google Home, the Internet giant's take on Amazon Echo, as it struggles to answer basic queries posed by Jefferson Graham on #TalkingTech A link has been sent to your friend's email address. Watch Google Home, the Internet giant's take on Amazon Echo, as it struggles to answer basic queries posed by Jefferson Graham on #TalkingTech

Watch Google Home, the Internet giant's take on Amazon Echo, as it struggles to answer basic queries posed by Jefferson Graham on #TalkingTech LOS ANGELES - A new look to the Uber app that taps into your contacts to potentially share rides, a deep dive into Google Home, the product that tries to take on Amazon's Echo, but some say fails, subscription based organic dog food, video doorbells and online dollar stores. The extended weekend edition of the Talking Tech podcast weighs in on the week's tech's headlines, and introduces you to some new and very interesting tech startups. The app adds calendar integration--tap it to pick up a ride request for that destination. Uber also taps into your contact list to send push notifications to friend, asks if he/she wants to share ride. Microsoft Teams won't be fully available until the first quarter of 2017.

We're on the precipice of choosing the next President of the United States, and if you're still an undecided voter, let our 2016 Election Guide help inform your selection. While Trump or Hillary is the question most are trying to answer, Devindra Hardawar's interview this week sheds light on third-party, transhumanist candidate Zoltan Istvan and what he learned from the 2016 campaign. What I learned: while the idea that technology and man will merge to make us immortal is an enticing one, it's not an idea most of us feel is worth investing in politically... not yet, anyway. As the nation ponders the US election's outcome and the implications of its result, a city of the future is being built in Singapore -- a place where a far more restrictive political system has enabled the creation of the most technologically advanced metropolis on the planet. The question remains, however, whether the loss of privacy and the opportunity for governmental abuse is worth a more efficient municipal power grid and public transport system.

The greatest fear for banks in the changing landscape of financial services is to lose grasp of the customer relationship and become utility commodity providers, or "dumb pipes". This fear is strengthen by changes in consumer behavior and expectations, regulatory changes such as PSD2, new business models and new technology. Artificial intelligence is one of the technological paradigms that is set to transform financial services in the years to come. How will banks stay relevant in a perfect storm of changes affecting nearly every aspect of the industry? According to Accenture, banks must become an indispensable Everyday Bank to meet changes in consumer behavior and expectations.

Four out of four online travel luminaries, in one sampling, agree: Voice search is the future of online travel. Google is billing its new Google Assistant as a smarter, more useful competitor against Apple's Siri voice-control feature. For now the service is available only on Google's new Pixel line of phones and its Allo app, which combines Assistant functionality with SMS messaging tools (but not, strangely, Google's Hangouts chat or video features). When it comes to travel, however, Google Assistant is not yet the perfect voice-controlled travel assistant. It doesn't offer booking capability, unlike travel agency chat hybrids like Lola, and isn't enabled to inform you of your travel itinerary.

Yes, artificial technology is rapidly improving -- and true, AI will invade the legal business before you know it -- but futuristic AI-infused robot lawyers aren't going to replace legal pros anytime soon. AI-based tools and technologies created and customized for legal work are coming for sure, though. AI-enabled software can use pattern recognition and extreme machine learning algorithms to help legal pros work faster. Their capability digest vast amounts of information and interpret it can help you work smarter, too. The time to start thinking about the first wave of AI legal tools is now.

Siri--and all her artificially intelligent peers--are increasingly taking on more tasks for people at home and at work. But as impressive as these digital assistants can be, they're still very much in their infancy. "I don't think anyone has nailed the user experience yet," warns Jason Cornwell, who leads the team at Google tasked with designing exactly that. Still, the biggest players in artificial intelligence (A.I.) agree on some important design lessons. Cornwell shared a stage with execs from Slack, Facebook, and Microsoft on Thursday at Fast Company's Innovation Festival in New York City.

Google just launched Google Home, a voice-activated speaker, powered by the tech giant's virtual Google Assistant that's also featured in their new Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones. The speaker aims to bring the power of Google's numerous services--like offering weather updates and converting measurements, among other tasks--into a stylish and easy-to-use package. At a quick glance, Google Home is a direct rival to the popular, Alexa-powered Amazon Echo speaker. Google has priced the newcomer attractively at $130, revealing that it has serious intentions about this rapidly growing product category. Google Home features a high-quality speaker with three audio drivers, sophisticated far-field microphones, and intuitive touch controls. The removable base of the speaker is available with a fabric or metal finish in a number of attractive colors.

The Echo Dot is an absolute steal with these bundles. We've scoured the web to find you the best deals on good products. All you'll have to do is say the magic word. You can dim your kitchen lights if you're feeling dramatic, set your bedroom temperature to a balmy 70 degrees, switch on your sprinkler system to keep those pesky kids off your lawn, and more with Amazon's digital assistant. If you're looking to branch into the smart home world, grab one of the new 2nd Gen. Echo Dots today.