Get ready Alexa: Google Home will cost 129 and taps Google search, maps

Google Home has removable base accessories. NEW YORK--The inevitable showdown between Amazon Alexa and the Google Assistant is getting closer. Google said Tuesday that its voice-activated Google Home speaker, the company's answer to Amazon's popular Echo speaker, will go on sale Nov. 4 for 129. Google Home is coming to the U.S. only at first, and will be sold in the online Google Play Store, as well as at Target, Walmart and Best Buy; Google starts taking preorders today. Home is a showcase for the newly unleashed Google Assistant, an artificial intelligence-infused virtual assistant that wouldn't feel out of place hanging out with other digital assistants, notably Alexa, Apple's Siri, and Microsoft's Cortana.