Voice Assistants Aren't So Easy to Fire Backchannel

I was about to plug my new Google Home Mini into the wall outlet this weekend when I froze. What kind of a commitment was I about to make? Google had handed out freebies of its puck-sized, fabric-coated gizmo at a press event last week. It seemed like a good, low-risk opportunity to dip my toes in the home voice-assistant waters. Scott Rosenberg is an editor at Backchannel.