Some smart home aficionados still eulogize Google's Chromecast Audio, but Belkin's new Soundform Connect aims to fulfill a similar role -- for iOS users, anyway. The $100 dongle can connect to any traditional home speaker and turn it into an AirPlay 2-compatible smart speaker you can cast audio to from iPhones and iPads running iOS 11.4 and iPadOS 11.4 or newer, plus Macs running Catalina and Apple TVs with tvOS 11.4. And when we "any" home speaker, we really mean it. The Soundform has at least one nice touch the Chromecast doesn't -- beyond still existing, that is. In addition to the classic 3.5mm jack, there's also a port for standard optical connections -- the Chromecast Audio required audiophiles to own or purchase a TOSLINK-to-3.5mm According to Belkin, users will able to ask Siri to play their music or podcasts on the speaker in question, as well as ask the virtual assistant what's playing in each room and remotely control the speaker's volume.

If you've been thinking about whether to pick up a Chromecast Audio to make your audio setup a little smarter, you should probably make your mind up quickly. Google has confirmed it's discontinuing the device. "Our product portfolio continues to evolve, and now we have a variety of products for users to enjoy audio," a spokesperson told 9 to 5 Google. "We have therefore stopped manufacturing our Chromecast Audio products. We will continue to offer assistance for Chromecast Audio devices, so users can continue to enjoy their music, podcasts and more."

There aren't many gadgets that I'm still using five years after I buy them, except for maybe a laptop. Even then, that's getting quite long in the tooth given how quickly upgrades arrive these days. Chromecast and Google Cast are still things that I use multiple times a day, every day. When Google first introduced the Chromecast in 2013, the company promised to make any TV with an HDMI port a smart display with the combination of a thumbdrive-like dongle and your home WiFi. That it did, but in the months that followed, Google expanded the tech undergirding its TV accessory well beyond that $35 device.

This week's hardware IRL is timely, as Google is about to showcase what's coming next at its annual developer conference. It's the perfect occasion to hear Timothy J. Seppala's thoughts on the Google Home Mini, the company's entry-level smart speaker. He ended up buying two, but they haven't quite delivered on everything he was hoping for. My relationship with a pair of Google Home Mini speakers started out great. I bought them during the holidays as cheap Christmas gifts to myself, hoping to eventually place one in every room of my apartment.

As long as you don't mind having an always-on microphone with a direct connection to Google, the company's smart speaker, Google Home, is a fantastic little device. Google seems to realize that, and right now at Best Buy and the Google Store you can get a free Chromecast ($35) or Chromecast Audio ($30) with the purchase of a Google Home. The smart speaker is offered at its regular price of $129. To take advantage of the deal you must add the Chromecast to your cart manually before checkout. The Chromecast Ultra is not available as part of this sale.