Google's first new smart speaker in six years is here and once again leads its competitors--now with paywalled features. Sounds a little more human than competitors. Gemini is helpful and smart. Some assistant features are hidden behind paywalls. Works best if you buy or have bought several Google devices for your home.

Arriving six years after Google's last smart speaker, the new HomePod-style device was redesigned to play host to Gemini's chatbot. The last time Google released a smart speaker, the world was in the throes of a pandemic . Yes, it's been six years since the company trotted out a dedicated speaker. However, this newest Google Home Speaker brings a big change with it: The device has been redesigned to showcase the new Gemini assistant instead of the Google Assistant that powered all previous speakers and smart displays. Google announced the speaker last fall alongside new Nest smart home cameras and video doorbells, promising a spring 2026 launch.

Use BBC.com or the new BBC App to listen to BBC podcasts, Radio 4 and the World Service outside the UK. The world's largest data centre (62sq miles) has been approved in Utah, but there is growing opposition towards the project. At twice the size of Manhattan with promises to create thousands of jobs, we look at the bi partisan opposition against it. In this episode, Justin and Anthony discuss the enormous buildings being built across rural America, to house the huge amounts of data that A.I companies work with. Tech bosses say the centres are essential to the growth of Artificial Intelligence.

The answer may already be in your home. To achieve a smart home, you need a voice assistant to run it. A smart home assistant, usually folded into a smart speaker, will let you command your smart home with your voice and run your various routines. It also acts as a center for every gadget you want to add to your home. And you can add almost anything these days, from smart garage control to even voice-commanding your blinds .

When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. I spent two months with the Echo Dot Max after many years with the Echo Dot. Here's who should trade up, and who should stand pat. Built for Alexa+ and packed with smart features, the Amazon Echo Dot Max makes for a solid smart-home foundation, but that doesn't mean every Echo Dot owner should automatically move up to it. The first wave of "made for Alexa+" devices has arrived, and among them is Amazon's flagship Echo speaker--the Echo Dot Max, the successor to the earlier, fourth-generation Amazon Echo speaker.

When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. These appliances don't depend on smart speakers for voice control Emerson Smart's new appliances respond to voice commands, but they don't need a smart speaker--or even a broadband connection--to pull off the trick. Smart appliances that can be controlled with voice commands are nothing new, but IAI Smart is showing a new line of Emerson Smart appliances at CES that respond to voice commands. They don't need a smart speaker in the middle, and they don't rely on a broadband connection, an app, or anything other infrastructure--everything is processed locally. If you're leery of the privacy and security vulnerabilities of IoT devices, this could be the answer.

The brand's best smart speakers get a new look and more power behind the sound and smarts. Updated design with easier buttons and tap controls. Has Alexa+ right away, no waiting list required. Smart-home hub built into both. Buttons can show oil stains from skin contact.

Only one smart speaker out of Amazon's lineup is worth investing in during Prime Day. For any other speaker, it's better to wait. All products featured on WIRED are independently selected by our editors. However, we may receive compensation from retailers and/or from purchases of products through these links. I've tried nearly every single Echo Amazon has made, from the tower-like original Echo that sat in my first postgrad apartment to the swath of Echo Show devices you can find in my home right now while I test Alexa+'s early access .

The big smart home manufacturers have been leaking like sieves as of late, giving us juicy early previews of their super-secret upcoming releases. Philips Hue recently fell victim to its own leak that revealed its entire fall product lineup, and now Google appears to have unwittingly shared images of its new Nest cam hardware. First, a quick recap: Google had already teased--intentionally--a new Gemini smart speaker during its Pixel event a couple of weeks back, and just days ago it promised an upcoming Google Home update on October 1, complete with a partial image of what appears to be a new Nest camera. Instead, it seems Google may have inadvertently left images of its new Nest hardware in the Google Home app following a recent update. The images, which were spotted by Android Authority and appear to have been subsequently yanked from the app, don't reveal anything startlingly new about the new Nest cams, aside from the fact that they exist.

After years of waiting for new Nest smart gear from Google, it appears we'll actually get our wish next month. "Gemini is coming to Google Home," a post reads on Google's official X account. "Come back October 1st," the message continues above an animation of a Nest camera peeking into the frame. A link labeled "sign up for updates" sends users to the Google Store, where they can sign up for news. It's not clear what type of reveal Google is planning for October 1; it could simply be a news release, or perhaps it will be a full-on media event.