The new Google Home Speaker is far more chatty, smarter and useful than its predecessor of six years.
But if you already have the much larger Google Nest Audio speaker, it’s questionable whether you really need one.
To be fair, it’s a stylish little device to play music and podcasts; you can use it to do lots of everyday tasks like set reminders, check what’s on your calendar today and control other smart home devices.
But it really comes into its own as your constant source of information to questions you and your family might have.
The more conversational style of chatting requires a subscription but it is included free for the first six months with a purchase before September 30.
We’ve been putting it through the test over the past few days, asking it a range of questions, including whether Karl Stefanovic was really sacked, how to stop my golden retriever from barking, as well as advice on helping an elderly relative cope with serious illness.
You can also ask for suggestions for recipes based on what food items you have in your fridge or suggest it produce a shopping list for everything you will need to make a good lasagne.
Even before Stefanovic’s exit from Nine had been officially confirmed on Friday morning, Google Gemini was confident to say yes, he had been sacked, citing widespread reporting on his departure.
“Yes, it has been widely reported that Karl Stefanovic is set to leave the Nine Network,’’ Google’s voice tells me, going into a short report citing numerous news sources.
In the Google Home app, a record of all your questions and responses is kept.
When I asked what the main news in Queensland was, Google was not so great.
“Queensland Ballet and HOTA have announced the world premiere of a new contemporary ballet titled Elegantly Wasted, which will feature the music of INXS and is set to open in September,’’ the voice returns.
It then went on to mention a fatal crash and the acquisition of a Noosa accounting practice by a Brisbane-based group.
Probably not the key stories of the day, unless you’re a huge ballet or INXS fan.
Interestingly, when I asked Google Home Speaker to play INXS’ Never Tear Us apart, it came up with a version I had never heard before (the Soul version), which I really liked. So thumbs up for that one.
Being on an Apple device, Google Home Speaker is not as much a natural fit for some things.
You can select Apple Music as your main music source and generally it works pretty well when you request songs.
When I requested it find me a podcast about U2 it came up with three choices but when I selected one it played some generic music after apparently being unable to launch the podcast.
When I asked it how many whales are migrating along the Queensland coast right now, it enthused: “It’s an exciting time for whale watching in Queensland! Estimates suggest that more than 40,000 humpback whales migrate north along the coast between June and November each year.’’
In the home app, it cites three sources if I want to explore more.
With my daughter soon arriving from Amsterdam, where she now lives, I asked for 10 interesting things about living there. It came up with a decent list of things, some of which I didn’t know.
While the more conversational version of Gemini is great, even without a subscription you can still use it for helping with tasks, quick answers and smart home controls.
The new speaker, which is similar in size to Apple’s HomePod mini, which sells for $149, promises 360 degree sound with a two times larger driver and 2.5 stronger bass than the smaller Nest Mini.
You can also pair two Google Home Speakers with a Google TV Streamer to create your own home theatre setup.
The new speaker also works with Nest speakers and Google Cast-enabled devices.
If you have Google smart devices in your home, like lights and cameras, you can use the speaker to control them naturally with your voice, for example, dim the lights and play some relaxing music.
Previously you would have to do that one command at a time.
While the Google Home Speaker comes in four colours overseas, in Australia it’s limited to porcelain and hazel.
Google says the speaker uses 37 per cent recyclable materials. It’s wrapped in a yarn which uses a “unique 3D knitting process that significantly reduces fabric waste’’.
The speaker uses a series of lights or a ‘dynamic glow’ as Google calls it, to let you when it’s listening, thinking or responding.
It has a toggle switch at the base so you can turn off the microphone so it is not listening.
You can also tap it on the top to stop or play music while there are hidden volume up and down controls to the left and right.
In settings, there is a whole range of options to protect your privacy, including being able to delete conversations and past history.
Out of the box, the speaker, which has a hardwired electrical plug rather than a USB cable, is easy to set up via the Google Home app.
The Google Home Speaker retails for $199 in Australia.
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