Google launches $99 Home Speaker with Gemini assistant (opens in new tab)

Google opened preorders June 17 for the Google Home Speaker, a $99.99 smart speaker built around Gemini for Home, with retail availability set for June 25. It is Google’s first stand-alone smart speaker since the Nest Audio launched in September 2020, and Google describes it as its first audio device built for the Gemini for Home voice assistant. Google says the device lets users make conversational requests rather than rely on fixed voice commands. The company says Gemini can handle natural ...