• PC Magazine, Tuesday, March 29, 2016 9:05 AM

It should come as little surprise that Google—which is slowly looking to play more in the Internet of Things space—is now looking to build its own competitor to Amazon's Echo. When the company released its OnHub router, which supports Google's own Thread and Weave protocols, in addition to Bluetooth 4.1, I half-expected the cylindrical device to come with support for voice commands. No luck there, but that doesn't mean Google is content to let Amazon lead the pack as far as virtual home assistants go. According to The Information, Google is working on a competing device. We don't know any details. Knowing Google, though, you can bet that it will likely be based on Google Now; here's hoping the company gives it a more personalized touch (or even a name) like Amazon's Alexa or even Apple's Siri.

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