Google I/O 2016: Search giant unveils 'Google Home', the speaker which will run your life

The Google Home device will be available 'later this year'

Google home was unveiled at the I/O developer conference

Google has unveiled Google Home at the I/O developer conference, its competitor to the Amazon Echo.

The small, white, button-free speaker will sit anywhere in your home, connecting to all your Google accounts as well as services like Google Maps.

By triggering the speaker with 'OK. Google', you'll be able to command it to complete a number of tasks - checking your calendar, telling you the weather, playing music, ordering taxis or booking cinema tickets.

On the face of it, the device is similar to Amazon's Echo, a black monolith which can conduct internet searches and generally run your life.

However, Google claims it is "unmatched" in being able to understand natural language.

At the moment, it's not clear exactly when Google Home will launch. The company said it's "early days" for the device, but it will be available later this year.

You can keep up with all the news from Google I/O on The Independent's liveblog.