Getting a little lonely at home? Need someone to help you some simplify kind-of-tedious-mundane things?

Well, let’s say it’s no longer difficult to have company when you need it, and I’m not talking about people here. You’re talking to an AI that makes your life easier. It does literally anything from playing music (off Spotify, Google Play music, YouTube music, and Pandora) to turning off your lights or adjusting your thermostat (Netatmo and Tado). You can also set your alarm and create reminders – however I wish it could send emails in your contacts when you ask it to. But still – kinda cool right?

Well, it gets even better – technology is getting smarter day by day, and Google Assistant will make everything more fun and convenient. I’ve found myself sitting around at home asking my Google Home questions when I’m in a little bored. Like, ‘Hey Google: What should I do today in Toronto?’, followed by a few practical suggestions. My personal favourite feature is asking it for recipes, which it provides in complete detail, as well as a sequence that you can follow and command based on your own timing. It makes cooking interactive, without having to flip pages through a cookbook.

It’s so smart that sometimes you feel like it knows you better than you know yourself – and it gets smarter. There are times when I’ll ask it to simply play music, and it will select a genre based on what I’ve listened to in the past. Having friends and family over  becomes more entertaining with all these features. And yes, it’s smart enough to recognize multiple voices, not just your own, (you can set it to only your voice) which provides an engaging experience for everyone. It can be lacking when it comes to understanding different accents or phrases, but hey nothing’s perfect.

Visually – it is as aesthetically pleasing as you might want it to be. Google has done a great job keeping the design simple, which fits great with any decor and adds excitement to any shelf or bedside. It can be further customized by removing the fabric bottom and replacing it with different colours and materials.

(You can grab a customizable base here on the Google Play Store)

Yet another reason why it has become one of my favourite at-home gadgets. But yes, you read that right – ‘at-home‘, because unfortunately you can’t bring it around with you yet (since it needs a power plug). A more portable version would be ideal if you can’t get enough of Google’s advice, but it currently only exists like that on the Google Pixel.

It will keep receiving updates that constantly improve its functions, while adding more features which will continue to make your life easier. As of now, I feel that the Google Home provides you with tools that can make your day more productive. Yes, you can get carried away asking it silly things, and it doesn’t always understand you, but overall its capabilities of making things easier goes a long way in making this a great and seamless at-home device.