Google I/O 2016 has kicked off and the opening keynote this morning has seen several new innovations being announced. One of them is Google Home which is the only hardware product Google unveiled this morning. The product which is designed to be a direct competitor with Amazon's Alexa assistant will only be available later this Fall.

Google says that Google Home is designed to be the central hub for Google's vision for a smart home and the core engine powering the Google Home is Google search itself. It is basically a speaker with a microphone that is also customizable in terms of design. The company says that their prowess in voice recognition and contextual searching with Google will allow the Google Home to be a seamless experience. 

Google Home will work as a standalone device connected to the internet but the possibilities are endless as it will also support hardware like Google's Chromecast and the Nest Thermostat. No word on pricing or availability outside of the US yet but expect to hear more about Google Home later this year.