Google Home Mini is announced: Google Assistant on the cheap

Okay Google, what was announced today at Google's media event in San Francisco?
The new Google Home Mini, among other cool tech gadgets.

Yup, Google now has even more hardware you can chat with. It is called Google Home Mini and, as the name implies, it is a smaller version of the Google Home we're already familiar with. Yet don't let its small size fool you.

The smaller size is a key highlight of the Google Home Mini. In fact, it is smaller than a donut, the goal being to let it fit more easily around your home. It comes in three colors - light gray, dark gray, and a blend between pink and orange called "coral". The fabric covering its top was specifically designed to be durable, yet transparent enough to let sound and light through, Google brags.

Speaking of sound, the Google Home Mini features a single loudspeaker projecting audio upward for 360-degree coverage. And at the top, under the fabric, are situated four LED lights that provide visual feedback during interactions.

But what can the new Google Home Mini do? Well, the same stuff as the standard one. It can search the web, provide information on weather updates and flight delays, it can play trivia games and tell stories, it can serve as your alarm clock, it can make free phone calls across the US, and tons more.

The Google Home Mini is small, and so is its price tag. The gizmo will retail for 49$, and you can pre-order one today. It will become available on October 19 in the markets where Google Home is available: Australia, France, Germany, Canada, the UK, and the US, as well as Japan.