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Move over Alexa, Google Home has arrived, Variety reports. Alphabet unveiled its smart WiFi speaker, an answer to Amazon’s “Echo,” at a San Francisco press event Tuesday. Retailing at $129, the speaker gives consumers access to music and other audio through voice commands. YouTube Music, Google Play Music, Spotify and Pandora are currently supported, and iHeartRadio is coming. Search is powered by… you guessed it. Google. And here’s how it’s connected to video: it works with Google’s streaming device Chromecast by allowing users to request video playback with their voice. It only works with YouTube videos right now, but Netflix capability will be added soon. It also comes with a six-month free trial of YouTube Red, according to Ars Technica. No update on any smart home capabilities, but Google reportedly has smart home initiatives in development.

Google officially introduced Google Home, its answer to Amazon’s Echo smart Wifi speaker, at a press event in San Francisco Tuesday. The device is essentially a Wifi-connected loudspeaker with multiple integrated microphones, which can give users direct access to their music and other audio via…

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FCC Roundtable Urges Cross-Sector Collaboration in Weather Disasters

The FCC ’s roundtable Monday on the telecom response during natural disasters was especially timely considering the catastrophic flooding that took place in central Texas over the July Fourth weekend.

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