Google unveils Google Home; to compete with Amazon's Echo

Google, a unit of Alphabet Inc, unveiled a new hardware device called Google Home at the company`s annual conference on Wednesday.

The device, a portable speaker powered by the company`s search engine, would offer competition to Amazon.com Inc`s Echo.

The device will be launched later this year, Google said.

Amazon launched "Amazon Echo" in November 2014, a speaker one can leave on all day and give it voice directions, like Siri on an Apple iPhone.