Will you let Google Home into your home?
We got a good helping of hardware and software this week. On the hardware front, we published our Google Home and new MacBook Pro (without Touch Bar) reviews. And on the software side, we got a first look at the 70+ new emoji coming to iOS devices in the upcoming iOS 10.2.
Mashable Tech Editor Pete Pachal and Chief Correspondent Lance Ulanoff joined me on MashTalk along with special guest Real Time News Reporter Nicole Gallucci to talk about it all.
The verdict is out on Google Home: It's awesome. (2:00) Not that I was expecting anything less.
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At Google I/O in May, Google didn't hide the fact that it was blindsided by the Amazon Echo. Home, as it was introduced, and re-introduced in October, wasn't going to be revolutionary, but a catch-up.
As I wrote in my review, there are some things Home does that the Echo can't and vice versa, but the built-in Google Assistant is already more intelligent than Alexa, and the gap is only going to widen as Google injects more smarts into it.
Alexa and all AI are constantly getting smarter, but the Assistant has one thing Alexa doesn't: access to Google Search.
Of course, it's still debatable if it's creepy or not to put a physical Google in your home.
The other big hardware drop was, of course, the new MacBook Pro (20:26). Apple lent Lance the $1,500 model with regular function keys and no Touch Bar or Touch ID sensor to check out.
Lance thinks it's a great value. I'm not sure on what planet a $1,500 laptop with only two USB-C ports, no SD card slot and last-generation processors is a great value. I still think nobody should buy the that model; buy a new MacBook, an old MacBook Air or the new MacBook Pro with Touch Bar, but not this model. It's neither affordable nor high-end.
About the only thing we could agree on the MacBook Pro he reviewed was that it's hot. Apple's still got it when it comes to design.
To wrap up this week's MashTalk, we chatted about emoji (36:36). Our Watercooler Content Coordinator Brian Koerber summed it up best when the news broke: Apple just ruined sexting.
Yep, the peach emoji now looks more realistic and more like a peach, much to the disappointment of the internet. And we got a new selfie and facepalm emoji, and many more.
You really don't want to miss out on Nicole teaching Lance how the cool kids talk with emoji and Lance telling us how he just recently discovered the real meaning of the eggplant.
Don't forget to leave your questions and comments by tweeting @Mash_Talk with the #MashTalk hashtag. We welcome all feedback.
Raymond Wong is Mashable's Senior Tech Correspondent. He reviews gadgets and tech toys and analyzes the tech industry. Raymond's also a bit of a camera geek, gamer, and fine chocolate lover. Before arriving at Mashable, he was the Deputy Editor of NBC Universal's tech publication DVICE. His writing has appeared on G4TV, BGR, Yahoo and Ubergizmo, to name a few. You can follow Raymond on Twitter @raywongy or Instagram @sourlemons.
