Though there are multiple options for voice-activated smart assistants available in the US, the launch of Google Home marks the first official entry of this exciting new category into Australia.

This cute little $199 speaker essentially acts as a hub for all things Google in your house, performing tasks you might already do on your phone or computer — quick web searches, streaming music and TV shows, interacting with smart home gadgets — but it does it all with a quick spoken request from you.

You have a timer and clock in just about every single device out there these days, but if you want to build you own, Instructables user GeraldF6 shows you how to do so with a Arduino.

Your phone is probably the smartest alarm clock you've ever owned, but if you're looking for a project that's a little more playful, Nick Triantafillou shares a smart alarm clock on Hackster.io that integrates Alexa, If This Then That, and more.

Voice assistants are all the rage, but while Siri, Google Now, and Cortana are all super neat, when it comes to using them people seem mixed. So, we want to know, how to use your phone voice assistant?

The Amazon Echo is a pretty neat little device, but at $US180 ($245) it's also pretty pricey. If you want to make your own, YouTube user Novaspirit Tech walks you through the process of how to do so with a Raspberry Pi.

Android/iOS: Hound is fast -- really fast -- and while your phone probably already comes with its own virtual assistant, Hound integrates with services like Uber and Yelp. The team behind it hopes more will follow, for a truly cross-platform assistant that does the same work for you on any device.

Ever wanted the ability to yell at your electronics? Over on Make, they show you how to add commands to electronics, including a Roomba, Philips Hue, and a few other things.

Android (rooted): The Google Now Launcher, available on the Nexus 5 and other devices, allows you to say "OK Google" while the screen is on to invoke Google's voice commands. If you're rooted, you can bring this feature to other launchers with an Xposed tweak.

While computer powered personal assistants haven't really come into their own yet, that doesn't mean they're not useful. The Raspberry Pi happens to work great as an assistant, and Instructables user janw shows off how to convert an old intercom system to work with the Pi as a voice-controlled device.

Android: You should not be reading blogs while you're driving. Listening to them, on the other hand, is A-OK. If that's your goal, Auri can help.

Voice control for our home electronics is still uncommon. If you want to add a little voice control to your home cheaply, blogger Chipos81 shows off how to do it with a Raspberry Pi.

The evolution of Smart TVs isn’t about features you don’t need; it’s about easier access to the content you love. From catch-up TV apps and streaming Foxtel movies to TV show suggestions tailored to your viewing habits. With voice interaction, you can ask your 2013 Samsung Smart TV questions like “anything to watch?” and have S-Recommendation display your list. And your Samsung Smart TV isn’t just listening. Face recognition* helps it know you’re you.

Reddit user droidkc has shown off his home automation setup controlled entirely by voice commands. The setup can control home lights on a dimmer, the TV, and even XBMC from his phone.

When Mountain Lion launched, we discussed how to use its new Dictaction feature effectively. It works pretty well on its own, but reader MDaemon wrote in with a handy tip: if you're having trouble getting Dictation to understand words you use often, just create a fake contact for it -- since the tool scans your contacts to make sure it gets proper nouns right, it'll see your contact, match your word with the contact, and print it correctly.

There are a number of apps for Android that all advertise that they can be your personal assistant. None of them are perfect, and all of them have their quirks, issues, and especially their limitations. Even so, we think that Vlingo is your best bet for a well-rounded personal assistant for Android.

Dear Lifehacker, I really like using voice control features on my phone, but have to admit I feel like a weirdo talking to my phone when others are around. Got any suggestions or etiquette rules I'm supposed to obey or ways I can look less creepy while talking to my phone?

It's both difficult and illegal to drive safely if you're using your iPhone. Vokul is a new app that lets you control your iPhone will driving with nothing but your voice.

Along with the news of an untethered jailbreak for older iDevices came the ability to install Siri on any jailbroken iDevice running iOS 5.0.1 thanks to a handy installer called Spire. Of course, installing Siri is the easy part. Getting it to work is another story entirely.

Out of the box Siri can do a few common things, but it struggles when you try to get too complicated with it. GigaOM offers up a few clever address book customisations to make Siri work more naturally.