Google reportedly working on a competitor to the Amazon Echo

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Google is reportedly working on a competitor to the Amazon Echo, Amazon's voice-controlled personal assistant.

According to The Information, Google is working on a 'secret project' which would create a rival to the Echo, currently the leading device of its kind on the market.

The Amazon Echo is the home of the digital assistant Alexa, who responds to a 'wake word' and can help out around the house by creating to-do lists, playing music, setting alarms, providing weather information and doing internet searches.

The Echo hasn't been released in the UK yet, but it's generated a lot of buzz in the US, and has proved successful enough that Amazon is releasing a new version, the Echo Dot, which connects to users' existing speakers.

There's some internal battles behind Google's development of the product, according to The Information's story. Google-owned company Nest, the creators of smart home devices like the Nest Thermostat, reportedly wanted to be part of the project, but were apparently pushed away by Google itself.

There's no details on the potential features of the Google device, nor anything about its price or release date. However, as The Verge notes, the company's I/O developer conference is kicking off in May, so we may find out more then.