Frippery when wet

“OK Google. How can I ask you daft questions, control my smart lights and listen to soft rock in the shower?”

Dangle grinder The short leather strap is a useful addition to the Tichome Mini’s puck-like design, allowing it to be easily hung up all over the home. £75 / stuff.tv/tichomemini Q In theory, the Tichome Mini brings together two of our favourite things: voice-controlled music and hot showers. It’s a smart speaker, much like the Google Home Mini, but adds a splashproof design and portability into the mix, thanks to its rechargeable battery.

Q It’s bulkier than the Home Mini, with a rugged rubberised finish, and seems more suited to life in a house full of kids than Google’s more refined alternative. Rather than relying on touch-sensitivity, it has physical buttons for power, volume up and down, and mute.

Q There’s something liberating about toting this splashproof Google Assistant megabrain around, not least because it has a much better speaker than any phone. Hang it up in the bathroom for shower music, then use it as a cooking timer in the kitchen.

Q Unfortunately, that portability is undermined because it doesn’t have great battery life or the ability to manage it very efficiently. Leave it in standby mode and it’ll be dead by the next day – and the only battery indicator is a flashing light when levels are already critical.

Q

Sound quality is impressive, but it’s a better speaker than listener: the microphones struggled to pick up our increasingly shouty demands – more so than the Home Mini – particularly when it was playing music.

Tech specs

Connectivity Wi-fi, Bluetooth, NFC, microusb charging Battery life 6 hours Waterproof rating IPX6 Colour options White, black, teal Dimensions 110x110x43mm, 276g