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Pros and cons: Our quick verdict on NVIDIA's new Shield TV
NVIDIA's new Shield TV is a lot like its old Shield TV -- at least, on the inside. Still, the revamped Android TV set-top box is a lot smaller; it has a vastly improved game controller; and it's a much better deal at $200, since it includes the remote that used to cost an additional $50. The Shield TV also packs in a newer version of NVIDIA's GeForce Now game streaming service, and it can pipe over titles from your NVIDIA GPU-equipped gaming PC with full support for HDR. Eventually, it'll also include Google's Assistant.
Google hints at Assistant coming to existing Android devices
It's very likely that you'll see Google Assistant on new Android devices beyond the Pixel line, but when... and what about the device you already have? The AI helper might be coming sooner than you think. Google has inadvertently given beta testers an alpha release of its Android search app that enables Assistant support on non-Pixel hardware. It's not working for everyone, but people carrying everything from the Nexus 6P to Alcatel's Idol 4S say they've had success. The software has introductory messages that are clearly targeted at people who previously didn't have Assistant, so it's not an accidental inclusion.
Google Pixel's Assistant AI upgraded for smart home control
At Google I/O last May, the tech giant announced its own voice-powered hub to rival Amazon's Echo: the Home, which would be powered by their AI helper, Assistant. The Siri-like software was promoted as a standard feature on the search titan's first phone, the Pixel, which came out later in fall. But Google announced a plan weeks ago to bring the hub and the help back together, promising to bring some of Home's connected device control to the company's smartphone line. Today, they started rolling out Home Control for some versions of their mobile platform, allowing users to use voice commands to fiddle with their network of connected home devices.
Use Google Home to control WeMo and Honeywell connected devices
Since Home arrived a few months ago, Google has been regularly adding new features to the compact speaker and its virtual assistant. Today, the company announced that the connected device can now be used to control smart home gadgets from Belkin's WeMo line and Honeywell. This adds more options for controlling lights, switches, thermostats and more with a simple "Ok Google" voice command.
Google Assistant hints at support for typing questions
Google Assistant is clever -- just ask Pixel or Home owners. Unless you're using Allo, though, you have little choice but to ask the AI questions through voice commands. Google might give you more ways to interact in the near future, however. An exploration of the Android search app's beta code has uncovered hints (namely, a keyboard icon and a text box) that you'll soon have the option of typing your Assistant searches. This is important if you'd rather not reveal your queries to everyone within earshot, but it should also be key to integrating chat bots.
NVIDIA Spot brings Google Assistant to every room in your home
There's a common gripe with the Amazon Echo, Google Home and other voice-guided helpers: You have to stand within their listening range to make use of them. Not quite the Star Trek future you were promised, is it? NVIDIA, however, might have a fix: It just introduced the Spot, a hybrid mic and speaker that brings Google Assistant to every nook and cranny in your home. You need the new Shield TV to serve as the central hub, but you're otherwise free to turn on lights, ask questions and otherwise use Assistant knowing that you'll be heard.
The Google Assistant is coming to Android TV
Google has talked about bringing its AI assistant to as many places as possible since it was revealed at the company's I/O developer conference back in May. Right now, it's in the Pixel smartphone, Google Home device and the Allo chat app. Today, Google announced that its next destination will be Android TV devices, including the new NVIDIA Shield (as NVIDIA just confirmed at its CES press conference).
Hyundai's connected cars now work with Google Assistant
Hyundai is giving you another way to shout orders at its connected Blue Link cars, shortly after revealing an Amazon Alexa partnership. The company is teaming up with Google, letting you give commands to Santa Fe, Sonata or other compatible models via its voice-controlled Assistant. Using a Google Home device, you'll be able to say, "OK Google, start my Santa Fe and set the temperature to 72 degrees" or "Ask Blue Link to lock my car," to give a couple examples.
Google Home now plays nice with Sony speakers and Android TVs
Google Home already allows you to control any connected Chromecast devices with simple voice commands, but if the device is really going to compete with Amazon's Echo line, it's going to need a bigger ecosystem to play in. Starting today, however, users with Sony speakers or Android TV sets can start taking advantage of Google Home's voice commands to control music and video streaming without the need for a complicated smart home setup.
Google Home's new actions include food, news and more
Amazon's Echo line already has a truckload of skills that tap into Alexa's ability to lend a hand with tasks, and the company adds new ones on a what seems like a weekly basis. This week, Google announced Netflix support for its connected Home speaker through Chromecast alongside the ability to display images from Google Photos. It turns out that was just the beginning as Google revealed over 30 more actions for Home from third-party developers.
Google opens up its Assistant actions to developers
When Google first unveiled its Assistant earlier this year, the service seemed to have quite a lot of potential. Unfortunately, in our testing of the company's new Home speaker and Pixel smartphones, we found the digital helper rather limited. Now that Google has opened up Assistant's developer platform, though, the service could finally become as powerful as promised.
Google Home review: The Assistant steps into your living room
The Google Assistant was the big news from the company's I/O conference earlier this year, but it took months for Google's true Siri competitor to really arrive. First it was baked into the largely unnecessary Allo chat app, and then it showed up as a flagship feature on the new Pixel phones. Now Google Home is shipping, putting the Assistant a voice command away even when your phone is in your pocket. Its inspiration is obvious: The $129 Home directly takes on the Amazon Echo. Indeed, many of the features here are the same. But Google is betting that the vast amount of data it stores, combined with the vast amount of data it knows about its customers, can make for a more useful product. It's a reasonable notion, but Home isn't quite ready to deliver on the promise of "your own personal Google" just yet.
Conjure spells on your phone to prepare for 'Fantastic Beasts'
J.K. Rowling's prequel to the Harry Potter series is set to hit theaters next week and Google wants to help you prepare by turning your phone into a magic wand. On an Android device, you can cast "spells" with an "OK Google" voice command. After you alert your phone with the magic phrase, follow it up with a command like "lumos" and "nox" to turn the flashlight on and off. You can also use "silencio" to mute any sounds and notifications. Sure, it's rather simple, but it's a neat way for Potter fans to get ready for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them ahead of next week's debut.
Google's Assistant just got even smarter thanks to IFTTT
Between a chat app, two new smartphones and a new in-home avatar, Google's new Assistant is really getting around. While that slow march toward ubiquity continues, it keeps getting smarter, too -- Android Police points out you can now hook up Google Assistant to dozens of new IFTTT recipes, perfect for when you get tired of playing that emoji movies game. Just know this: you can only set up Assistant-enabled IFTTT recipes if you're using a Pixel phone or the (as yet unreleased) Google Home.
Google Assistant is getting a sense of humor from 'The Onion'
As Google Home gets closer to launch, the AI assistant is not only getting smarter, but also a little more friendly and -- hopefully -- a whole lot funnier. As the Wall Street Journal's Christopher Mims notes in a piece about friendly AI like Siri, Alexa and Google Assistant, Alphabet's big play for the space includes hiring up comedy writing alumni of Pixar and The Onion.
Google Assistant is gender-neutral(ish), but it's not feminist
In a world occupied by Siri, Cortana and Alexa, Google Assistant is a bit of an anomaly. It's the first widely used voice assistant to eschew a female name, which the company reportedly did to avoid giving it a personality. The company would rather you imagined yourself talking directly to "Google the search engine" than a go-between. Avoiding a gendered name just happened to be a happy coincidence, it seems.
The Engadget Podcast Ep 9: What's he building in there
Managing editor Dana Wollman and senior editor Devindra Hardawar join host Terrence O'Brien to dig through all the big Google news from the week, including the launch of the Pixel phones. Plus they take a brief detour to talk about what makes the PlayStation VR better than its competitors.
Personal assistants are ushering in the age of AI at home
Google Home is the latest embodiment of a virtual assistant. The voice-activated speaker can help you make a dinner reservation, remind you to catch your flight, fire up your favorite playlist and even translate words for you on the fly. While the voice interface is expected to make quotidian tasks easier, it also gives the company unprecedented access to human patterns and preferences that are crucial to the next phase of artificial intelligence. Comparing an AI agent to a personal assistant, as most companies have been doing of late, makes for a powerful metaphor. It is one that is indicative of the human capabilities that most major technology companies want their disembodied helpers to adopt. Over the last couple of years, with improvements in speech-recognition technology, Siri, Cortana and Google Now have slowly learned to move beyond the basics of weather updates to take on more complex responsibilities like managing your calendar or answering your queries. But products that invade our personal spaces -- like Amazon's Echo and Google Home -- point to a larger shift in human-device interaction that is currently underway.
Here's what you missed at the 'Made by Google' event
It may be time to bid a sad adieu (sadieu?) to the beloved Nexus line and hello to Google's new Pixel phones, but we've still got a whole slew of fresh hardware to look forward to. In addition to the higher-end handsets, Google also unveiled the Daydream View VR headset, the Chromecast Ultra, a WiFi router, as well as the official price and availability of its Home smart speaker. Tying all of the gadgets together is the company's AI Assistant, which you can use on the Pixels and Home, and Google promises to make it available on more platforms in future. Our senior editors Nicole Lee and Chris Velazco break down what all this new stuff means for you, and share their impressions of the new products. Click here to catch all the latest news from Google's fall event.
Watch the Made by Google launch event in 15 minutes
Google unveiled its plan for consumer hardware earlier today, showing off Pixel phones, the Google Home hub, Google WiFi router, Chromecast Ultra and Daydream VR headset, plus its Assistant AI ready to tie everything together. We liveblogged every second of the full presentation, but if you're in a hurry you can catch a quick runthrough of all the announcements right here in just 15 minutes, or head straight to our hands-on impressions.
