googleassistant
Latest
Google might launch its own smart display this holiday season
Google is expanding its line of Assistant-powered devices with its own smart display, at least according to Nikkei. The tech giant has reportedly told its Taiwanese manufacturing partners to gear up and make sure they can deliver, because it's planning to take its competition with Amazon up a notch. Mountain View, the report says, will launch its own take on the smart display platform it recently debuted this upcoming holiday season. Its plans could even be more aggressive than that, because Nikkei's source said the company is aiming to "ship some 3 million units for the first batch of the new model of smart speaker that comes with a screen."
That fancy Cortana thermostat now supports Alexa and Google Assistant
If you've been eying Johnson Controls' slick, Microsoft-backed GLAS thermostat ever since it was unveiled in 2017, it's finally close at hand -- and you won't have to rely on Cortana for voice control, either. The $319 climate controller will ship on August 24th with support both Amazon's Alexa and Google Assistant, helping it slip more gracefully into more smart home setups. This probably won't wound Microsoft's pride too much. It's aware that Cortana has just a small slice of the voice assistant market, and it's already getting cozy with Alexa on its own platforms.
Google Assistant can play songs from Pandora Premium
Pandora's Plus and ad-supported users have been able to listen using Google Home for almost two years, and the streaming service is now meshing more tightly with Google Assistant. Starting today, Premium listeners can use their voice to play on-demand tunes and playlists on devices with the assistant baked in, including Google's smart speakers and third-party devices.
Google Assistant's visual smart home controls are on the way
You don't have to pick up a smart display to use touch-savvy controls in Google Assistant. Users at Droid Life and elsewhere have noticed that Google is rolling out visual smart home controls (teased back at I/O in May) to mobile devices. When you issue certain smart home commands, you'll get a handful of basic controls to fine-tune the results if they're not quite what you were looking for. You can raise the temperature on your air conditioner, or turn off a light instead of turning it down.
Sonos CEO says Google Assistant could be on its speakers by year’s end
Google Assistant could finally arrive on Sonos speakers in time for this year's holiday shopping season, the company's CEO said. "We're working as hard as we can and so is Google to get it ready for that time," Patrick Spence told The Verge. Additionally, he noted Sonos is considering a partnership with the likes of Tencent or Baidu to bring a Chinese-language voice assistant to the speakers.
JBL’s Google-powered smart display is available for preorder
Another Google Assistant-powered smart display is on the way, as JBL has now made its Link View available for preorder. First announced at CES earlier this year, the JBL Link View follows the release of Lenovo's Google Assistant-powered Smart Display -- you can check out our review here. The JBL Link View has an eight-inch display and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. The display is also splash proof and comes with two front-facing 10W speakers, a rear-facing passive radiator for deeper bass and 24-bit HD audio streaming, resulting in JBL's "legendary sound," as the company puts it.
Google Home can now schedule routines
When Google introduced routines to Assistant, it promised that you'd eventually have the option to schedule those routines instead of having to invoke them yourself each and every time. That feature is finally here -- Google has confirmed a Droid Life report revealing that scheduled routines are now reaching users. If you have an Assistant-equipped smart speaker, you can use the Home app to make multi-step actions repeat on specific days. You could adjust your lights and play music when you get up for work on weekdays, for instance.
Lenovo delivers the first Google Assistant smart display
Lenovo will start shipping the first Google Assistant smart display this weekend, marking the birth of a new range of products that could eventually include some of Echo Show's staunchest rivals. Similar to what Echo Show does, Google's smart displays will give you a way to interact with the tech giant's voice assistant in a visual way. We first met the new devices at CES this year, where we were impressed with their ability to instantly display maps and send them to your phone when you ask for directions. Certainly beats listening and trying to visualize them.
Recommended Reading: The accent struggle for Alexa and Google Assistant
The accent gap Drew Harwell, The Washington Post Smart speakers (and the virtual assistants they house) offer voice control for so many connected devices it's hard to keep count. Those audio gadgets can also assist with a range of questions -- that is, if they can understand you. The Washington Post took a close look at the performance of Alexa and Google Assistant when it comes to understanding people with strong accents. The results show that while these devices are certainly handy and increasingly popular, there's still a lot of room for improvement.
Google Assistant adds a snapshot of your daily agenda
Google is no stranger to serving up contextual info and commands when they're relevant. But wouldn't it be nice if could curate and organize that info in a way that could help with a jam-packed schedule? It does now. The search firm is currently trotting out a "visual snapshot" for Assistant on mobile devices that provides the info and controls the AI helper believes you'll need to make it through the day. It prioritizes navigation, but scrolling down will show you your itinerary, reminders, reservations (such as flights and movies) and eventually less essential content like stock prices and Assistant action suggestions.
What you need to know before building a HiFi system
The process of building a stereo can be overwhelming. Should you buy new gear or trawl the local stereo shop for vintage equipment? Do you need a subwoofer for music? Are high-end speaker cables really going to make a difference in sound? It's no wonder, then, that smart speakers have become so popular: They're available in a variety of sizes and, when paired with a music streaming subscription, are a simple way to access a world of music. But the trade-off for that convenience is sound quality. While an Echo or HomePod is perfect for listening to podcasts, it can't stack up to the power and fidelity you get with a traditional stereo. If you're looking to upgrade, rather than ponying up $500 for a single Google Home Max, consider an alternative solution: building your own stereo HiFi system. While the initial setup and research are more intensive than simply telling Alexa to order more Echo Dots, after it's done you'll have a much more versatile -- not to mention better-sounding -- way to listen to music at home.
It's now easier to change Google Assistant's voice
Now that Google Assistant has a slew of voices to choose from, shouldn't you have an easy interface for picking one of those voices? You do now. Google is rolling out an update that gives US users a new, simple interface for changing Assistant's voice. It's very colorful, to put it mildly: you just tap on a color associated with a given voice (Google told us it chose them at random) and listen to be sure they're the dulcet tones you want to hear.
Google Assistant brings voice control to Dish Hoppers
Dish launched Alexa support for its Hopper and Wally set-top boxes last year, so the devices can already do your bidding with just a spoken command. Now, the satellite TV provider is giving you another voice control option: one that should make you happy if you prefer Google's AI to Amazon's. The company's Hopper family of receivers, all Joey clients and Wally single-tuner HD now work with Google Assistant. So long as you have an Android device, an iPhone loaded with the AI's app or an Assistant device such as a Home speaker or a Home mini, you can navigate its channels and shows with your voice.
Google's reservation-making AI will be making calls soon
Google talked about a lot at this year's I/O developer conference, but one demo quickly stole the show: a male voice on a phone, making a restaurant reservation. The restaurant was real, but the person making the call wasn't — it was Google Assistant, powered by an AI system called Duplex that's meant to complete tasks by interacting with humans on the phone. It was, uh, pretty eerie, and it won't be long before Google Assistant is calling a business near you. The company confirmed that today that it will start testing its Duplex-powered calls with "trusted testers and select businesses" in New York and San Francisco within weeks.
I took a phone call from the Google Assistant
When Google unveiled the Duplex phone-calling reservation AI at I/O last month, the world was shook. Despite the potential convenience it presented, the system's ability to mimic human inflections in conversation was uncanny and borderline-creepy. Back then, we only heard recordings of what Assistant could do with Duplex technology. At a recent demo in New York, though, I got a chance to chat with the real thing, playing the role of a restaurant staffer on the call.
Google Assistant can speak Spanish on Home speakers
Today, Google announced that Assistant on its Home, Mini and Max products can now speak and understand Spanish. Additionally, consumers in Mexico will be able to find Google Home on store shelves starting today; the product launched in Spain last week.
Siri and Alexa walk into a bar: How AI assistants found their funny bone
Virtual assistants like Siri and Alexa are useful for a lot of things, like telling you what the weather's going to be or reminding you of an upcoming calendar appointment. But they can be entertaining too, providing the occasional fun fact or playing that hit song from Beyonce. Or, when you want a little levity in an otherwise crappy day, telling some really corny dad jokes.
Google Assistant no longer needs every 'hey' and 'OK'
At last, you don't have to call out Google Assistant by name every time when you want to issue a command. As promised at I/O, Google has made Assistant's Continued Conversation available for US English speakers using a Home speaker. Enable it in your preferences and you don't have to use "hey Google" or "OK Google" for follow-ups, even if you have multiple requests. Ask if it'll be sunny tomorrow and you can both remind yourself to go to the beach and put sunscreen on your shopping list, all without having to start the chat from scratch.
Google Podcasts is pretty but basic
Google has a long and disappointing history with podcasts. With Apple and iTunes, they were always an integral part of the experience. For Android, though, it was an afterthought. Google Listen was barely usable, but basically the only option for getting podcasts on early Android phones. Two years ago podcasts made their way to Google Play Music, but they always felt shoehorned in and poorly thought out. Not to mention there were some pretty glaring holes in its library, including hits like Serial and S-Town. Now the company is taking another stab at getting podcasts right and, unfortunately, I feel confident in saying it has failed yet again.
Google Home now handles three requests at the same time
Google Home speakers can already perform two commands at the same time. But what if you live in a particularly connected household, where you may need to juggle more tasks? The company has an answer: support three simultaneous requests. So long as you form full queries with "and" in between, you can multitask like a pro using only the spoken word. This could be particularly helpful if you want to turn on the lights, increase the temperature and play some tunes without having a Routine in place.
