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Sonos finally showed Google Assistant working on its speakers
Yesterday, Google mentioned speaker-maker Sonos as one of many home device brands whose products would work with Google Assistant. Google's press release wasn't the clearest, and the wording implied that we could see the feature very soon on Sonos' two voice-enabled speakers, the One and the Beam. But Sonos fans who've been waiting for this feature know that the company hasn't said anything publicly since November, when it announced it wouldn't meet its 2018 timeframe for Google Assistant support.
Some 'earlier' Sonos speakers will work with Google Assistant this year
Sonos has been talking about its plans to bring Google Assistant support to its speakers for a long time now. Unfortunately, we don't have much of an update on exactly when that'll happen, but Google did have a little new info for us on what speakers will be supported. As we already know, the Sonos One and Sonos Beam (both of have mics that work with Amazon's Alexa) will be able to use the Google Assistant at some point in 2019 -- but some unspecified "earlier" speakers will also receive Google Assistant upgrades too.
Sonos delays Google Assistant voice features until 2019
Ever since Sonos speakers started working with Amazon's Alexa, the company has promised that it would eventually support Google Assistant as well. Well, after announcing that the Google Assistant would arrive in 2018, the company is now delaying that launch until next year. Sonos says in a press release that it needs "a bit more time to get the experience right" and is looking to get a concrete date set for 2019. It's disappointing but not terribly surprising, as Sonos has been extremely tight-lipped on the Google Assistant for months now.
Alexa's intercom-like announcements arrive on Sonos One and Beam
One of the more useful features of Amazon's Alexa voice assistant is the ability to create custom recordings and use them as announcements for your entire network of Alexa-enabled connected speakers. Now, Sonos is getting the feature, too: announcements are coming to Sonos One and Sonos Beam.
Alexa can crank the bass on your Echo when you ask
Amazon is giving you more control over audio with an Alexa update that lets you adjust the equalizer and sound modes using your voice. So if you think the music you're listening to on your Amazon Echo could use a touch more low end, asking Alexa to increase the bass should do just that. More specifically, the bands you can tweak are bass, midrange and treble. Alexa can also switch your Echo to a number of EQ presets as well, including for movies, music, sports and TV.
Sonos Beam is now on sale for $399
If you've been waiting to pick up the Sonos Beam soundbar, now's your chance. The speaker is now on sale for $399 on the Sonos website and at retailers.
AirPlay 2 makes Sonos the best audio option for most iPhone owners
For a long time, Sonos was only capable of streaming music to its speakers through a proprietary app, but that's changed in the last few years. After working with music services like Spotify and Pandora, users can stay in those apps and stream music straight to your Sonos setup. That hasn't been the case if you're an Apple Music user, until now: as of today, Sonos supports Apple's AirPlay 2 protocol. After spending a week or so testing out a beta version of the software, I can say that pretty much all Sonos owners who use iOS devices will get a lot out of this update.
A closer look at Sonos Beam: Smaller, smarter and more connected
Sonos just announced the Beam, a smaller, smarter Playbar. It's all good and well to see it on stage, but what does it sound like? Luckily I just got to spend some time with it to find out -- and on first pass it feels like a winner. Not just for the rich, cinematic sound (which it appears to have) though. The Beam is also an all-around tantalizing prospect: a compact soundbar, Alexa replacement, that could also replace your regular music system. This all-in-one configuration won't be for everyone, but for those without a lot of living space that want to avoid the clutter of multiple speakers, it's definitely appealing.
