At CES 2018 the voice-activated assistant wars seem to be kicking into high gear.
Similar to an announcement Amazon made last week, Google has revealed plans to allow third-party manufacturers to integrate Google Assistant, the company’s voice-activated digital helper, into a variety of different devices.
Google has specifically partnered with speaker manufacturers like Bang & Olufsen, Braven, JBL, LG, Knit Audio as well as other companies.
Along with smart speakers, Google says that Assistant can now be integrated into ‘smart displays,’ indicating that the tech giant’s voice-activated assistant is coming to Amazon Echo Show-like devices. When it comes to this type of integration, Google says it’s working with JBL, Lenovo, LG and Sony.
In fact, the Lenovo Smart Display was revealed simultaneously, revealing an intriguing new Amazon Echo Show competitor (shown below).
It’s unclear exactly what a smart display is, though it seems to refer to voice-activated devices that feature a screen of some sort. This could mean that Google Assistant might be featured in smart appliances like fridges and washing machines.
It’s worth noting that some of the above Google Assistant integrations have already been announced, including JBL headphones, Petnet’s SmartFeeder, Philips’ kitchen television and a flurry of others. Chip manufacturer Qualcomm also announced a platform designed to facilitate easy development of new smart home products featuring Google services, which primarily includes Google Assistant.
Google also says Assistant can now be integrated in headphones similar to Amazon’s Alexa voice-activated assistant, Building off an announcement the company made a few weeks ago, in-car through Android Auto-supported vehicles, an announcement Google made earlier this month. With Assistant, supported in-car infotainment systems will be able respond to voice commands.
For example, it will be possible to play music with Spotify or Google Play Music, or get quick directions from Google Maps or Waze, thanks to new Google Assistant integration. Google says that Android Auto is now supported in cars from over 40 different brands, including Ford, General Motors, Nissan, Volkswagen and Volvo.
Last year Google brought Assistant to Android TV devices, including Nvidia’s Shield TV and Sony Bravia televisions, giving users access to the platform’s features directly on their television.
It seems that just like Amazon, Google wants to put Google Assistant in everything.
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