Earlier this year Lenovo unveiled its answer to the Amazon Echo. It’s called the Lenovo Smart Assistant and, like the Echo, it uses Amazon’s Alexa voice service and it’s expected to sell for $180 if and when Lenovo ever gets around to selling it. But it turns out Lenovo also has another smart speaker. It’s called […]
smart speaker
Sony launches a $200 smart speaker with Google Assistant
Sony’s entering the smart speaker space with a little help from Google. The new Sony LG-S50GÂ is a 360 degree speaker with Bluetooth, NFC, and WiFi support. It’s also designed for hands-free controls, thanks to Google Assistant integration, making it one of the first third-party speakers to support Google’s voice service. You can use your voice […]
Google Assistant is coming to third-party speakers
Google Assistant made its debut on Pixel smartphones and the Google Home smart speaker last year. But a few months ago Google introduced an SDK that would let third-party hardware makers add Google’s voice assistant service to their own hardware. Now Google has announced that the first third-party smart speakers with Google Assistant are on […]
Eufy Genie is Anker’s $35 answer to the Amazon Echo Dot
Amazon’s Echo Dot is a small, always-listening speaker that supports voice controls (and questions) thanks to Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant software. But Alexa is also available to third-party device makers, so while the $50 Echo Dot is Amazon’s cheapest Alexa-capable speaker, it’s not necessarily the cheapest Alexa-capable speaker. Case in point: budget gadget maker Anker is launching […]
Asus Zenbo robot hits the FCC (complete with teardown photos)
It’s been more than a year since Asus unveiled its Zenbo robot, and it’s currently up for pre-order in Taiwan. So when is Zenbo coming to America? I have no idea… but I do know that the robot butler/smart speaker-on-wheels passed through the FCC this week. Documents posted to the FCC website include a user […]
Xiaomi’s smart speaker costs just $45 (probably won’t speak English)
Amazon’s Echo may dominate the smart speaker space it helped create, but competition is growing. Google has a smart speaker. Apple’s is on the way. Microsoft is working with partners on Cortana-powered speakers. And now China’s Xiaomi wants in on the action. The company unveiled a new Mi AI Speaker during the same event where […]
Amazon Tap is on sale for $70 today
The $180 Amazon Echo is still probably the best smart speaker powered by Amazon’s Alexa Voice Service, while the $50 Echo Dot is the cheapest. In between is the $130 Amazon Tap, which is bigger than the Dot, smaller than the Echo, and battery-powered, making it the only truly portable model in Amazon’s current lineup. […]
Tmall Genie is Alibaba’s Amazon Echo clone (for China)
It’s taken a few years for Amazon’s Echo line of voice-controlled smart speakers to get any real competition. But these days there’s a growing number of alternatives, including Google Assistant and upcoming speakers from Apple, Harmon Kardon (and Microsoft), Essential, Samsung (maybe), and others. Now Chinese eCommerce company Alibaba wants in on the action. The company […]
WSJ: Samsung working on a Bixby-powered smart speaker
Samsung’s Bixby voice assistant software may not be ready for prime time in the US just yet, but it ships with the South Korean versions of the company’s latest phones, including the Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8+ and Galaxy Note FE. And soon it may ship on a smart speaker with Amazon Echo/Google Home-like features. The […]
Qualcomm wants to make it easier to build smart speakers
It’s been a few years since Amazon launched its first Echo smart speaker, and now Google has its own version. Apple’s is coming soon. And Microsoft is working with HP and other companies to launch smart speakers that use its software. That could just be the tip of the iceberg. Chip maker Qualcomm has launched […]