Skip to Content
Silicon Valley

OK Google: Copy Amazon and Build a Smart Speaker with a Screen

January 8, 2018

Google Assistant is seeking a popularity boost by coming to gadgets with screens—a move Amazon already made with Alexa.

Copycat: Google said Monday that it will let companies make touch-screen devices that include its Google Assistant digital helper, making it possible to ask questions that can be best answered with videos, like “How do I bake a pie?” The move sounds a lot like what Amazon’s already doing with its Echo Show, a $230 countertop gadget with a display and a speaker that runs Amazon’s Alexa assistant.

The details: In a blog post, Google Assistant vice president Scott Huffman said the company is working with four partners who will make the gadgets—JBL, Lenovo, LG, and Sony. Users will be able to do things like watch videos on YouTube, make video calls with Google’s Duo video-chat app, and view photos with Google Photos. In a separate blog post, Lenovo said its forthcoming device, Lenovo Smart Display, is slated to be available early this summer; it will cost $200 for a model with an eight-inch display or $250 for one with a 10-inch display.

The bottom line: Digital assistants are a fast-growing market, and companies like Google and Amazon are adding their AI-powered helpers to more and more devices. The hope is that hardware makers and app developers will keep making the gadgets more and more capable—and that consumers will find them irresistible.  

Keep Reading

Most Popular

DeepMind’s cofounder: Generative AI is just a phase. What’s next is interactive AI.

“This is a profound moment in the history of technology,” says Mustafa Suleyman.

What to know about this autumn’s covid vaccines

New variants will pose a challenge, but early signs suggest the shots will still boost antibody responses.

Human-plus-AI solutions mitigate security threats

With the right human oversight, emerging technologies like artificial intelligence can help keep business and customer data secure

Next slide, please: A brief history of the corporate presentation

From million-dollar slide shows to Steve Jobs’s introduction of the iPhone, a bit of show business never hurt plain old business.

Stay connected

Illustration by Rose Wong

Get the latest updates from
MIT Technology Review

Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.

Thank you for submitting your email!

Explore more newsletters

It looks like something went wrong.

We’re having trouble saving your preferences. Try refreshing this page and updating them one more time. If you continue to get this message, reach out to us at customer-service@technologyreview.com with a list of newsletters you’d like to receive.