U.S. smart speaker owners grew 40 percent over 2018 to now reach 66.4 million – or 26.2 percent of the U.S. adult population – according to a new report from Voicebot.ai and Voicify released this week, which detailed adoption patterns and device market share. The report also reconfirmed Amazon Echo’s lead, noting the Alexa-powered smart […]
View More Over a quarter of U.S. adults now own a smart speaker, typically an Amazon EchoCategory: Smart Speaker
Samsung’s Galaxy Home smart speaker will finally arrive in April
Do you remember Samsung’s Bixby-powered Galaxy Home smart speaker that was created to compete directly with the Amazon Echo?
The smart speaker was announced in August last year, but the company gave no official release date during the announcement. Now, we finally have one — well, sort of.
At Samsung’s Unpacked event today — where the company announced four new Galaxy S10 phones (S10e, S10, S10+, and S10 5G) and a foldable phone — the head of Samsung’s mobile division DJ Koh told CNET the Galaxy Home will launch in April. Read more…
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View More Samsung’s Galaxy Home smart speaker will finally arrive in AprilReport: Voice assistants in use to triple to 8 billion by 2023
The use of voice assistants is set to triple over the next few years, according to a new forecast from the U.K.-based analysts at Juniper Research. The firm estimates there will be 8 billion digital voice assistants in use by 2023, up from the 2.5 billion assistants in use at the end of 2018. The […]
View More Report: Voice assistants in use to triple to 8 billion by 2023Report: Smart speaker adoption in U.S. reaches 66M units, with Amazon leading
Smart speakers had a good holiday. Amazon already said its Echo Dot outsold all other items on its site this holiday season, which hinted toward the sizable growth for the voice-powered speaker market. Today, research firm CIRP is reporting the U.S. installed base for speakers grew to 66 million units in December 2018, up from […]
View More Report: Smart speaker adoption in U.S. reaches 66M units, with Amazon leadingSave 15% on the Apple HomePod for the next few days
Fun fact: Microsoft Office’s Clippy was among the first smart assistants made widely available to consumers. That same technology has since meandered over into the world of audio, where internet-connected speakers are now capable of pairing with othe…
View More Save 15% on the Apple HomePod for the next few daysNPR turns comedy game show ‘Wait, Wait Don’t Tell Me!’ into an Alexa and Google voice app
NPR is turning its popular game show program “Wait, Wait…Don’t Tell Me!” into a voice application for smart speakers, including both Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant-powered devices. The new app lets listeners play along at home by answering the fill-in-the-blank questions from this week’s news – just like the players do on the NPR podcast […]
View More NPR turns comedy game show ‘Wait, Wait Don’t Tell Me!’ into an Alexa and Google voice appWrest control from a snooping smart speaker with this teachable “parasite”
What do you get when you put one Internet connected device on top of another? A little more control than you otherwise would in the case of Alias the “teachable ‘parasite’” — an IoT project smart speaker topper made by two designers, Bjørn Karmann and Tore Knudsen. The Raspberry Pi-powered, fungus-inspired blob’s mission is to […]
View More Wrest control from a snooping smart speaker with this teachable “parasite”Google Assistant-supported speakers were a hot item at CES 2019 — and this one’s on sale
This year is already shaping up to be a big one for Google, with its new (and abundant) updates to the voice-activated Google Assistant creating a Shamu-sized splash at CES 2019. Among these upgrades are a new Interpreter mode that translates languag…
View More Google Assistant-supported speakers were a hot item at CES 2019 — and this one’s on saleApple HomePod comes to China at $400 amid iPhone sales woes
Apple is finally launching HomePod in China, but the timing is tricky as the premium device will have to wrestle with local competitors and a slowing economy. The firm said over the weekend that its smart speaker will be available in Mainland China and Hong Kong starting January 18, adding to a list of countries where […]
View More Apple HomePod comes to China at $400 amid iPhone sales woesSmart speakers hit critical mass in 2018
We already know Alexa had a good Christmas – the app shot to the top of the App Store over the holidays, and the Alexa service even briefly crashed from all the new users. But Alexa, along with other smart speaker devices like Google Home, didn’t just have a good holiday — they had a […]
View More Smart speakers hit critical mass in 2018Bose’s Home Speaker 500 combines Alexa with great sound, for a price
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Bose Home Speaker 500
$399.95
The Good
Robust sound with strong bass • Sleek design gives it a premium feel • No distortion • even at high volumes • Alexa integration is good
The Bad
Painfully pricey • Display doesn’t do much • No way to share connected services across accounts
The Bottom Line
The Bose Home Speaker 500 is more expensive than other smart speakers like Apple HomePod or Google Home. But you get excellent sound in addition to smarts.
Mashable Score4.0
Cool Factor4.0
Learning Curve5.0
Performance4.0
Bang for the Buck3.0
Read more…More about Reviews, Alexa, Bose, Speaker, and Smart Speaker
View More Bose’s Home Speaker 500 combines Alexa with great sound, for a priceApple’s HomePod will be available in China starting early next year
“嘿 Siri!” Apple’s HomePod will be available for sale in China early next year. A listing is already up on Apple’s China site, with the smart speaker priced at RMB 2,799 (about $407), or about 17% more than its $349 price in the United States. Though Apple doesn’t list an exact shipping date for Chinese […]
View More Apple’s HomePod will be available in China starting early next year