Sonos is offering a special limited deal for its new Sonos One smart speaker, which works with Amazon’s Alexa right now, and is gaining support for Google Assistant in a future update: You can buy two for $349, which is the same price as one of Apple’s HomePod Siri-enabled speakers. This is likely not a coincidence.
Individually, the Sonos One retails for $199, so you get a $50… Read More
Category: smart speakers
39 million Americans now own a smart speaker, report claims
One in six Americans now own a smart speaker, according to new research out this week from NPR and Edison Research – a figure that’s up 128 percent from January, 2017. Amazon’s Echo speakers are still in the lead, the report says, as 11 percent now own an Amazon Alexa device compared with 4 percent who own a Google Home product. Today, 16 percent of Americans own a smart… Read More
iHome debuts a Google Assistant-powered clock radio, the iGV1
Amazon’s Echo Spot, introduced late last year, smartly combined the power of Alexa with a more traditional clock radio type form factor and interface, complete with a screen for video viewing and calls. Now, the Google Assistant-powered competitors are starting to emerge. At CES this week, iHome is debuting its own take on the “smart” clock radio, with the iGV1 device.… Read More
Smart speakers top AR, VR and wearables to become fastest-growing consumer tech
Amazon and Google were willing to lose money on smart speaker sales over the holidays by discounting their hardware in order to gain market share. The reason? Smart speakers are now the fastest-growing consumer technology – faster than any other recent consumer technology, including AR, VR or wearables, according to a new report today from Canalys, which pegs smart speaker shipments to… Read More
Roku joins the voice computing market with smart soundbars, speakers and more built by partners
Roku, which sells the most popular brand of streaming media players in the U.S., is now aiming to carve out a niche for itself as the voice control platform for home entertainment. Today, Roku is unveiling a licensing program for manufacturing pa…
View More Roku joins the voice computing market with smart soundbars, speakers and more built by partnersAmazon’s Alexa app hits the top of the App Store for the first time
Amazon’s claims that the Echo Dot was the retailer’s best-selling product all through this holiday season appear to be backed up by the rise of the Alexa app in the U.S. App Store. The companion app for Alexa-powered devices like the Echo, Echo Dot, Echo Show and Echo Spot, grabbed the number one spot for the first time ever on Apple’s App Store on Christmas, and still… Read More
Google Home Max review
The Max sounds good. But is it $399 good? On the whole, it’s a solid offering. It isn’t a flashy speaker from a design perspective, but the audio is loud and clear, and the bass bumps like a mofo. Read More
Amazon’s latest Echos show the smart home space hitting its stride
Amazon’s Echo lineup got a refresh earlier this year that included a brand new version of its basic Echo, well as an Echo Plus with integrated smart home hub, and the stalwart Echo Dot – unchanged, but still a compelling device at its price point. The new lineup of devices also made its way to more markets this year, including an expansion to Canada just this month, which is why I… Read More
YouTube returns to the Amazon Echo Show
When the Amazon Echo Show first debuted, it included a YouTube feature, as is right and proper for a device with a screen capable of playing video and connecting to the internet. But Google quickly nixed the Echo Show YouTube player, since it was a non-standard presentation of the company’s stuff which did not comply with their terms of use. Now, YouTube is back on Echo Show (via… Read More
Muse is a simple dedicated Amazon Alexa add-on for the car
Want to bring Alexa into your vehicle? You now have a few options, including a new $49.99 accessory from voice tech company Speak Music, which is launching Muse, essentially a Bluetooth-enabled Amazon Echo for the car. The small device allows you to access Alexa skills while on the go, using voice commands and the “Alexa” wake word, while connecting to your in-car stereo system… Read More
Voice-enabled smart speakers to reach 55% of U.S. households by 2022, says report
Adoption of voice-powered smart speakers is taking off. According to a new report from Juniper Research out this morning, smart devices like the Amazon Echo, Google Home and Sonos One will be installed in a majority – that is, 55 percent – of U.S. households by the year 2022. By that time, over 70 million households will have at least one of these smart speakers in their home, and… Read More