Voice-activated home speakers, commonly called “smart speakers,” arguably represent the most important new audio distribution platform since the smartphone.
The Amazon Alexa voice assistant platform is coming to more and more gadgetry around the home. This week began with rumors of at least eight new Alexa devices to come before the year’s close, and the week is ending with a leak confirming two of them. Continue Reading
Amazon may have held the lead as smart speakers entered the marketplace, but Google is hot on its trail. According to Strategy Analytics, the Google Home Mini was the top-selling smart speaker in the world during the second quarter. Continue Reading
Apple introduced new products for its iPhone and Apple Watch yesterday, and while those devices took center stage, there was a small hint of things to come for the HomePod smart speaker. CEO Tim Cook mentioned a few upcoming software updates coming to the HomePod on September 17 to improve functionality. Continue Reading
New research from Adobe Analytics adds to a healthy picture for smart speakers. The firm’s data found that 32% of consumers owned a smart speaker as of August 2018, up from 28% in January. The product segment posted 14% growth between those months, a period that didn’t include any major shopping events. Continue Reading
The BBC has launched its first voice experience designed for children. The BBC Kids Skill features three interactive games starring characters from CBeebies programming to start; more voice experiences and children’s content are expected to be added in the coming months. Continue Reading
Samsung is planning to open up its Bixby voice assistant platform to third-party developers. The tech conglomerate is slated to introduce a software development kit at its annual Samsung Developer Conference in November that will provide resources and documentation to build apps leveraging the voice platform. Continue Reading
At IFA 2018, a major tech showcase in Europe, smart speakers are decisively moving into the foreground of home electronics. Although many brands are getting into the smart speaker game, a few of the new products announced at the event went a step further and took the Swiss army knife approach, combining smart speaker functions with other home tech. Continue Reading
Google Assistant has been updated with bilingual support, a change that means the voice platform can field queries from two different languages. Prior to the update, managing more than one tongue would have required manually switching between language settings. Continue Reading
Strategy Analytics, a market research firm, recently published an investigation into the global smart speaker sector. Its latest analysis focuses on Germany. Smart speaker ownership is still small in that country, but those early adopters are big fans of the technology. Continue Reading
Sonos has introduced a new developments for powering and controlling its speaker products. First, it debuted a new Sonos Amp, a home audio hub that can power traditional wired speakers while integrating with Sonos’ wireless devices. In addition, the company announced expansions in access for third-party developers. Continue Reading
Two familiar names in audio engineering are throwing their hats into the premium smart speaker ring. Apple’s HomePod and the Sonos One are currently the two biggest contenders in the high-end audio space, but all signs point to this niche getting crowded fast. Continue Reading
Google’s global footprint for smart speakers exceeded Amazon’s in the second quarter of 2018. According to the latest estimates from Canalys, Google’s share leapt from 16.9% in Q2 2017 to 32.3% in Q2 2018. That growth helped the tech giant surpass Amazon. Continue Reading