We got our first look at Lenovo’s smart displays back at CES, and at I/O 2018, Google announced that the Assistant smart displays from Lenovo, LG, and JBL would be available this July. Now, B&H Photo has both sizes of Lenovo’s smart displays up for pre-order.
At I/O 2018, Google announced that the first Assistant smart displays are launching in July. Meanwhile, the company detailed features like a YouTube TV app, cooking features, and more.
Beyond a brief ill-fated “experiment” involving Beauty and the Beast last year, Google has yet to monetize its Home smart speakers with ads. However, this may soon change as the company plans to debut a new “How To” video format for Google Assistant at I/O 2018.
Google rebranded its IoT operating system in late 2016 with a focus on making it easier for existing Android developers to build smart devices. The company today launched the final developer preview ahead of the upcoming stable release.
Months before Assistant smart displays were announced at CES 2018, we heard rumors that Google was working on its own device. Codenamed “Manhattan” in September, a new report today suggests that a Made by Google smart display is still on track.
Announced at CES 2018, the first Google Assistant smart displays are expected to launch in the summer. Lenovo, JBL, Sony, and LG have all announced devices that adopt the new form factor, with the latter company’s ThinQ WK9 now available for pre-order.
While companies have announced new Google-focused products at past CES events, there has never been a strong Google presence. That changed this year, and not just because the search giant built a giant booth outside the main show floor. On top of several announcements from Google, companies had a lot of Android Wear watches, Android TVs, and mobile accessories to show off.
What was your favorite announcement from CES 2018?
On Monday, Google unveiled the smart displays form factor for Assistant and touted that devices from Lenovo, JBL, Sony, and LG were coming later this year. We’ve seen displays from the first two companies, and LG’s has now been revealed.
If there’s one overarching narrative emerging from CES 2018, it is the Google Assistant. It has launched on headphones, speakers, and many Android TVs at the trade show and now Google is announcing a new form factor: smart displays.
