Google Assistant to work with more soundbars, wireless speakers, and AV receivers
Google Assistant goes for home entertainment domination
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Google Assistantis already built into a plethora of smart home entertainment devices, including thebest soundbarof 2020, theSonos Arc– and the voice assistant could be coming to even more devices very soon.
Google has announcedthat it will openly allow developers to connect toGoogleAssistant as part of a new push to increase support for smart home entertainment devices.
The announcement comes ahead ofGoogle’s smart home event on July 8, where we’re hoping that we’ll hear about the rumoredGoogle Nest Home(or Google Home 2, if your prefer) and perhaps theChromecast Ultra 2.
The smart home devices in the announcement includeAV receivers,streaming boxes, streaming sticks,soundbars, andwireless speakers.
While many of these devices do already come with support for Google Assistant, this is the first time that the tech giant is making the documentation public, allowing more smart home brands to integrate the voice assistant into their products.
Competition for Alexa Skills
It’s a move that echoes (no pun intended) the way thatAmazonhas opened upAlexa Skills, not only to big brands, but to individuals as well, via itsBlueprints program.
This means that a huge number of smart home devices can be controlled using anAmazon Echospeaker – and Google’s latest announcement could mean a battle over third-party developers could be on the horizon.
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In any case, it should give consumers greater choice when it comes to which voice assistant and smart home ecosystem they want to use with their devices.
Via9to5 Google
Olivia was previously TechRadar’s Senior Editor - Home Entertainment, covering everything from headphones to TVs. Based in London, she’s a popular music graduate who worked in the music industry before finding her calling in journalism. She’s previously been interviewed on BBC Radio 5 Live on the subject of multi-room audio, chaired panel discussions on diversity in music festival lineups, and her bylines include T3, Stereoboard, What to Watch, Top Ten Reviews, Creative Bloq, and Croco Magazine. Olivia now has a career in PR.
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