Smart speakers with touchscreens

YemenExtra

Alphabet Inc’s Google said on Monday its voice-controlled virtual assistant will show up this year in new tablet-like devices designed by LG Electronics Inc and Sony Corp as the technology company seeks to challenge Amazon.com Inc’s dominance in a fledgling market.

Users of the smart displays being unveiled by Google cannot browse the Web or install apps as they would on a tablet, but the new gadgets are optimized for sound quality and listening to voice commands. Information related to the commands is brought up on the touchscreen.

Lenovo’s version of the smart display will come with an 8-inch screen for $200 or a 10.1-inch screen for $250. The device will go on sale “early this summer” and includes a camera that shoots in 720p high definition, Lenovo said.

The partnerships are important for Google as it tries to catch up with Amazon in the new category of smart speakers that both play music and function as voice-controlled electronic assistants. About 45 million people in the United States will use smart speakers in 2018, research firm EMarketer estimates, and Amazon has about two-thirds of the U.S. market.

In a sign of the stakes involved, Google last year cut off the Echo Show’s access to YouTube and took the rare step of explicitly saying it was acting in retaliation for Amazon refusing to sell Google products.

Displaying YouTube videos and showing recipes are top selling points for smart displays, said Gummi Hafsteinsson, the Google product director overseeing Assistant.

The devices can show details about restaurants, launch a video chat over Google Duo and pull up images hosted on Google Photos.