iGyaan Network

Tag: smart speaker

  • Google Launches The Google Home Mini For US$49

    Google Launches The Google Home Mini For US$49

    Sundar Pichai took to stage during the Google launch event on 4th October and talked about the importance of AI in the future of technology. Google has launched a new iteration of Google’s smart speaker, the Home Mini. The Google Home Mini will compete with Amazon Echo Dot in the market of mini smart speakers. The Google Home Mini is designed to fit into the aesthetics of your home with a circular shape. The speaker will be available in Coral, Charcoal and Chalk. To make the competition with Amazon Echo Dot even, the smart speaker will be available for  US$49.

    The Home Mini has a 360-degree sound stage. For more sound, the Google Home Mini can be connected with a different speaker. Google Home Mini is powered by Google Assistant and has the intelligence to differentiate the voice of different people in the house and perform actions based on the voice.

    Google has partnered with Disney to bring Disney originals to the experience of Google Home. This is done in the bid to improve the interaction of Google Assistant with kids.

    The Google Home Mini can perform a series of tasks with one command. it can find your phone even if it is on silent by a simple “find my phone” command.

    The Google Home Mini will be available to pre-order from 4th October.

  • Alexa Powered Amazon Echo, Echo Dot And Echo Plus Launched In India

    Alexa Powered Amazon Echo, Echo Dot And Echo Plus Launched In India

    Earlier in the month of September, it was reported that Amazon will be launching its Prime Music services and Amazon Echo Dot in India. Now, Amazon has launched three smart speakers from its global lineup in India at a starting price of Rs 4499. In order to purchase any of the devices, customers need to request an invitation on Amazon’s official listing for the three devices namely, the Echo, Echo Dot and Echo Plus. The company also announced that it will soon be launching its Prime Music service in India.

    Bringing voice assistants to India is always tricky because of the diversity of accents from one part of the country to another. Amazon claims that Alexa has been customised for the Indian audience, which now supports local pronunciations and intonation. Alexa also supports local music titles, names and places. Amazon claims that it brought in Indian developers to optimise Alexa for the Indian consumers.

    During the launch, the company said in a statement:

    10,000 skills will be available for customers in India, including skills from Saavn, Times of India, ESPNcricinfo, Ola, Freshmenu, and more. Tens of millions of customers are already using Alexa, and today we’re excited to bring her to India with an all-new experience designed from the ground up for our customers in India,” said Dave Limp, senior vice president, Amazon Devices and Services. The combination of Alexa and Echo provides customers with hands-free access to music, weather, news, information, and more—just ask.

    Echo Plus

    Priced at Rs 14999, the Echo Plus is the most expensive of the three smart speakers released on Wednesday in India. It is about the same size as the original Echo from 2014 but, also acts as a smart home hub with second-generation far-field voice recognition and enhanced sound. The Echo Plus uses Zigbee as a low-power way to extend its wireless range and can control more than 100 smart home devices in the market via voice, without any apps required. The device measures 83.5 x 83.5 x 32 mm and weighs 163 grams. The Echo Plus will scan the room for smart devices and set it up automatically. There is a new Alexa feature which was demonstrated during the Amazon hardware show which was the series of tasks that can be triggered with a simple phrases. The Echo Plus, once set up and connected to all the smart devices in your home can open the blinders, start the coffee machine and tell the weather by just saying “Good Morning Alexa.”

    Amazon Echo

    At the Amazon Hardware show, the company also launched a new refreshed version of the Amazon Echo of 2014. In India, it is priced at Rs 9999 and will be available in a host of different finishes like wood and cloth. It is a smart speaker and does things at your (voice) command like book an Uber, place an order on Zomato or play your favourite playlist from Saavn. The device measures 148.5 x 88 x 88 mm and weighs 821 grams. It features 2.5-inch woofer and 0.6-inch bass tweeter.

    Amazon Echo Dot

    The Amazon Echo Dot is priced at Rs 4499 in India and is also the smallest sibling and has all the functionalities that an Echo possessed but, with a lower sound quality. The device measures 83.5 x 83.5 x 32 mm and weighs 163 grams. A good thing about the Echo Dot is that it can be connected to other speakers for a better soundstage and still retain its core ‘smart’ features.

     

  • Amazon Announces New Alexa-Powered Smart Home Devices

    Amazon Announces New Alexa-Powered Smart Home Devices

    Amazon has announced a host of new devices powered by Amazon’s AI assistant Alexa during the Amazon Hardware Event 2017. Amazon’s efforts to push Alexa into every aspect of your home or office was evident during the hardware event. Here are the top products announced at the event:

    Echo Plus

    Priced at US$149, the Echo Plus is about the same size as the original Echo from 2014 but, also acts as a smart home hub with second-generation far-field voice recognition and enhanced sound. The Echo Plus uses Zigbee as a low-power way to extend its wireless range and can control more than 100 smart home devices in the market via voice, without any apps required. The Echo Plus will scan the room for smart devices and set it up automatically. In a demo shown during the event, the Echo Plus scanned a Philips Hue smart bulb and was able to control it within 15 seconds. The Echo Plus will come bundled with a Philips Hue smart bulb and will be available black, white and silver colour variants. The Philips Hue bulb bundle shows that Amazon really want consumers to get into the smart home tech game.

    A new Alexa feature demonstrated during the event was the series of tasks that can be triggered with a simple phrases. The Echo Plus, once set up and connected to all the smart devices in your home can open the blinders, start the coffee machine and tell the weather by just saying “Good Morning Alexa.”

    Echo Spot

    The Echo Spot is a smart alarm clock powered by Alexa which also has a screen for video calling and can be connected to external Bluetooth speakers. The Echo Spot has a 2.5 inch screen and display lyrics of the songs playing or used for video calling as well. The Echo Spot looks like a crossover of Echo Dot and Echo Show with compact size and a display. The new Echo Spot will run you US$130 and will go on sale on December 19th.

    Echo Buttons

    Ever felt like playing a trivia game with your friends but never had a buzzer to get the whole TV feel? The Echo Buttons fill that hole. The Echo Buttons will retail in a pack of two and act as buzzers for game nights with family and friends. Priced at US$20, Echo Buttons are hockey puck-shaped devices and will work alongside an Alexa-enabled device.

    New Cheaper Echo

    Amazon also announced a refreshed verson of the original Echo from 2014. The new Echo is about half the size of the original one and costs US$99. In order to push the new Echo as multi-room audio device and compete with Sonos, Amazon is offering a bundle of three Amazon Echo’s for US$249. The new Echo also has a dedicated bass tweeter. The new Echo will also make 911 calls now and in order to push Amazon Alexa as a phone replacement, the company announced a separate US$35 device called Connect. Connect connects to your landline and makes free calls for you. Your number will still be attached to Connect so that the receiver can identify your number. The Echo will be available in a host of different finishes like wood and cloth.

    Fire TV

    The Amazon Fire TV will now support 4K HDR video playback at 60fps. It has Dolby Atmos integration and an Alexa voice remote, and will cost US$69.99. The price places it far below its direct rival, the Apple TV 4K which costs US$179. The size of the Fire TV is also much smaller and can be attached to the back of a television unlike its predecessor which looked like a set top box. Amazon has opened it for pre order and will start shipping the Fire TV on October 25th.

    All these devices will be available in the United States right now and it’s global availability has not been announced yet. There were reports of Amazon Echo Dot launching in India during the festive season, and with a host of festivals round the corner, it might happen anytime now.

  • Apple HomePod Spotted Ahead Of December Launch

    Apple HomePod Spotted Ahead Of December Launch

    Apple unveiled the HomePod during its annual WWDC event in 2017 and is expected to officially launch it in December. A recent Instagram post by, who seems like a supply chain worker, of the HomePod has shed more light on what the smart speaker will look like when it is launched. The user posted a photo of the speaker on Instagram with the hashtag #HomePod and the location is pinned to Shanghai, China. In the image, what seems like the user’s kitchen, you can see the HomePod, a charger, and its box.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BYfhudMAzIN/

    Later, a Twitter user posted a screenshot showing a HomePod appeared in the control center of his iPhone while driving through Menlo Park in California. The HomePod is labeled ‘Kitchen’ and it seems like an Apple employee is testing the smart speaker in their home. Lately, HomePod has been in the news for more being more than just a smart speaker. After Apple accidentally released the firmware of HomePod, several details about the upcoming iPhone were fished out by experts, ranging from a virtual home button to facial recognition to bezel-less display.

    https://twitter.com/BenedictEvans/status/905977272959512576

    The two images barely reveal anything about the HomePod and a lot of it was already revealed by the firmware. The launch of the HomePod is set for December, but, before December comes, the September 12 launch event is just around the corner where Apple might announce the all new iPhone. Stay tuned for more details.

  • Harman Launched Google Assistant And Alexa Powered Smart Speakers At IFA 2017

    Harman Launched Google Assistant And Alexa Powered Smart Speakers At IFA 2017

    One of the biggest tech event of the year, the IFA 2017 tech show in Berlin has been a platform for various tech firms to debut everything ranging from Wi-Fi fridges to smartphones. Aside from the newly launched flagships like the LG V30 and the Xperia XZ1, smart assistants, luxury headphones, Bluetooth speakers and smart audio gear were some of the devices showcased at the IFA 2017.

    Sinc the demand for smart speakers has surged in the recent past with the entry of Amazon Echo and Google Home, Harman is hedging its bets on smart speakers with the launch of two Google assistant and Alexa powered smart speakers.

    Harman Kardon Allure

    The Alexa powered, Harman Kardon Allure can be controlled via voice commands. The smart speaker lets you order pizza, play music, read the news, control your smart home appliances, make purchases from Amazon, and much more. Harman Kardon Allure features far-field voice technology which allows the speaker to hear commands even from a far distance. The speaker’s 360-degreeambient lighting that glows in time with the music. The Harman Kardon Allure is priced at $249.95 (approximately Rs 16000) and is available at Amazon.

    KEY FEATURES
    Amazon Alexa Voice Control
    Dual-band Wi-Fi
    Far-field Voice Recognition
    Built-in four-microphone array with advanced noise cancellation
    360-degree sound
    Ambient lighting
    Wireless Bluetooth streaming

    JBL Link Series

    The company’s other smart speaker offering includes Google Assistant powered JBL Link series, the LINK 10, LINK 20, and LINK 300. The Google Assistant built-in smart speakers let you stream music, ask questions, manage everyday tasks, etc, by waking the device by saying “Ok, Google”.  The LINK 10 and LINK 20 speakers have the IPX7 waterproof design. Both the smart speakers have 5 and 10 hours of battery life, respectively. The smart speakers can be easily linked together using any home Wi-Fi network. The LINK 10, LINK 20 and LINK 300 are priced at $149, $199 and $249, respectively.

    KEY FEATURES LINK 10 | LINK 20 | LINK 300
    Built-In Google Assistant  Yes
    Chromecast built-in with multi-room music playback  Yes
    Speaker output power 2x8W | 2x10W | 50W
    Bluetooth Yes
    Battery Life 5 Hours | 10 Hours | NA
    Dimensions (mm x mm x mm) 86 x 169 | 93 x 210 | 236 x 134 x 154
    Waterproof IPX7 Rating

     

    Voice controlled smart speakers are one of the most upcoming trends of 2017. And with Amazon’s Echo, Google Home and Apple’s upcoming HomePod, it will be interesting to see how Harman’s smart speakers will stack against its rivals.

  • Sony Launches The Smart Speaker LF-S50G To Rival Amazon Echo, Google Home

    Sony Launches The Smart Speaker LF-S50G To Rival Amazon Echo, Google Home

    Sony has launched its first smart speaker, the LF-S50G powered by Google Assistant at a price of USD 199 (Rs 12,700 approx.). The smart speaker will enter the market dominated by the likes of Amazon Echo and Google Home.

    The inclusion of the Google Assistant means that it will work almost identical to the Google Home and has plenty of power to fill “the average room” with sound, Sony claims. The smart speaker looks very similar to the Apple HomePod with a white speaker mesh wrapped around a metal frame. It is, however, a little taller and slimmer than the Apple HomePod, and there’s a slender silver base which houses the power port and two buttons. It has two microphones, which is same as Google Home, however, Apple’s HomePod has six and the Amazon’s Echo has seven for improved audio recognition. Both microphones on the Sony LF-S50G are positioned on the top of the speaker, with a rubberized cap to ensure splash resistance.

    Since the speaker is powered by Google Assistant, it’ll work for timers, Google searches, your calendar, controlling your smart home, and more. The top of the smart speaker also supports gesture controls. A rotation of a finger clockwise over the top of the speaker will increase volume, and movement in the opposite direction reduces it. You can also skip back and forth between songs by moving your palm over the top of the speaker, left to right to skip forward, and the other way to skip back a track. The smart speaker is equipped with a 360-degree speaker setup, a downward woofer, and an upward tweeter, delivering sound in all directions.

    The smart speaker from Sony boasts something that the Amazon Echo and Google Home miss out, a small matrix-dot display. It can provide you with useful info such as the time and the volume level and, seamlessly disappears in the speaker mesh if you do not want it.

    Sony says the LF-S50G release date is set for mid-October with a retail price of $199 (Rs 12,700) and will be available in Blue, White, and Black colour variants, but, there is no word about the speaker entering the Indian market, yet.

iGyaan Network
Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.