This weekend will see Lenovo start shipping its Google Assistant smart display in two sizes in its bid to offer an alternative to the Amazon Echo Show.
First seen at CES earlier this year, each Lenovo display will offer the opportunity for user to enjoy giving both voice commands and seeing visuals (whether doing something as simple as checking the weather or watching video/video calling a friend).
Cool little details viewing maps and being able to send directions straight to your phone seek are also incorporated make life easier, as well as step-by-step visual guidelines when following recipes, and more (handy considering that’s been found that most Amazon Echo devices go into kitchens).
To make a call, users activate ‘Duo’ mode on the device with the command "Hey Google, call [insert name here]."
Lenovo has partnered up with YouTube to ensure users can Google can easily fulfil requests to stream certain videos or tutorials by voice – three months of Premium will be included as a freebie with a purchase, which can then be carried on or dropped by the user. As well as watching and listening to music via YouTube, users will be able to enjoy other services Google Play Music, Spotify, Pandora and HBO Now (just US).
Tech-wise, audio performance isn’t going to be amazing with one 10W speaker, just like other smart speakers. Visuals will offer HD performance however, with Lenovo’s 8-in model priced at $200 and the larger 10-in model priced $50 more. Watch this space for more information on release dates for Europe, as well as other Google Assistant-powered speakers from the likes of LG and JBL (featuring 2 10W speakers) which will likely have a higher price tag, but offer a bit more in terms of performance.