Google Assistant - SlashGear

The new Google Assistant on Pixel 4 is finally getting G Suite friendly

Chris Davies | Feb 21, 2020

Google is quietly removing one of its most frustrating limitations on the Google Assistant, finally allowing people with G Suite accounts to use the newest Assistant UI and its features. Somewhat confusingly, although those with G Suite accounts - paid versions of Google's free apps - are usually giving the company money for their service, they typically end up missing out on the latest features for things like the Assistant.

Polestar reveals the Android-powered car’s next big leap

Chris Davies | Feb 18, 2020

Electric vehicle startup Polestar is teasing the next iteration of its Android-powered dashboard, complete with deep personalization to each driver and attention-based instruments. The new concepts look beyond the Android Automotive-based Polestar 2, which is expected to be the first to use Google's dashboard-specific version of the OS.

OnePlus Google Assistant Ambient Mode starts rolling out

JC Torres | Feb 10, 2020

Google is pushing its now-rebranded Nest suite of products, particularly the Nest Home speakers, as the nerve center of the smart home. Fortunately, it doesn't expect everyone to have a smart speaker and especially a smart display at every single room in the house. What most people do have is an Android phone and, thanks to the new Ambient Mode feature that's starting to roll out now, almost any recent OnePlus phone can become a makeshift smart display when it's doing nothing while charging on your bedside table.

Samsung Galaxy Home Mini throws pre-launch shade at Siri

Chris Burns | Feb 10, 2020

The Samsung smart speaker called Galaxy Home Mini leaked in a release-ready configuration today tossing a jab at Apple's smart assistant Siri (unofficially, of course). The video comes courtesy of an unnamed source* who would appear to have been at a location where several new Samsung products were being shown. This new smart speaker will apparently allow you, the user to "make it say literally anything you want" - like what we see in the video below: "At least I'm better than Siri."

Google Assistant can now tell you where your Tile was last seen

JC Torres | Feb 3, 2020

Some things, like keys and remote controls, are often too easy to misplace, which is one of the reasons Bluetooth trackers like Tile were born. But when you're frantically searching for them, the last thing you'd want to be doing is fiddling with your phone. Fortunately, if you have a Google Assistant-powered device, like a speaker or, OK, your phone, all you need to do is ask where it is or even ring your keys, not your phone.

NEON’s vision of artificial humans has Samsung’s backing but no clear purpose

Chris Burns | Jan 7, 2020

NEON is an artificial intelligence project, aka "artificial human" project from a Samsung-backed group called STAR Labs. This is not the same as S.T.A.R. Labs from DC Comics, and the artificial human isn't an android. Instead, it's more like a chat bot. Lots of jargon and buzz-words were shared today by the head of the project, Pranav Mistry.

Google Assistant at CES previews sticky notes, scheduled actions, long-form voices

Chris Davies | Jan 7, 2020

Google has brought the Assistant along to CES 2020, and it's gaining new family features as well as previewing Scheduled Actions and a more natural way to read long-form content. There's certainly no shortage of Assistant-enabled devices at the annual tech show, where Google's virtual helper continues its battle with arch-rival Amazon Alexa. Now, though, the Assistant is getting some features Alexa doesn't have.

Belkin Soundform Elite combines a Hi-Fi speaker with a wireless charger

JC Torres | Jan 6, 2020

Accessory maker Belkin is probably best known for its chargers, cables, and power banks but now it is dipping its toes into a brand new market. It partnered with audio brand Devialet to develop a new audio accessory that doesn't simply connect to a speaker but is a speaker in its own right. And something more up Belkin's alley, the Soundform Elite Hi-Fi smart speaker also doubles as a wireless charger to boot.

Sengled Edison Filament Bulb brings CES 2020 back to 1879

Chris Burns | Jan 6, 2020

The folks at Sengled brought a very vintage-looking piece of tech to Las Vegas this week, to CES 2020. This is the Sengled Smart LED Edison Filament Bulb, with a design that's decidedly old-school. Sengled also has a set of new smart (and not so smart) lighting and smart home solutions out at CES 2020, including Smart LED Candle Light Bulbs, a new Smart Hub, and a Smart Plug with Energy Monitoring.

RoomMe expands smart home tracking with Samsung watches, Alexa, Siri, Google

Chris Burns | Jan 3, 2020

The folks at Intellithings announced this week that their smart home system RoomMe would expand with support for Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri, and Samsung smartwatch support. RoomMe will also have new compatibility with a new update for two smart home hubs not on their list before - the Insteon hub and the Logitech Harmony. RoomMe is what they call a "smart home True Occupancy Automation system" that uses "patented presence sensing technology" to see if you're in the house.

Xiaomi products lose Google integration over big privacy concern [Updated]

Brittany A. Roston | Jan 2, 2020

Google has temporarily removed Chinese company Xiaomi's integration with its Google Home and Nest products after a user began reporting a security issue in which other users' feeds were showing up on their display. The issue reportedly impacts a user who owns the Xiaomi Mijia 1080p Smart IP security camera, a model that supported Google's products until today.

C by GE ‘Hubless’ devices make smart homes easier at CES 2020

Chris Burns | Jan 2, 2020

CES 2020 is set to be the place where we finally ditch this "hub" business for Smart Home devices. GE has the way forward, it would seem, with their C by GE Hubless Three-Wire Smart Switch and two Hubless Dimmer models. They're able to use smart assistant products for control without the need for a "hub" product for connection.