Sonos has launched a new finish for its portable speaker, with the Sonos Move Lunar White switching things up later this month. Joining the existing Shadow Black Move that launched last year, the new Move also benefits from a new software update from Sonos, which the company says will add an extra hour of playback time when it's being used wirelessly.
Google is gearing up to release a new Nest smart speaker that is allegedly codenamed 'prince,' a new leak claims. The model is said to feature a familiar Google smart speaker design, but with upgraded audio compared to the previous Google Home model, enabling it to take on the Sonos One smart speaker. The speaker model hasn't been officially announced at this time, but will likely make an appearance later this year.
Google Assistant is available on a wide variety of smart devices, not just those with Google's name on them. Unfortunately, the reality is that Google's own devices naturally get some preferential treatment in getting features before others. Sometimes those features never come but sometimes they do just take their time rolling out to others. Fortunately for owners of third-party smart speakers, that day is close and soon they'll be able to enjoy some of the latest features Google Assistant has to offer.
A new free Nest Mini has appeared in a sort of "offer" delivered to a number of subscribers to YouTube Premium. This isn't the first time Google's delivered their Google Assistant speaker devices to subscribers to their services. This usually signals that Google is preparing to release a new model - but it's also part of their overarching efforts to get as many Google Assistant devices as possible into the hands of users and potential users.
Bang & Olufsen has updated its Bluetooth portable speaker, boosting battery life and adding Alexa support to the new Beosound A1 2nd Gen. An update to the old Beoplay A1, the puck-shaped speaker now allows you to chat with Amazon's virtual assistant, albeit assuming your smartphone is nearby.
Say hello to Sonos Arc, the company's new soundbar and its first to offer Dolby Atmos. Replacing the Sonos Playbar, the Arc squeezes eleven speakers into its long, minimalistic chassis, along with four microphones to work as a Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa smart speaker.
Google's first-generation Google Home smart speaker has had an unexpected price cut, with the Assistant-powered gadget now matching the Google Nest Mini in a promotion. Launched back in late 2016, the original Google Home may have looked like an air freshener, but it actually kick-started the company's growing smart home line-up.
The HomePod was arguably one of the more divisive products Apple has launched in recent years, next to the Mac Pros, of course. It was terribly late to the smart speaker game and launched with a small set of features compared to the likes of the Amazon Echo or Google Home (now Nest Home). Still, the audio quality was regarded as superb and the quality experience was exactly what Apple was known for. Some, however, have started to wonder if the HomePod was a one-off product but recent changes to the operating system it's running may put those fears to rest.
For a company loathe to admit it may have made a mistake, you can imagine Apple is pretty eager to redeem the HomePod name. The Siri-powered smart speaker was meant to be Cupertino's retort to Amazon's Echo and Google's Home, not to mention a new foundation in the smart home. Problem is, things didn't turn out quite that way.
Apple's 2020 iPhone line-up could include four new smartphones, a big 5G upgrade, and an infusion of iPad Pro styling and tech, a new report claims, ahead of the expected launch in September. The new 5G iPhones are also said to be accompanied by important accessories, one seeing Apple's entry into a new market and another updating an under-appreciated current product.
If you own a Google Nest or Google Home smart speaker and use it to listen to audiobooks while at home, you'll find the product's latest support particularly useful: samples. As of now, Google Nest and Home speakers can be used to download and listen to audiobook samples before the user purchases the product, giving them a chance to hear the audio and decide if they want the entire book.
Despite the lockdowns, quarantines, and shelter-in-place orders, work still has to be done. This is especially true for physical products that have a limited window of opportunity to get out the door. That's harder to do when you very secretive company like Apple that is known for keeping things under tight wraps, or at least as much as they can. The global pandemic has forced Apple to yield some ground and, in doing so, may have also yielded some clues to its upcoming products.