Reports on Thursday have claimed Google is secretly working on a competitor for the increasingly-capable Amazon Echo personal-assistant-cum-home-speaker.
According to The Information, the project has been underway for months, but there are few specifics and little on the potential for a consumer release.
Regardless, it’s easy to see why Google would be interested in this field as it already possesses so much of the prowess that is impressing users of the Echo’s Alexa assistant.
With its unrivalled speech recognition prowess, unbeatable search engine and the power of the Google Now assistant to offer prevalent information when needed most, all Google would really need is vessel squeeze everything in to.
See also: Amazon Echo & Alexa: Everything you need to know
Commute details and traffic warnings could be freely available through Google Maps, News could be provided from an untold number of third party sources already available on the Google Play Store, while Calendar appointments could be read as users left the house in the morning.
There could be built in access to Gmail, Google Play Music, Hangouts, Translate, Keep notes and much more.
Essentially, such a device would be akin to an Android smartphone or tablet, controlled via voice commands and spoken responses, rather than a touchscreen. Essentially, Google would be crazy not to make it.
Perhaps the company could even squeeze everything into a future version of its most recent home-based gadget, the OnHub Router, which is already designed to be on show in the home.
Google also has its own smart home brand with Nest, that could enable the rumoured device to pull off full home automation. Strangely, The Information’s report claimed Nest had been left out of internal discussions surrounding the product at present.
Would you buy a Google Now-based home device? Share your thought in the comments section below.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
