With Amazon’s recent announcement of all their new Echo products, there is much pressure on Google to come up with devices that can directly compete with the retail giant’s vast array of smart speakers and connected accessories. The latest rumor is that Google is pushing for a tabletop smart screen that is similar to the Amazon Echo Show. Several sources have confirmed that the project exists and is codenamed “Manhattan”. They’re looking at a 2018 release but there is also pressure to announce it by the end of the year.
The smart speaker will be built especially for video calling as well as watching videos while doing other things in the living room, study room, kitchen, or wherever you can multi-task with videos in your house. Plus of course you have Google Assistant to do things for you just like with the existing Google Home smart speaker. It will also act as a smart hub to control your other Internet of Things devices in your house.
The sources also revealed that the original plan was to work on a product that had bigger screens, to compete with full-sized televisions. But now that Amazon and its Echo devices are going full blast with a whole new line of products and the Echo Show doing well (well, except for that whole YouTube thing of course), it looks like they will be focusing on the Manhattan device. While they’re looking at a 2018 launch, there may also be the possibility that a 2017 is imminent.
Having their own smart hub screen is a logical move for Google, especially given their recent move to remove YouTube from the Echo Show due to Amazon’s violations of their terms of services when it comes to subscriptions and video recommendations. It’s also a good way to get Google Assistant a bigger audience, especially in users’ homes. Let’s wait for further rumors and official announcements.
VIA: Tech Crunch
