The 2018 edition of the Consumer Electronics Show aka CES[1] was held this week. With four thousand exhibitors and hundreds of thousands of attendees, CES 2018[2] had but one highlight - AI, and very specifically, smart virtual assistants.
Virtual assistants are a common sight on smartphones, tablets, and even speakers[3] by now; but this year's CES saw a great push towards all kinds of AI-based home gadgets, a lot of them from the IoT (Internet of Things) category. While Google Assistant[4] and Amazon Alexa[5] took most of the limelight, other players like Samsung's Bixby[6], Apple's Siri[7], Cortana[8] and even Roku[9] made their presence felt.
Here is a look some of the devices voice-controlled assistants that made an appearance at CES 2018.
Televisions
Televisions at CES probably got the most number of virtual helper integrations. Sony's latest entrants[10] in its 4K HDR TV range (Bravia A8F OLED and Bravia X900F LCD) come with Google Assistant, which helps viewers search for their favourite TV shows and movies with voice commands. Interestingly, these models also have Amazon Alexa integration for hands-free control.
Sony[11] was not the only exhibitor that showcased a virtual assistant-powered TV range. LG rolled out its ThinQ[12] product lineup that has five new OLED models: W8, G8, E8, C8, and B8. All of them come with Google Assistant built-in[13], and are expected to launch sometime in 2018.
LG ThinQ OLED TV
Meanwhile, Samsung[14] is using its in-house Bixby voice assistant for its new televisions. The South Korean manufacturer...