It used to be that you could buy a device and it would last you until it broke down. This is why Sonos came under fire when they announced that they would be ending support for some of its older products (they later reversed their decision). Now it looks like the company is backtracking on yet another controversial decision in the form of “recycle mode”.
If the idea of being able to stream your Spotify playlists through speakers like those made by Sonos, Bose, or any Alexa-powered speaker, you might not have been able to unless you’re a Spotify Premium user. However, the good news is that Spotify has since announced that they will now allow streaming for its free users as well.
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There are several voice assistants in the market today, like Siri, Google Assistant, Alexa, Cortana, and Bixby, just to name a few, but could Sonos could be looking to build something of their own? According to a report from Variety, it seems that the company is interested in voice assistants as the company has acquired a voice assistant startup called Snips for $37.5 million.
For a while now, we have been hearing rumors and have also been treated to leaks that Sonos could be getting ready to launch their first Bluetooth speaker. Previously, the company’s speakers did offer support for wireless connectivity but it was through WiFi, meaning that they weren’t exactly ideal for portable use.
Last week, there were rumors that Sonos has a new set of speakers in the works that would focus on portability. It was also said that it would offer up both Bluetooth and wireless connectivity. Now thanks to the folks at WinFuture.de, they have managed to get their hands on photos of the upcoming speakers.
If you’re a fan of Sonos’ streaming speakers, then you might be interested to learn that the company could actually have a set of new Bluetooth speakers in the works. This is according to multiple reports from Dave Zatz and The Verge who have heard from sources and also seen from FCC filings that a new Sonos speaker could be in development.
It has been a few weeks since Google Assistant arrived on Sonos. However, it was only available to Sonos owners in the United States. That changes today. It has been confirmed that Google Assistant on Sonos is now expanding to more countries, six to be precise. To that end, a software update is being rolled out which adds Assistant to Sonos in these markets.
Sonos had initially confirmed Google Assistant support for its Sonos One speaker when it was launched in October 2017. The digital assistant was also to be supported on the Sonos Beam smart speaker. It has taken a considerable amount of time for this to happen but as promised by the company last week, the Google Assistant is now available on the Sonos One and Beam smart speakers.
Sonos has been beta testing Google Assistant support for some of its smart speakers for a few months now. It’s finally done with that and will now be rolling out support for the digital personal assistant to compatible models for all users. The company has confirmed that the Sonos One and Sonos Beam smart speakers will receive support for Google Assistant next week.
Ikea and Sonos have been working on custom speakers for quite some time now and the products have now been fully unveiled. The furniture giant has confirmed that it will begin selling the Symfonisk table lamp and bookshelf pieces, both with Wi-Fi speakers built-in, starting August this year. The products blend Ikea’s penchant for great furniture design with Sonos’ audio prowess.
Last year IKEA announced an upcoming collaboration with Sonos where they would be creating a set of speakers together. Details of those speakers are expected to be officially unveiled next month, but in the meantime IKEA has decided to tease the upcoming speakers with some images that shows what it could look like.
Last year IKEA announced that they would be teaming up with Sonos to create a set of smart speakers. IKEA had previously dabbled in Bluetooth speakers, but this would mark the first time the company would be launching a set of smart speakers, and the good news is that we might be able to get a glimpse of it next month.