Ever since Google acquired Nest back in 2014, both companies have sort of continued to run as separate entities, with each company putting out their own set of products. However, it seems that could change because in a leak on its own website, Google might have accidentally revealed an upcoming product called the Nest Hub Max.

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.

In the early days of digital assistants, whenever you wanted to ask the digital assistant something new, you’d have to launch it again. This is very unnatural because in real life, do you keep calling out your friend’s name whenever you have a conversation? Chances are you don’t, which is why many digital assistants still feel quite unnatural even until this day.

Google Duo is the company’s answer to video calls. Previously Google had largely relied on Hangouts for video and audio calls, but with Hangouts now focused more on enterprise users, those who wanted to make video or audio calls over the internet had to use Duo (as one of the many alternatives).

Ultimate Ears’ Boom 3 speakers come in a variety of color and design options for users to choose from. For the most part they are pretty funky in terms of design and with the variety offered, there should be something for everyone. However if you’re interested in creating one that’s truly unique, you’re in luck.

The problem with Apple’s walled garden approach is that it makes it hard to buy outside products and accessories. Take for example speaker systems such as Sonos where at the start, Apple Music was not supported (it is now). While you could stream it through Bluetooth, it wasn’t integrated the same way as other services such as Spotify.

Xiaomi is a company that many of you might know as a smartphone manufacturer. However the company also dabbles in a variety of products that aren’t smartphone related, such as table lamps, kettles, screwdrivers, air purifiers, and so on. Now it looks like Xiaomi wants to take on te likes of Amazon and Google by launching the XiaoAI Touchscreen.

According to a report from earlier this month, it was suggested that Apple’s HomePod commanded about 6% of the US smart speaker market. Clearly this is less than ideal as it means that the rest of the market is dominated by pretty much the likes of Amazon and Google with their Echo and Google Home devices.

Last year Samsung announced the Galaxy Home. This was Samsung’s attempt at breaking into the smart speaker market, but unfortunately, to date, the device has yet to be launched. It made an appearance at the FCC last year, but we haven’t heard anything about its release, at least until now.

Apple’s HomePod speakers are currently one of the pricier options in the market today. When you compare it against other smart speakers like the Amazon Echo Dot or the Google Home Mini, the HomePod seems downright expensive, plus given the fact that Apple only has one option, it doesn’t give customers much choice.

Last year amidst the various privacy scandals and controversies that Facebook found themselves caught up in, the company debuted the Portal video chat device. It was an odd choice to launch a product that would have raised eyebrows any other day, during a time where there was a public outcry to #DeleteFacebook.

Looking for a nice speaker for your next outdoor party? Consider the one that Sony has unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show 2019 in Las Vegas this week. It’s part of the new lineup of audio products that the company has unveiled at this busy trade show. The GTK-PG10 outdoor speaker is unique in that it has cupholders.

#CES2019 – Wireless Bluetooth speakers are becoming increasingly common these days. This is largely thanks to the fact that handset manufacturers have started to ditch the 3.5mm headphone jack, which means that customers are in greater need of wireless audio more so than ever.