Google used its massive presence at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas Tuesday to tout a number of new Google Assistant integrations, as well as a range of new features for the AI assistant.
One of the entirely new Assistant-based devices debuting at the show is the Lenovo Smart Clock, a 4-inch smart display device optimized for the bed stand. The device makes use of Google Assistant routines to manage morning and evening tasks, and also doubles as a bedside smart home controller. It will be available this spring for $79.
Also on Tuesday, Dish announced that it is adding the Google Assistant to its Hopper line of DVRs. Hopper owners will be able to query the assistant with the help of their voice remote once the feature becomes available in the coming months. Dish first introduced an integration with Google Assistant that relied on Google Home speakers last July.
In addition to these two integrations, Google also struck a number of other partnerships that gave the company a presence across the show floor at CES. Samsung announced Sunday that it was adding Google Assistant support to its TV sets; KitchenAid showed off a water-resistant smart display for messy cooks at the show; Anker and JBL both introduced gizmos that extend the Assistant into the car; and a number of TV manufacturers announced new Android TV models with Google Assistant on-board.
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Plus, Sonos reiterated that it plans to launch Google Assistant to its smart speakers this year, with a spokesperson telling Variety that a beta test of the integration is already underway. And Google also previewed a new program dubbed Google Assistant Connect that will simplify integration into third-party devices.
However, Google didn’t just make CES about hardware. The company also announced a range of the features for its smart assistant, which include a new translation mode that aims to aid conversations across language barriers, new features to use the Assistant in the car, integration with third-party messaging apps and the ability to check into flights and do other travel chores with voice commands.
All of this comes after Google announced Monday that the Google Assistant will be installed on over 1 billion devices by the end of this month. However, this number also includes Android phones, with no guarantee that their owners actually ever make use of the smart assistant. The company said that the number of active assistant users grew by 4x over the past year, but didn’t provide any monthly user numbers.