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Monday 15 January 2018 technology
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Behind the smart gadgets, Amazon and Google are waging war

By RYAN NAKASHIMA and THE STAKES For consumers, meanwhile, heat up at home before becomes dominant.
MATT O’BRIEN The two companies — and the spread of these as- they arrive. “Five years ago, no one
AP Technology Writer to a lesser extent, Apple, sistants offers new conve- But these smart products could predict what was
LAS VEGAS (AP) — The with Siri, and Microsoft, with nience in the form of an can — and sometimes do going to happen with the
flash of the CES technol- Cortana — are waging a ever-present digital con- — support multiple assis- smart home,” says LG Elec-
ogy show in Las Vegas is all tronics USA marketing vice
about robots, drones and president David Vander-
smart gadgets. But its sub- Waal. “Five years from now,
text is all about Google ver- we’re not quite sure either.
sus Amazon. So this open partner, open
Both companies usually platform system, is definite-
shun conventions like CES, ly the way to go.”
preferring to debut gad- THE RUNNERS UP
gets at their own press For the moment, voice
events. But these tech gi- competitors to Amazon
ants have built an imposing and Google remain largely
presence here this year as in the wings.
they work to weave their Microsoft’s Cortana assis-
voice-operated digital as- tant, which is available on
sistants more deeply into PCs running Windows 10, al-
our personal lives. lows hundreds of millions of
Google has plastered digi- users to search the web us-
tal billboards and the Las ing Bing. But it hasn’t been
Vegas Monorail with the a huge factor in gadget
“Hey Google” wake-up announcements leading
command. It’s announced up to CES. In fact, Alexa is
a range of new gadgets even starting to encroach
featuring its assistant on on Cortana’s turf by mak-
everything from smart dis- ing its way onto some PCs.
plays to pressure cookers. A monorail with a Google advertisement passes the Las Vegas Convention Center during CES Apple hasn’t been promi-
International, Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2018, in Las Vegas.
And it’s sent out the clowns Associated Press nent this year, either. But
— a jumpsuit-wearing army many manufacturers have
of advertising associates fierce struggle to establish cierge. But there could also tants. Toyota Connected adopted its HomeKit soft-
wearing brightly-colored their assistants as de facto be some uneasiness about CEO Zack Hicks told re- ware in order to ensure
Converse sneakers and standards for a new gen- revealing even more about porters that “we’re not ex- they’ll work easily with
hovering around partner eration of voice-controlled their habits, preferences clusive” with Amazon, and iPhones and Siri. Apple,
firms’ booths to explain devices. It’s similar in some and routines to distant that nothing prevents Toy- however, had to push back
how Google’s technology respects to the decade-old computers that are always ota from partnering with release of the HomePod, its
works. battle between the iPhone listening for their com- others. almost-$350 smart speaker,
Amazon, which grabbed and Google’s Android sys- mands. General Electric is showing until “early” this year; it was
an early lead in this market, tem in smartphones, or to THE EVERPRESENT COMPUT- off a suite of smart kitchen originally scheduled for De-
opted for a more subtle the much older fight be- ER gizmos that connect its cember 2017.
approach. Instead of an tween Apple’s Mac com- In a video presentation by “Geneva” voice assistant Some analysts also say
advertising blitz, its Alexa puters and Microsoft’s Win- LG, one consumer cooks to those of Amazon and it’s too soon to rule out
digital assistant has merely dows PCs. while reading a recipe Google. For example, you Bixby, Samsung’s AI assis-
been popping up regularly Both companies see the from the smart screen of can preheat your oven by tant, which the company
in “smart” products across competition in existential the company’s voice-acti- saying, “Alexa, tell Geneva vowed to make a more
the convention — every- terms. Getting shut out of vated robot CLOi. Another to preheat the upper oven central part of all its con-
thing from mirrors and toi- voice devices could im- prepares to embark on to 350.” China’s Baidu on nected devices by 2020.q
lets to headphones and peril Google’s lucrative a vacation and shuts off Monday announced it was
car dashboards. digital-advertising business, her lights by saying, “Hey, integrating its voice assis-
Executives from both com- the source of its financial Google, I’m leaving.” tant into a lamp speaker
panies have also been strength. Amazon, mean- Google said this week it’s and dome ceiling lights.
turning up at press confer- while, wants to ensure that integrating its voice assis- Whether people will truly
ences held by other com- its customers can direct- tant to allow remote con- pay more for the ability
panies such as Panasonic, ly access its “everything trol of some settings in Kia not to walk over and flip
LG and Toyota. “What store” in contrast to now, and Fiat Chrysler vehicles, a switch themselves is un-
we’re seeing is heavy com- when they mostly shop via while Toyota announced clear. But manufacturers
petition between all the devices and software sys- a similar arrangement with aren’t taking the chance
personal assistants,” says tems controlled by Ama- Amazon that enables driv- that they’ll be left behind
Gartner analyst Brian Blau. zon’s rivals. ers to ask Alexa turn the if one or the other assistant