Sonos reveals $199 smart speaker with Alexa and Google AI

Sonos has unveiled a smart speaker that works with both Google and Amazon’s AI assistants.

The $199 Sonos One is voice controlled and works with 80 streaming services.

It is the first consumer gadget to work with multiple voice AIs.

The $199 Sonos One is voice controlled and works with 80 streaming services. Voice capture technology with echo cancellation allows the speaker to still hear you over the music

HOW IT WORKS

The new speaker is driven by two Class-D digital amplifiers, one tweeter, and one mid-woofer.

Includes a six-mic array and an adaptive noise suppression algorithm to focus on the right person and ensure the voice service understands everything clearly.

Voice capture technology with echo calculation allows the speaker to still hear you over the music.

The volume also intelligently lowers, or ‘ducks,’ when you speak to it so you don’t have to shout over the music.

At launch, music fans in the US, UK, and Germany can ask Amazon Alexa to control Sonos One out of the box, with full voice support for Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, Pandora, SiriusXM, and TuneIn.

Alexa voice control for Spotify on Sonos One will be coming soon after launch.

Voice transport controls like pause, skip, volume up and down, and even asking what’s playing will be available for all other music services Sonos supports.

‘With Sonos One, owners can use voice to control their entire Sonos home sound systems,’ the firm said.

‘In addition to support for music, Sonos One will allow owners to enjoy all the other great things people love about Alexa – they can hear the weather, set timers, listen to news and traffic reports, and even hear the latest sports scores. ‘

In 2018, the Google Assistant will come to Sonos One, making it the first and only smart speaker to support multiple major voice services, and Sonos also announced that it will begin supporting Apple’s AirPlay 2 in 2018, making it possible to play any sound from an iOS device – including YouTube videos and Netflix movies – on Sonos speakers throughout the house.

Owners will also be able to ask any Siri-enabled device to control music on Sonos speakers.

‘We’re excited to work with Sonos to bring the power of Alexa and far-field voice control to help customers find and enjoy incredible sounding music,’ said Tom Taylor, Senior Vice President, Amazon Alexa.

EXISTING USERS

Existing Sonos will also be able to control their systems using Amazon Alexa, thanks to a free software update the company made available today.

All that’s needed is any Alexa-enabled device like an Amazon Echo or Echo Dot and the Sonos skill for Alexa.

‘With the Sonos One, customers will be able to ask Alexa to help them with many things including playing their favorite albums, controlling smart home devices, getting the news, calling a ride, ordering dinner, and more, using just their voice. We can’t wait for customers to try this out!’

‘We live in a golden age of streaming entertainment,’ said Sonos CEO Patrick Spence.

‘With our open approach to collaboration, agnostic approach to voice services, the strength of our many innovative partners, and a sound platform designed for the whole home, we’re helping people listen more and listen better.’

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk