Acer unveils DTS audio-equipped, Google Assistant-powered speaker

Yes, those are more qualifying statements than usual. But Acer seems to be taking the fight to the existing smart home speakers with the Acer Halo. It's one of the first smart speakers to offer DTS sound processing without breaking the bank. The Halo promises to provide "high-quality audio that is projected in 360 degrees to fill any room." 

And then it also comes with RGB lights on the base and a customizable dot matrix-like display that reminds us of the Amazon Echo Dot with clock. That requires an app to show anything from a clock, weather forecast, emoji, or another pixelated image of choice. If the RGB lights and the display are too much for you, Acer claims you can turn this off. 

Source: Acer

There are controls for Play/Pause, Volume +/i, and a Google Assistant/Power button at the top of the speaker. With two far-field microphones, you might not need the Google Assistant button. If you're worried about privacy, Halo also has a slider for the mics.

We don't know the actual dimensions of the speaker yet. But hopefully, Acer releases more details soon. It also isn't known if you can pair units for a stereo array, which most Google Assistant-enabled speakers are configured to do. 

Acer targets a Q1 2021 release in North America for the Halo. There's a product page for it on Acer Canada's site, but without any mentions of its price. In US dollars, though, it costs $109 (around CA$143).

Source: XDA-Developers