CES 2019: Google introduces new Interpreter Mode to help translate conversations in real-time

The new Google Assistant feature that debuted at CES hopes to help bridge the communication gap between two people who speak different languages. Coming to Google-powered smart displays and smart speakers, there’s a new Interpreter Mode that turns the digital assistant into a real-time language translator. It’s available in 27 languages but we haven’t seen which ones yet. The demos we’ve seen online have translated conversations in German or Mandarin. In the demo, a concierge at Caesar’s Palace, one of the early beta testers of the feature, talks to a German “tourist” (which was a German-speaking Google employee) about finding show tickets. The concierge turned to the Google Home Hub beside him and prompted Google Assistant to go into German Interpreter Mode to have their conversation.

As the demos showed, the two can hold a conversation as interpreter translates their back and forth. It is going to be a bit stilted though as it takes a few seconds for Assistant to translate what’s being said. And it’s not always entirely accurate, but with the translated text showing up in the smart display, context clues can be picked up. This does show us the possibilities the technology offers for the hospitality business or even for any business owner who needs to converse with people who don’t speak their language. This feature for now is launching as a small pilot at few hotels including one in New York, another in San Francisco, and the aforementioned Caesar’s Palace in Vegas. It’ll be available only on the Google Hub, Google Home speakers and third-party Google Assistant displays.

Source: Wired

CES 2019: Google Assistant to power one billion devices

"Ok, Google, how many devices are you going to be on?"  The answer to that question is a stunning 1 billion devices by 2019. Google wasn't the first to come out with a smart assistant for consumers (that honour goes to Apple's Siri, which is sadly an also-ran in the current race).

Amazon's Echo has exploded thanks to their line of Alexa powered devices numbering 100 million, but it seems Google is set to dominate since Google Assistant is in Chromebooks, Android and iOS devices, Android Auto car infotainment, myriad smart-speakers, smart TVs, plugs, bulbs, doorknobs...you name it. 

The big difference for Google Assistant is its language support. It was the first smart assistant with full French Canadian support from the get go (no surprise there, parts of the OS and hardware were developed in Canada).  

To date, you can parlez with Google Assistant in 30 languages and in 80 countries, talk about world domination. Active Google Assistant users have grown four times over the past year and as announcements out of International CES 2019 show, Google Assistant is being bundled in all sorts of cool and weird products.

Source: Engadget

Samsung’s new TVs get Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa support

So, Samsung is trying to bring more value to its new TVs. On top of its support for iTunes and AirPlay 2, Samsung is also bringing support for Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. But there’s a caveat to this. The new TVs will respond to voice commands from these two digital assistants through Alexa- and Google Assistant-powered smart speakers. The built-in voice assistant and one you can talk to through the remote will still be Samsung’s Bixby Assistant. The commands it can execute is rudimentary at the moment. Using Google Assistant or Alexa, you’ll be able to turn on the TV, change channels and volume, or switch between inputs. There’s no word yet if richer features are coming, but Samsung should update us if they are bringing more.

Source: Engadget

Google Assistant will soon alert you if it thinks your flight will be delayed

With the help of machine learning and historical flight status data, Google Assistant might soon alert you if your flight is going to be delayed. It’ll be able to do so with an 85 percent confidence rate. Right now Google Flights can do this for you, but soon you’ll be able to ask Google Assistant to check if your flight is going to arrive on time or what the status of your flight is. It will be able to tell you things like the reason for the delay. What Google has over its competition is it could predict a delay. Sites like FlightAware can actually do this for you but this would at least simplify the process.

Source: The Verge