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LG seems poised to stage another coup if recent rumors are to be believed. Reports coming out of South Korea indicate that the company is working with Google to port its smart assistant into the LG G6.
LG-Google Collaboration
According to Business Korea, industry sources revealed that LG has actively sought the collaboration with Google as part of a strategy to revitalize its 2017 lineup. The expectation is that once LG’s new flagship debuts next month at the Mobile World Congress, it will be rocking the Google AI voice assistant.
If this leak is proven correct, LG will effectively become the first OEM to use Google Assistant. Presently, only the Google Pixel smartphones can boast of this feature.
Those of you thinking that Samsung should probably be worried about this development: don’t hold your breath. The company is reportedly working hard on its own smart assistant technology called Bixby. Some sources cite that this AI even has a female version.
Amazon Alexa On The LG G6
What is interesting, however, is the claim that LG has also courted Amazon, possibly concerning its Alexa technology. The speculation is that LG wants the G6 to be able to control smart home appliances.
Alexa is Amazon’s proprietary AI assistant outfitted in its Echo speakers. Through its so-called skills, it can perform tasks, execute commands and control appliances.
At this point, it is worth noting that Amazon is also actively encouraging manufacturers to integrate Alexa into their products. There is the case, for example, of GE’s lamp that doubles as a smart assistant.
Even some of LG products such as the smartThinQ Hub and the LG Instaview refrigerator are already equipped with the Amazon voice assistant so the possibility of the G6 getting its own sets of Alexa skills is not too far-fetched. The Huawei Mate 9 has unfortunately beaten LG, by introducing this feature first. When it launched last Jan. 6, it became the first smartphone that allows its users to access Alexa voice-control features.
More On Google Assistant
Going back to the Google Assistant bit, if LG has been successful in securing Google’s blessing, Google Assistant will also likely get deployed in its next smartwatches. They are widely reported to be launching in the early part of February so we will get a first glimpse of how LG implements the feature. Hopefully, it would provide some insights as to how Google Assistant will work with the G6.
LG will likely launch its flagship on Feb. 26 and the device could hit the market sometime in March, which is a month earlier than the expected announcement of the Samsung Galaxy S8.
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