Robotics & Automation News

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Google’s new products intensify competition in home automation market, says IHS Markit

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New Google Home Mini and Max deepen battle with Amazon at both ends of smart speaker market while Apple’s HomePod faces increasingly competitive environment 

Two new smart speakers were announced at Google’s Pixel 2 smartphone launch event, closing the gap with Amazon in terms of market-penetrating low-end affordability of its smart speakers. 

The first speaker, the $49 Google Home Mini, features a small, rounded, design-neutral form factor, and three color choices.

The device incorporates far-field voice recognition, and inherits the same slate of Google Assistant, Chromecast Built-in, and calling capabilities as its larger Google Home stablemate.  [Read more…] about Google’s new products intensify competition in home automation market, says IHS Markit

ABB integrates Amazon and Sonos technology into its smart home products

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ABB has partnered with Amazon and Sonos to add new functions to its home automation range of products, collectively called free@home. 

ABB claims to be the leading home automation company in the German market, and the company is apparently looking to expand into new geographies, possibly including the US.

Its free@home range includes a variety of devices and hardware, all based on its digital platform, ABB Ability.  [Read more…] about ABB integrates Amazon and Sonos technology into its smart home products