Image used with permission by copyright holderHave you ever sat in your La-Z-Boy recliner, popcorn in hand, and a cocktail at the ready, using the remote to navigate your 60-inch Ultra HD television and thought, “This is too much work”? Well, it appears you’re not alone because Sony has decided to lower the effort bar even further for smart TV owners.
On Thursday, November 8, Sony Electronics announced thatGoogle Assistant is available on select 2016 and 2017 smart TV models — specifically, 4KHDR models with Android TV. Voice search was already supported on Android TV (so long as you had a compatible remote with a dedicated microphone button), but now users are privy to a whole new host of commands, some specific to Google apps (like Youtube).
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With a single button press, you can tell Google Assistant to do a wide array of stuff, including the regular smart TV fare (opening apps, searching for content, playing specific shows or movies) and a smattering of other stuff normally associated with digital assistants like Alexa or Siri (checking the weather forecast, answering trivia questions, etc.). Perhaps the most notable feature: Google Assistant can control all your smart home devices via Android TV — as long as they’re all on the same network, of course — supporting more than 1,000 total devices across more than 150 brands. That means you can now control your thermostat, lighting, smart locks, and more, all from the comfort of your couch.
If your house is filled with smart tech, you’ve probably already devised and implemented a way to make it all work together. Still, you can never have too much control over your home, and if you are already in possession of a supported TV (2016 models: XBR-Z9D, XBR-X800D, XBR-X750/X700D; all 2017 Sony Android TVs), you might as well take advantage! Sony’s 2017 lineup of 4K TVs has impressed us, putting the Japanese company’s products in the conversation for best TVs, alongside brands like LG and Samsung.
Earlier in 2017, Android TV got a big overhaul with the release of Android Oreo (or “Android O”), making it even easier for users to find their favorite content. Google Assistant has already been integrated into dedicated Android TV devices, like Nvidia’s Shield TV.
Early Prime Day 4K TV Deal: Save $300 on 55-inch Sony X800H at Dell
Amazon's massive sale, Prime Day, is coming tomorrow, with thousands of deals to be had on electronics, smart home devices, kitchen equipment, and more. But if you've been hankering to pick up a 4K TV and you don't want to wait for the Prime Deal Deals tomorrow, then you're in luck as there are some bargains to be had even today. Tomorrow there will be lots more Prime Day 4K TV deals, but right now you can save an impressive $300 off this Sony 4K TV, bringing the price down from $998 to $698.
Sony has a reputation as the best manufacturer in the business, and we love their 4K TVs for their brightness, impressive contrast, and well-calibrated colors out of the box. That means you can expect to pay a little more for a Sony TV, but you can be sure you're going to get top-notch quality. The X800H model that's on sale today is a 55-inch size, and although you can find cheaper 55-inch 4K TVs from other manufacturers, they won't compare to this model's quality and features. The X800H supports HDR as well as 4K, and the intelligent 4K HDR processor X1 can upscale all of your content to 4K so it will look beautiful even if you don't have the highest resolution files available.
You can now ask Google Assistant to tie your shoes with expanded app actions
Google Assistant might be most known for its abilities and functionality within the Google Home and Nest series of devices, but Google is now making it possible to use Google Assistant to perform even more actions within your favorite mobile apps. You can now search and open any apps through Google Assistant on an Android device -- a particularly useful feature if you have more apps installed than you know what to do with. We're not just talking about simple actions like opening apps, but other detailed commands to achieve things like asking Google Assistant to tighten the lace on your sneakers.
If you own a pair of Nike Adapt sneakers, for example, you can ask Google Assistant to tighten the laces for you. Saying "Hey, Google, tighten my shoes with Nike Adapt" will make your shoelaces tighten. If that feels a bit too long to say effectively, you can create voice shortcuts to help streamline the process. The previous command can be shortened to, "Hey, Google, tie my shoes."
Play Jeopardy and many more games on your Google Assistant smart display
When there’s nothing on TV and you don’t feel like pulling out a board game, ask Google Assistant to play a game. The smart assistant has always been able to play games through its smart speakers, but smart displays like the Nest Hub Max can now play games that use visuals. It can still be used to play old favorites like Song Quiz and Are You Feeling Lucky, but there are brand-new games that are fun for the whole family.
The new games combine voice and touch controls, so make sure you sit close enough to tap the screen. One of the new games is called Guess the Drawing, and is a bit like Pictionary -- you have to guess what is being drawn on screen as fast as you can. New drawings are added every day, and the game can be played with solo or in Party Mode.
