CES 2018 kicked off with a major Google presence on the show's front doorstep. Nathan's already explained why the company may have decided to appear at the world's biggest tech show with such strength, but halfway through the show, I get the feeling that the gambit's paying off. Google Assistant is eroding the lead established by Amazon's Alexa, arguably the internet company's biggest voice assistant rival, and it's doing it with better devices, wider functionality... and free donuts for anyone at CES. With Google bringing its Assistant to smart displays (not to mention more TVs), it's obviously chasing Amazon's own Echo Show assistant in a major way. It's also done it with arguably better products: Lenovo's 8- and 10-inch Smart Displays offer better-looking screens and more premium (read: less janky-looking) hardware than own Amazon's debut smart display.

Personal devices will know more about an individual's emotional state than his or her own family does, according to projections for 2022 by Gartner. The analyst claimed that artificial intelligence (AI) is "generating multiple disruptive forces" that are reshaping the way people interact with personal technologies, with emotion being at the fore of the next AI development. "Emotion AI systems and affective computing are allowing everyday objects to detect, analyse, process and respond to people's emotional states and moods to provide better context and a more personalised experience," said Roberta Cozza, research director at Gartner. "To remain relevant, technology vendors must integrate AI into every aspect of their devices, or face marginalisation." The current wave of emotion AI systems is being driven by the proliferation of virtual personal assistants (VPAs) and other AI-based technology for conversational systems, found Gartner. It continued that as a second wave emerges, AI technology will add value to more and more customer experience scenarios, including educational software, video games, diagnostic software, athletic and health performance, and the autonomous car.

Siri, Alexa, and OK Google… these are the virtual interactions that Sci-Fi movies have portrayed for decades past. The future is, it seems, here at our fingertips. These technologies are sparking new expectations in today's consumers on an almost daily basis. We want intelligent interactions that are personalized to our own situations and we want them on demand – not after we waste our precious time sitting on hold. Long gone are the days when customers almost expected to experience IVR hell and would pretty much tolerate jaw-dropping wait times.

Alexa can help you with heating up the seat, lifting the lid, playing your favorite tunes, and of course, flush. Alexa is branching out to other appliances, too. LAS VEGAS -- You thought choosing a smartphone or deciding whether to buy an Amazon Echo rather than Google Home was hard. Now try coming to grips with which smart light fixture, faucet, or fridge to buy. Get past that, and good luck setting everything up.

Every Android phone is different, and so is taking screenshots with them. Even though Android 4 introduced simple screenshots for all with the handy power-and-volume-down-key combo, nailing it can still be tricky. That's why some phone makers have introduced new methods. We're here to help: Just find your Android phone on the list below to learn the various ways to snap, share, and save a screenshot. On supported phones, you can also ask Google Assistant to take a screenshot for you.

A new study from Edison Research and NPR reports that Amazon Echo maintains almost a three-to-one consumer market share advantage over Google Home in the U.S., but the gap narrowed considerably in 2017 to settle at 69% to 25%. This represents the first time Amazon has dropped below 70% market share. The data was collected during a telephone survey of 1,010 adults the last week of December after the 2017 holiday season concluded. The market share data was derived from an email interview with the research principle and the report's representation that 16% of survey participants owned a smart speaker of any type, 11% indicated Amazon Echo ownership and 4% for Google Home. Amazon Echo was the only smart speaker for nearly two years.

This year's CES had a lot of interesting and exciting new gadgets, but there were a few that stood out from the crowd. Fox News has compiled a list of five categories and the offerings that stood out from the competition. Best wearable: Smart glasses used Amazon's Alexa Vuzix Blade Smart Sunglasses made a lot of "best of" lists this year at CES and for good reason – Vuzix could achieve what Google Glass didn't. It allows you to keep your head up while interacting with your device. The Vuzix glasses have a couple of standout features, including the ability to query Alexa, Amazon's voice-enabled intelligent personal assistant.

Plug in an Amazon Echo and it's obvious that artificial intelligence is using algorithms to produce responses. But drivers in Singapore probably don't realize traffic signal patterns are being determined AI that examines data from street cameras. In the next few years, AI will become increasingly integrated our modern lives--in ways that will be at times conspicuous, and other times unobtrusive. AI will get to know you. So said a trio of AI experts who work on some of the best recognized digital AI assistants--Amazon's Alexa, Microsoft's Cortana and IBM's Watson--at the "Future of AI" panel Thursday morning at CES 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Technology is forging new views on search marketing. Finding a clear path means having a fluid approach in place, knowing where to start, and by doing at least one thing really well. To succeed in competitive search in 2017, it helps to understand how artificial intelligence and technology are forging a new approach to search. Having limited funds and limited time means that a clear focus is of the essence to search success! This article is meant to help get the mindset you need for successful search campaigns in 2017. There is no "one thing" that offers a magic bullet to success. But one thing is clear – the need to focus on new business generation coming from organic search, sales leads, and/or e-commerce revenue gained from paid search marketing. Old paths to get there must update and see how artificial intelligence and algorithms are vastly changing the world of search.

Are you ready to talk to your toilet? Those are just a few of the ideas we've seen at CES 2018, the annual consumer technology confab here at the Las Vegas Convention Center and other venues. Sure, there are tech titans here battling to control our computers, TVs and smart homes. But our favorite part is the thousands of other companies that gather to launch something new. While these ideas sometimes catch on, like fitness trackers and wireless ear buds, many go nowhere.