In case you hadn't heard, Google's Assistant doesn't just live in phones, speakers and televisions anymore. You'll see the Assistant pop up in small, connected screens meant for use around the house later this year, and we just spent a little time with Lenovo's first efforts: the 8-inch and 10-inch Smart Displays. It's hard not to think of them as just a pair of surprisingly handsome tablets, but after getting a sense of how the Google Assistant works on a purpose-built screen, it's clear that Amazon's Echo Show has some serious competition. The 8-inch screen on the smaller Smart Display runs at 1,200x800, while the larger version's 10-inch panel runs at 1,920x1,200. Other than that, the two versions of the Smart Display are essentially the same.

It's difficult to remember now, but there was a moment in early 2016 when many in the tech industry believed chatbots--automated text-based virtual assistants--would be the next big platform. Messaging app Kik staked its company's future on bots and "chatvertising." Startup studio Betaworks launched an accelerator program called Botcamp. And at its 2016 F8 conference, Facebook pitched bots to developers as the best way to connect with 900 million Messenger users. Few expected that voice assistants like Amazon's Alexa and Google Assistant would thrive and text-based chatbots would become a punchline.

Artificial intelligence, machine learning, and neural networks are words that are often seen in today's business technology headlines. Are robots taking over the world? Or are they just here to help you find the best hotel for your next holiday? Artificial intelligence may seem like the bane of some futuristic, dystopian society but you've probably already come into contact with it in something as simple as booking a hotel or flight. If you have ever binged watched a series or two on Netflix, you've seen the'what to watch next' recommendations pop up on the screen.

LG has unveiled a new artificial intelligence brand set to take over its smart devices, connecting everything from TVs and smart speakers to your car and washing machine. At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the firm revealed ThinQ and Deep ThinQ AI, which will allow LG's connected devices to communicate with each other, and get smarter with time. And, Google Assistant is coming to LG's home devices for hands-free voice control. LG also introduced a number of updates to its OLED TV and Super UHD TV lineups, promising better image quality and more advanced processors, and showed off three new customer service robots. At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the firm revealed ThinQ and Deep ThinQ AI, which will allow LG's connected devices to communicate with each other, and get smarter with time. And, Google Assistant is coming to LG's home devices for hands-free voice control LG introduced its new AI brand, ThinQ at CES in Las Vegas.

Apple's delayed $349 'HomePod' smart speaker is finally set to go on sale within weeks, it has been claimed. The gadget will battle Amazon's Echo and Google Home for the lucrative smart speaker market, using Apple music and Siri to do everything from play music to give news and traffic updates - but was delayed from its inital launch date of November. The firm said it needed'a little more time before it's ready' - and now, a leading analyst says the firm is ready. The new $349 smart'HomePod' home speaker will go on sale later this year, and use Siri to aplay music and answer questions. Apple also unveiled iOS 11 and new iPads at the event.

Amazon's voice-controlled digital assistant, Alexa, may soon have a new home: your car. The online retail giant announced today at CES 2018 that a partnership with Panasonic will bring its Alexa voice assistant to in-car infotainment systems. The new interface, Alexa Onboard, works with Panasonic's in-car infotainment Skip Generation IVI platform, announced at CES 2017. SEE ALSO: LG Electronics says, 'Screw it!' and puts AI in everything Alexa Onboard essentially makes it easier for drivers to use the Alexa assistant in their home on products like the Amazon Echo, and then move to their cars with all the same functions. Perhaps the most interesting part of Alexa Onboard is that it includes several offline features.

Facebook M is, or was, an artificially-intelligent AI that used human operatives to ensure that its recommendations were on point. "Was," at least, because the social network has revealed that its shutting down the platform on January 19th after two-and-a-half-years of operation. The news was confirmed to the Verge today, with Facebook saying that the project was an experiment that it learned a lot from. These insights will be used on other internal AI projects, while the human operatives will be found jobs elsewhere in the company. For everyone else, though, the technology powering M has been used in Facebook Messenger's M suggestions, and those will continue going forward.

At CES today, Panasonic announced a partnership with Amazon that will bring Alexa to your car. Dubbed Alexa Onboard, it works with Panasonic's Skip Gen IVI technology and is meant to make life with your virtual assistant more seamless as you move from your home to your vehicle. Alexa Onboard's functions were demonstrated on stage and the most interesting aspect is that it will still have use when offline. As expected, queries like what the weather's like, how far away a destination is and where the nearest gas station is, for example, are answered by Alexa when you ask. You'll also be able to take advantage of Alexa's other skills such as controlling your smart home devices, receiving news briefings and ordering from meal delivery services.

At the end of last year Hisense launched the $10,000 100-inch 4K "Laser TV" projector we saw at CES 2017, and this year it's continuing to push that home theater in a box. According to president Liu Hong Xin, it has more sizes in development (80 and 88-inch sizes will be in its booth), and already owns 60 percent of the market share for 85-inches and above. As far as regular TVs go, the company once again has a wide range of LED-lit LCD televisions ranging in size and price, however the biggest change is that there's no mention of Roku built-in. This time around the high-end H10E (above, which features over 1,000 zones of LED lighting) and H9E Plus series will feature Android TV, while its other models come with the Hisense TV Platform. It's not clear what Hisense is using for that, but it will have apps for Netflix, Amazon, Pandora, YouTube and Fox Sports Go. All of them are Amazon Alexa enabled with voice control access, while the Android models also support Google Assistant.

Samsung-owned Harman International just announced three new models for its JBL Everest line of wireless headphones. The over-ear 710GA, on-ear 310GA and in-ear 110GA all include Google Assistant (hence the GA designation), giving you voice control over your music, phone calls and notifications. All three models will be available this spring for $250, $200 and $100, respectively. Once you've connected either model to your phone or tablet via Bluetooth 4.1, you can use Google Assistant by touching a sensor on the ear cup or earbud. You can then say things like, "volume up," "tell me about my day" or "play some pop music."