Google Home's built-in speaker is merely passable, and the smart-home device doesn't have a display at all. But you can use voice commands to stream music to better speakers and to stream video to your TV. The keys are Google's Google Cast and Android TV technologies. Google Cast is a media-streaming protocol that can be found in Google's own Chromecast (audio and video), Chromecast Audio (audio only), and numerous third-party products. Android TV is a smart TV platform present in various media-streaming boxes and TVs, including models from Nvidia, Xiaomi, Sony, Sharp, and Philips.

The smart speaker trend started with Amazon's Echo, and now includes Google Home and Apple HomePod, but it could get a lot more crowded thanks to Qualcomm. It has just unveiled a reference "smart audio" design, including microphone, speaker and voice recognition tech that OEMs can use to build their own products without starting from scratch. What's more, it includes support for Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, so OEMs will be able to add those voice assistants to a wider variety of audio products. On top of the "smart" aspect of smart audio, Qualcomm is also taking care of the "audio" part. It showed off new DDFA audio amplifier tech and an audio development kit (ADK) that will help companies build wireless Bluetooth speakers, headphones and other products. The aim is to get manufacturers building smarter speakers or headphones "without significantly increasing integration time or cost," Qualcomm VP Anthony Murray said in a statement.

Technology is always evolving and the latest innovation, 'Voice Search' is gathering momentum, with the big players being Amazon's Alexa, Microsoft's Cortana, Ok Google and Apple's Siri at the forefront. Ever asked Siri or Alexa what the weather is like? Instead of typing and searching for a keyword or phrase, you can simply ask out loud where the nearest bar or coffee shop is. Utilising natural language processing, a computer science concerned with artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, these artificial assistants can listen and respond to search queries almost like a real human. Used by many consumers already, Voice Search is set to be one of the biggest SEO trends for 2017 and thus comes with many opportunities, as well as challenges to overcome. Google CEO Sundar Pichai announced during his Google I/O keynote that 1/5 searches made with Google Android App is a Voice Search.

The technology around us has made its way into all kinds of movies. But there's one movie genre it hasn't been able to infiltrate -- the romantic comedy. The technology around us has made its way into all kinds of movies. But there's one movie genre it hasn't been able to infiltrate -- the romantic comedy. Because so many of us hate it.

I take quarterly weekend trips to China to stay in the loop of the tech scene there. It's substantially different every time I visit. My last trip was in Q4, 2016. Thanks to Kai-Fu's invitation, I had the pleasure to visit the Foxconn factory in Shenzhen, and it was one of the best trips I've had. Needless to say, everything was confidential on that trip so I can't really talk about it.

Personalized recommendations powered by artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies can improve the experience of business travelers at every stage of their travel journey. These features are especially advantageous in the hotel space, which is plagued by non-compliant bookings. Irrelevant content and outdated tools have often frustrated business travelers booking lodging for their trips, leading travelers to book outside company policy. Despite the technologies available, it's rare for corporate travel tools to present business travelers with relevant hotel choices. Additionally, today's business travelers are quick to use the tools that suit their individual needs, as their expectations are increasingly influenced by platforms they use in their personal lives.

As part of yesterday's WorldWide Developer Conference (WWDC) Google launched their foray into home connectivity with the HomePad called by Apple CEO Tim Cook, "breakthrough home speaker with amazing sound and incredible intelligence that will reinvent home audio." Don't overlook the last word, in his statement, despite the desire some will have to group HomePad with voice activatedAmazon Echo and Google Home, the product really belongs in a separate category, and here's why. The HomePod is a 7-inch tall smart speaker covered in a "seamless 3D mesh" fabric It contains a four-inch subwoofer According to Apple it " uses an advanced algorithm that continuously analyzes the music and dynamically tunes the low frequencies for smooth, distortion‑free sound." This includes "seven beamforming tweeters" that possess spatial awareness and direct the sound beams throughout the room. It automatically analyzes the acoustics, adjusting the sound based on the speaker's location, and steers the music in the optimal direction. According to Tim Cook: "Just like with portable music, we want to reinvent home music."

It sounds like Facebook "M," the AI-powered virtual assistant for Messenger, has learned a new language. According to the social network, it can now dole out suggestions in Spanish if that's your default language in the US or if you're in Mexico. The company rolled out M to all users in the US in April, giving it the power to pop up in the middle of conversations. If you ask a friend to pay you $10 for pizza, it automatically shows all possible in-app payment options. Tell an officemate "let's meet tomorrow," and it provides a link to create an appointment and will even hail you an Uber or a Lyft.

A screen shows information on 5G during a keynote address by CEO of Huawei Consumer Business Group Richard Yu at CES 2017 at The Venetian Las Vegas on January 5, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. CES, the world's largest annual consumer technology trade show, runs through January 8 and features 3,800 exhibitors showing off their latest products and services to more than 165,000 attendees. Every product in today's social media-driven world is, in a sense, overhyped. But even taking that into consideration, consumer electronics probably take the cake for most shameless overpromising, and none more than the brouhaha surrounding AI and VR the past couple of years. Every commercial for VR headsets, whether it's by LG or Samsung or Sony, want you to believe that putting on the device is to step into a truly immersive experience, except no, the pixels are clearly visible, there's a bit of lag, and the headsets are not comfortable to wear more than 15 to 20 minutes at a time.

Once upon a time in the future you will have to choose between a human and an AI to lead a country. The idea may sound far-fetched but already some business leaders predicting that companies will have artificial intelligence (AI) in the boardroom, driving and making strategic decisions. Jack Ma, CEO of Alibaba, has said he expects to see an AI on the cover of TIME magazine as'CEO of the Year' by 2030. So, could you choose a robot over a human to lead, or would there be an immediate and unfounded irrational fear that would stop you? Why would we still find it hard to choose between a human or robot leader if big business will one day be run by an AI? Will AI be CEO of the Year by 2030?