Google Assistant is about to get a new platform: TVs. Nvidia's new Shield set-top box will ship with Google Assistant built in, Nvidia announced Wednesday. The company is also making a separate microphone, called the Nvidia Spot, so you can interact with the Assistant outside your living room. SEE ALSO: LG's new 4K TV is thinner than an iPhone The $199 Android-based Shield TV is 4K-ready and will be available beginning later this month in the U.S., Canada and "select" regions in Europe. Unlike other streaming devices like Amazon Fire TV or Roku, which have limited gaming abilities, Nvidia's Shield TV is designed for gamers and is compatible with thousands of games.

Nvidia rolled out a Shield TV console, arming it with 4K and HDR capabilities for vastly improved gaming and video streaming. The Android-based Shield also has new tricks: it will double up as a smart-home hub and a voice-activated assistant. It'll bring Google Assistant to TVs and work with Samsung's SmartThings platform to operate smart devices and appliances in a home. The Shield is powered by the Tegra X1 processor. A model with 16GB of storage will ship later this month for US$199.99,

We finally know when Ford will unleash the Alexa integration it promised almost exactly a year ago. The automaker has announced that it will roll out the feature in two phases, with the first one going out later this month. Folks who own Ford vehicles with the company's Sync 3 entertainment system, starting with the Focus Electric, Fusion Energi and C-MAX Energi, will be able to control their cars from home sometime this January. They'll be able to start or stop their car engines, unlock their doors and check their fuel levels simply by issuing commands through Amazon's Echo, Echo Dot and Tap speakers. They'll eventually be able to ask Alexa to find establishments, add items to their grocery lists, play music, check news and read audiobooks, as well.

Every year, the marketing arm of the tech industry huddles around a simmering cauldron of PR gumbo and fishes out a single word or phrase that will embody the hope -- and hype -- of the latest generation of gadgets. Previous examples have ranged from the charmingly vague (the "Internet of Things") to the idiotic (the use of "smart" as a catch-all modifier) and the merely hopeful ("3D TVs" were doomed from the start really.) In 2017, though, you should prepare for the over-use of the latest favorite: artificial intelligence. It's clear that AI and machine learning had an impressive 2016. There were advances in features for consumers, like image and speech recognition, but also significant research achievements -- including a milestone victory for machine over man played out via ancient board game Go.

One of Huawei's biggest priorities when building its Mate 9 was shoehorning some handy machine learning features into to it. A machine learning algorithm designed to improve performance by finding the patterns in how you use the phone and allocating resources like RAM accordingly. Turns out Huawei's AI ambitions don't end there: a spokesperson confirmed to Engadget that the Mate 9 will receive a software update that brings Amazon's Alexa to that surprisingly slick phablet. We're not entirely sure of the timing yet, but we can confirm that the update will roll out in the US (obviously) and a handful of other markets. Either way, this is a big step for Huawei and for Amazon; the former gets to sell the first properly Alexa-enabled smartphone and Amazon gets the chance to forge a partnership with one of the biggest smartphone makers in China by volume.

NVIDIA's Shield TV was one of the few successful Android TV devices -- it was both a capable 4K entertainment device and a simple way to bring PC gaming into your living room. So it only made sense that NVIDIA had a sequel in the works. Today during his CES 2017 keynote, NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsun Huang unveiled a new version of the Shield TV -- now just called Shield -- which will support 4K HDR for both games and movies. Among other new features, the new Shield TV is also the first Android TV device to support Google Assistant. As you'd imagine, Google Assistant works just like it does on the company's Home device and Pixel phones, but you can also command it to play media on the Shield TV.

Google has talked about bringing its AI assistant to as many places as possible ever since it was first revealed at I/O in May 2016. Right now, it's in the Pixel smartphone, Google Home device and the Allo chat app. Today, Google announced that its next destination will be Android TV devices, including the new NVIDIA Shield (as NVIDIA just confirmed at its CES press conference). Android TV hasn't really taken off as a platform to any real degree, but for those out there using it this will be a nice upgrade. It sounds like it'll work just as you'd expect -- you can ask it questions from Google, tie your Google account into it and get details on your calendar, find out the weather, ask how long your commute is and so forth. But naturally you'll be able to ask it to play video as well.

There's a common gripe with the Amazon Echo, Google Home and other voice-guided helpers: you have to stand within their listening range to make use of them. Not quite the Star Trek future you were promised, is it? NVIDIA, however, might have a fix: it just introduced the Spot, a hybrid mic and speaker that brings Google Assistant to every nook and cranny in your home. You need the new Shield TV to serve as the central hub, but you're otherwise free to turn on lights, ask questions and otherwise use Assistant knowing that you'll be heard. Spot costs $50 per unit, and NVIDIA will only say that it's due to arrive sometime in the months ahead.

The world is moving towards smart living where security is managed by apps, food is prepared by automatic kitchen appliances, and daily chores are managed with the help of smartphones. Normally, you would have to attend to each of these agendas distinctly from the devices they are controlled. With an AI personal voice assistant, you can control them all at once and do much more. The fusion of artificial intelligence and Internet of Things brings you the best technological gadget you would have hoped for. The question here is – which one should you buy?

Bosch-owned robotics company Mayfield introduced what may be one of the cutest innovations to come out of CES. The Kuri robot companion is the feeling-person's answer to Amazon Echo, but with the charm and mobility of lovable A.I.'s like R2-D2, BB-8 or Wall-E. Beyond being super cute, Kuri helps to enhance users' connected home experience. It recognizes faces and emotes with chirps, blinks and nods of its head, it can read bedtime stories to kids and play your favorite podcasts as you go about your day. Its 1080p camera also allows you to monitor your home and pets when you're away.