CES 2019 is right around the corner, and we're preparing to learn all about next year's major electronics releases. Of course that will include a slew of new TVs, and Variety reports that Samsung is planning a couple of upgrades focused on AI assistants and audio. While the company enhanced the 2018 QLED TVs with its own Bixby AI assistant, next year it could go a step further with support for third party technology, namely Google Assistant. Other manufacturers already support assistants from companies like Google and Amazon, and opening up access will make linking to the rest of the smart home that much easier for people who don't go all-in on Samsung's brand. The other major upgrade mentioned applies to audio, with Variety pointing out trademarks recently filed around spatial and volume intelligence.

Sony has unveiled a new voice-controlled smart speaker designed to rival the Amazon Echo and Google Home. Called the LF-S50G, the speaker houses the same Google Assistant AI that runs on Google Home. The smart speaker was revealed today at the IFA conference in Berlin. Sony has unveiled a new voice-controlled smart speaker designed to rival the Amazon Echo and Google Home. The LF-S50G is activated using the command'OK, Google' and can answer queries and control smart home appliances as well as play music.