Google Introduces Nest Audio Smart Speaker With Focus on Music Reproduction

Google held the company's traditional hardware announcements event. Apart from a new mandatory phone, the star of the event was the new Nest Audio smart speaker, bigger and more powerful than the Google Home that it replaces. Rumored for months, the new smart speaker reflects the hard work by a dedicated engineering team, resulting in a better overall speaker design, but also improved multi-room streaming features. Inside, there's more intelligence to support voice commands locally, and there's even a microphone "privacy" mute switch, when required.

There’s a new generation of users who want to combine a great music experience with the convenience of the latest streaming and voice-controlled technology. For those users, Como Audio introduced the new SpeakEasy Stereo System, which provides an authentic stereo listening experience, and can be connected with its new Streaming Turntable, for those who want to play records wirelessly all over the house!

With Amazon now behaving like a powerful consumer electronics organization with the capabilities and resources to disrupt the markets it wants to enter at any time, the company announced a completely new range of Alexa-enabled Echo devices designed to make it even easier to add Alexa to more places in everyone's home, including hi-fi integration. And now, Amazon also wants us to bring Alexa on the road with Echo Auto, proposing a top-of-dash device. The new Echo designs and products also improve the sound quality significantly.

Apple has confirmed that its latest mobile operating system iOS 11.4 is now available introducing the much anticipated AirPlay 2 updated technology, which enables Apple's own smart speaker to be configured as stereo pairs and to work in multi-room mode. AirPlay 2 will be also supported by several other audio manufacturers. Apple also confirmed that HomePod will be available in Canada, France and Germany, starting June 18.