Gadgetory

Google is taking on the Amazon echo show and it's partnering with Lenovo to do it take a look at this screen this isn't a tablet per se this is a smart display specifically this one's called the Lenovo smart display this will come in 10 inch varieties which is what you're looking at here as well as an 8 inch variety it's due out this summer and it responds to your voice commands just like a Google home think of it like a Google home with a screen attached so different from a tablet this has far-field microphones so it'll be able to hear you from anywhere different from Google home this thing will use the screen to illustrate the answers you can ask for directions and it'll pull up a map you can ask for suggestions of a bakery and it'll show you a number of examples you can ask it to show you the kids room and it'll pull up that video on the nest cam unlike a tablet there's no web browser you can't download your own apps per se this is meant to be more a simplified experience that combines a screen to help get you the information you need for your voice queries and make full use of the Google assistant the cooking instructions in particular are pretty cool not only is it going to show you step-by-step directions than the ingredient list but you can say if you don't know how to prepare one of your ingredients you can actually ask for additional help and it'll pull up a video and guide you otherwise you can expect all of the same skills you'd find on Google assistant on your Google home and Google's rolling out new functionality along with this called routines but on this not only can you control multiple smart home devices but it'll play your news for the day it'll show you your calendar it'll take you through the information you need to know for your day or for whichever routine you want to set up this one has a nice bamboo background the other one has what I'm told is called soft touch grey and it looks really cool there's lots of questions remaining one is it gonna be able to beat the Amazon echo - how is the Lenovo smart display in particular gonna stand out we're seeing lots of them here at CES still I'm excited to have a Google assistant that can not only hear me but can respond to my questions visually and this Lenovo smart display has a lot of nice touches and even a few Easter eggs