Google is Developing an Amazon Echo Show Rival, Report Claims
Reports have recently claimed that Google is on its way to launching a touchscreen-clad Google Home speaker which apparently would rival Amazon's hit Echo Show.
The report was first shared by TechCrunch after "multiple sources" told the publication of Google's plans for an Echo Show counterpart. Google is reportedly referring to the unannounced product as "Manhattan" and its display will have the same 7-inch size as that of the Echo Show's touchscreen.
The same sources have also confirmed that the upcoming touchscreen-clad Google Home will support YouTube, Google Photos, and video calling.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Google's intention of catching up to Amazon in the race to dominate the smart wireless speaker field was made clear ever since they released Google Home last year. Added to that, Google has also devotedly developed their own artificially intelligent smart assistant simply called Google Assistant.
In August, Google Home users in the United States and Canada could start calling phones directly from their smart speakers – even those that were not added to their Google contact list. These efforts are clear indications that, like other manufacturers, Google could be hoping to create an ecosystem of devices and digital services that can be linked through an AI smart assistant.
Interestingly, the report surfaced shortly after Amazon confirmed that Google had suddenly blocked the use of YouTube on the Echo Show.
Amazon claimed Google removed its YouTube access without explanation. However, the latter disagreed and said they have been trying to negotiate with Amazon "for a long time." It added that without an agreement, Echo Show's use of YouTube services "violates our terms of service."
On the other hand, Amazon was clearly on a roll expanding their lineup of Alexa-powered devices after it recently launched the latest Echo refresh, Echo Plus, and their new Fire TV with a remote controller that supported Alexa as well.
The rumored Echo Show rival from Google is not slated for release until mid-2018. However, Amazon's continuous flow of Alexa-powered devices might have put a little bit more pressure on Google to speed up the development of the Google Home with touchscreen, according to the same sources.
Despite the growing competition, Google is still expected to release the rumored product next year since they still need to seal partnerships with third-party service providers.
