Have you ever sat in your La-Z-Boy recliner, popcorn in hand, and a cocktail at the ready, using the remote to navigate your 60-inch Ultra HD television and thought, “This is too much work”? Well, it appears you’re not alone because Sony has decided to lower the effort bar even further for smart TV owners.
On Thursday, November 8, Sony Electronics announced thatGoogle Assistant is available on select 2016 and 2017 smart TV models — specifically, 4KHDR models with Android TV. Voice search was already supported on Android TV (so long as you had a compatible remote with a dedicated microphone button), but now users are privy to a whole new host of commands, some specific to Google apps (like Youtube).
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With a single button press, you can tell Google Assistant to do a wide array of stuff, including the regular smart TV fare (opening apps, searching for content, playing specific shows or movies) and a smattering of other stuff normally associated with digital assistants like Alexa or Siri (checking the weather forecast, answering trivia questions, etc.). Perhaps the most notable feature: Google Assistant can control all your smart home devices via Android TV — as long as they’re all on the same network, of course — supporting more than 1,000 total devices across more than 150 brands. That means you can now control your thermostat, lighting, smart locks, and more, all from the comfort of your couch.
If your house is filled with smart tech, you’ve probably already devised and implemented a way to make it all work together. Still, you can never have too much control over your home, and if you are already in possession of a supported TV (2016 models: XBR-Z9D, XBR-X800D, XBR-X750/X700D; all 2017 Sony Android TVs), you might as well take advantage! Sony’s 2017 lineup of 4K TVs has impressed us, putting the Japanese company’s products in the conversation for best TVs, alongside brands like LG and Samsung.
Earlier in 2017, Android TV got a big overhaul with the release of Android Oreo (or “Android O”), making it even easier for users to find their favorite content. Google Assistant has already been integrated into dedicated Android TV devices, like Nvidia’s Shield TV.
You can now ask Google Assistant to tie your shoes with expanded app actions
Google Assistant might be most known for its abilities and functionality within the Google Home and Nest series of devices, but Google is now making it possible to use Google Assistant to perform even more actions within your favorite mobile apps. You can now search and open any apps through Google Assistant on an Android device -- a particularly useful feature if you have more apps installed than you know what to do with. We're not just talking about simple actions like opening apps, but other detailed commands to achieve things like asking Google Assistant to tighten the lace on your sneakers.
If you own a pair of Nike Adapt sneakers, for example, you can ask Google Assistant to tighten the laces for you. Saying "Hey, Google, tighten my shoes with Nike Adapt" will make your shoelaces tighten. If that feels a bit too long to say effectively, you can create voice shortcuts to help streamline the process. The previous command can be shortened to, "Hey, Google, tie my shoes."
Play Jeopardy and many more games on your Google Assistant smart display
When there’s nothing on TV and you don’t feel like pulling out a board game, ask Google Assistant to play a game. The smart assistant has always been able to play games through its smart speakers, but smart displays like the Nest Hub Max can now play games that use visuals. It can still be used to play old favorites like Song Quiz and Are You Feeling Lucky, but there are brand-new games that are fun for the whole family.
The new games combine voice and touch controls, so make sure you sit close enough to tap the screen. One of the new games is called Guess the Drawing, and is a bit like Pictionary -- you have to guess what is being drawn on screen as fast as you can. New drawings are added every day, and the game can be played with solo or in Party Mode.
Here’s how much every 2020 Sony 4K and 8K TV will cost
Earlier this year, Sony gave us what amounted to a sneak peek at its 2020 TV pricing by releasing the numbers for some of its new 4K TVs. Now, we have the official details for Sony's full lineup of 2020 models -- everything from its massive, 85-inch 8K TV to its smallest, 43-inch 4K TV. Here are all of the 2020 prices, along with when you can expect to see these TVs in your local stores and online.
Z8H 8K HDR LED TV
