Lenovo Smart Dsplay

Lenovo will start shipping the first Google Assistant

smart display this weekend, marking the birth of a new

range of products that could eventually include some of

Echo Show's staunchest rivals. Similar to what Echo

Show does, Google's smart displays will give you a way

o interact with the tech giant's voice assistant in a visual

way. We first met the new devices at CES this year, where

we were impressed with their ability to instantly display

maps and send them to your phone when you ask for

directions. Certainly beats listening and trying to visualize

Them.

Here's another instance where a smart display can be

much easier to use than a smart speaker: Assistant will

also provide a step-by-step visual aid for recipes you look

up that you can follow on screen. Plus, the device can

present a visual summary of the weather, give you a way

to create and manage to-do lists and show you audio tracks

you can listen to instead of randomly playing a tune. If you're

a visual person, this new category will definitely sound more

enticing than smart speakers.

And what good is a Google display for if you can't play You-

Tube on it? You can ask Assistant to stream cooking videos,

make-up tutorials and anything else you want to watch hands-

free. If you've never subscribed to YouTube Premium in the

past, you'll get three months free with your purchase. The

display can also stream live or recorded YouTube TV shows,

YouTube Music, HBO Now, Google Play Music, Spotify and

Pandora. If you want to video call a friend on a screen bigger

than your phone, simply invoke Duo on the device -- say "Hey

Google, call [friend's name]." And in case you never had a Home

speaker to begin with, you can use the display to listen to

podcasts and audiobooks, as well.

Lenovo's Google-powered smart display will be available in

two sizes and colors, though all of them come with a 10-watt

speaker. The smaller 8-inch HD model will set you back $200,

while the 10-inch full HD one will cost you $250. If they don't

have the looks or the features that can convince you to shell

out a couple of hundred bucks, you can always wait for the

next models from Google's other partners, including JBL and

LG. Make sure to check out our review to decide for yourself.