IFA 2018 -- Google Assistant

"The Consumer Electronics industry works in cycles of infatuation."

That's so true, and great news for us. Consumers, (CE writers) and investors need things to be infatuated with.

Old things fall out of favor, new things come into favor. These personal assistants are coming into favor in a big way.

We KNOW they are coming with interactive projection, because the guts of it with Microvision include are already at one of the worlds largest electronic distributors.
We know that it's Google based: It's android, and I've done the Google smart Screens Walkthrough here before.

Of course, I'm looking for more "google on your countertop"  I expect we'll see more, the show isn't even open yet.

(Oh, and I've seen the Bosch Countertop projector -- let them make the concept popular -- what MVIS has is WAY better.)

IFA 2018
The Verge

"Good luck trying to find a new gadget at IFA 2018 without Google Assistant on it"

The consumer electronics industry works in cycles of infatuation. Every couple of years, some new technology captures the attention of most manufacturers and triggers a wild race to be the first, cheapest, or best with it. We’ve been through the netbook and e-reader manias, followed by the tablet deluge, the 3D TV moment, the 2-in-1 laptop transformation, the flood of Bluetooth speakers and headphones, and, most recently, the Alexa-fication of everything. This year at IFA, the unmissable common thread to new announcements is shaping up to be the Google Assistant.

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Amazon deserves a measure of credit for proving the viability and appeal of smart speakers with its Alexa-powered Echo, but what Google is doing with the Assistant is fundamentally different because it plugs users into a whole different ecosystem. Sure, once integrated within smart speakers or displays, the Assistant can be your voice remote control for music, or a cooking timer, or a deliverer of reminders, like Alexa can. But it’s the Google-on-your-countertop experience that truly differentiates it.

ALSO..... they like it, Microvision's projector is WAY BETTER.

Bosch Countertop Projector

The Google Smart Screens Walkthrough

I am nearly 100% certain that we will be included in Google "Smart Screens" and nearly 100% certain that this is NOT the "black Box project."

This is laying it out.

AT CES, Google had smart speakers. In fact, Google and Amazon were very heavily promoting their smart speakers to the conference. (If you were IN the conference, you thought Amazon was everywhere, if you were around Las Vegas at the time, you thought Google was everywhere.)

I put up all the puzzle pieces, (here)  but I received more than a few inquiries "What did that all mean?" So, here it is a bit more directly.

During CES Google Presented Smart Screens.

(The Verge, Google Smart Screens)

Here is a Google Smart Screen Video....

Keys to inclusion:

Developer's Blog (From the same day as the release.)
"New voice-activated speakers powered by Android Things are being announced at CES, including the LG ThinQ WK7 and iHome iGV1. Turnkey hardware solutions based on the Qualcomm SD212 Home Hub Platform, MediaTek MT8516 and Rockchip RK3229 SoM are certified for the Assistant and Cast, and NXP i.MX 8M is coming soon. Three of our Original Design Manufacturer (ODM) partners, Tymphany, Goertek, and Tonly, have created full speaker reference designs based on these SoMs to further reduce development cost and time-to-market."
Rockchip 3229

>>> This mentions Goertek, who is the manufacturing partner for MVIS Engines.
>>> Rockchip is also interesting, but for a different reason....
>>> Rockchip is here, at WPG holdings  (If you don't remember, WPG holdings is the Asian Distributor Microvision announced the connection with during the Fall of 2017)
The below, cart is distributed by WPG (Still #8 in the hottest of 612 items in the IOT area as of April 9, 2018) It shows a RockChip 3036 processor.

What is the Rockchip 3036? look for the frame below in the video...

Now, if you want to know why I don't think it's the "Black Box" Project, is because the PSE-0403-101 is the Interactive display engine. -- Which was ALREADY demonstrated and Announced by MicroVision.
Link to PR... (too lazy to search outside blog)

"PSE-0403sti-101 Short Throw Interactive Display Engine

MicroVision will also be featuring an interactive display prototype that combines display functionality with 3D sensing that enables a natural gesture recognition feature for consumer products. The interactive display engine enables user experiences where touching a projected image is processed by the system in the same way as interacting with a touchscreen on a smartphone or tablet. Samples of interactive display engines the company is developing, model PSE-0403sti-101, are expected to be available in the second quarter of this year with production units targeted for the third quarter.

The interactive display engine is built on the common LBS platform shared with the PSE-0403 display engines and will include the same display features combined with an integrated time-of-flight (ToF) sensing function. MicroVision’s ability to combine ToF sensing and pico projection into a single compact engine offers OEMs new possibilities for products by mimicking a Windows 10 or Android touch screen display or providing access to intermediate point cloud data all from an engine so small it can be embedded in mobile and smart IOT products."

2018 Anticipated Smart Speaker Sales

A Quick Review.....

A little to review.....  The writing is on the wall, this is NOT the time to get impatient....

Facebook's Upcoming Smart Speakers with 15" Displays and Face ID Feature is out to challenge Apple Music and HomePod

Facebook Portal Engadget

Facebook Portal - Cheddar

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Apple Envisions Tabletop & Ceiling Versions of their TrueDepth Camera for Mapping Rooms & Projecting Images

Apple won 39 Patents today covering the iPhone X's Scanning Depth Engine & more

A Major Apple Patent published in Europe this week Covers Near-Eye Displays for Augmented Realty Glasses

While Rumors Persist that Samsung is finalizing a Foldable Smartphone, Apple has its own plan on the drawing board (Must have a BIGGER SCREEN)

While Apple's First-Gen HomePod is set to arrive in 2018, Amazon may Advance Echo with added Pico Projector

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Google Smart Screen 

Rockchip voice recognition / Two of Microvision's partners at Google's booth at CES.

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Links to Microvision Latest CC Transcripts


Thank you Ron.

Smart Displays. Voice Recognition. Google.

There has to be a pony in here somewhere.

"Android Things" Android Developers

"Starting tomorrow, you can visit the Google Assistant Playground (booth CP-21) at CES to view new products, chipsets, and reference designs by our partners. In addition, these devices are also available for display in other company spaces throughout the conference, including Lenovo, LG, JBL, Qualcomm, MediaTek, NXP, Rockchip, iHome, Goertek, and Tymphany."

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Rockchip "Hey Google"

CES2018 Rockchip announces Android Things™ Turnkey SOM

2018-01-09

Rockchip announced its new Android Things™ Turnkey Solution - RK3229 System-On-Module (SOM). It will help developers build multiple categories of IoT products and bring them to market more quickly.

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From Here: WPG

RockChip TV Boxes