The Google Assistant has previously only been available via voice on Google Home devices. You give it voice-based questions and it recites answers out loud. The Google Home is an implementation of the Google Assistant which allows you to ask it questions anywhere in your home - without being tied to your smartphone. It's been relatively successful, and similar devices have built upon that concept. The Amazon Echo Show is an extension of the Echo Dot, except it has a screen to show you information too. Now Google is offering similar with the Lenovo Smart Display, powered by the Google Assistant at a starting price of $199.
The Lenovo Smart Display is the first of its kind, and allows you to access Maps, YouTube, Calendar, Duo, and Photos all in the one device. It makes use of touch gestures and voice commands for nearly all of its functions. There's a huge amount that it can do. You can stream YouTube and music from lots of different supported services, including YouTube Music, Google Play Music, Spotify, and Pandora. There is free-tier support for all of these services, too. You'll even get three free months of YouTube Premium with your purchase.
Its capabilities don't just lie in audio. You can watch YouTube TV, HBO Now, Google Play Movies & TV, and Crackle right from the get-go. There's no word on Netflix support yet, however. All of what you can normally see on YouTube will also be available. If music and TV isn't your kind of thing, you can even make use of Google Podcasts or Google Play Books. If you're not looking for entertainment at all, you can simply use it for news and as a personal planner. You get all of the same alerts as you would with a Google Home - it just has a virtual interface to accompany it, too. It can control your smart home, cycle through photos, and a whole lot more as well. It's effectively an Android-tablet that sits on a desk or table somewhere, preloaded with all of the Google services that you could ever want.
The Lenovo Smart Display will go on sale in major U.S. retail and online stores this weekend. There is an 8-inch version for $199.99 and a 10-inch version for $249.99. We have no news on internationality availability just yet.