When it comes to smart speakers, Panasonic is hoping users will remember the music and not just the assistant technology.
The company’s new SC-GA10 is a large, minimally designed smart speaker with Google Assistant inside that also boasts a powerful audio punch. Panasonic demonstrated the speaker at Berlin’s IFA trade show in two versions: both had a silver base and one had a black speaker while the other was white.
The speaker unit contains a bass speaker and two tweeters offset by about 90 degrees to each other to help fill a room with sound. The speakers can work on their own or be grouped together through a smartphone app for stereo or multi-room audio.
They respond to all the usual Google voice commands and are also compatible with Chromecast Audio. Users can also connect to one speaker via Bluetooth and have the audio replayed through multiple speakers.
The SC-GA10 smart speaker will be available in early 2018. Panasonic hasn’t disclosed the price.