Weekly Rewind: Driverless pizza delivery, defusing volcanos, a 707hp Jeep

A lot can happen in a week when it comes to tech. The constant onslaught of news makes it nigh impossible for mere mortals with real lives to keep track of everything. That’s why we’ve compiled a quick and dirty list of this week’s top tech stories, from what to expect at IFA 2017 to Domino’s driverless pizza car  — it’s all here.

What to expect from IFA 2017, and how to watch major live-streamed announcements

IFA (Internationale Funkausstellung Berlin) is a consumer tech show in Germany that’s widely considered the CES of Europe. This year, we’ll almost certainly be treated to great products including new smartphones, smart home and Internet of Things devices, laptops, and more.

The show runs from September 1 to September 6, but press conferences from major manufacturers, like Samsung, begin on August 30. Here’s everything we expect from the show.

Read: What to expect from IFA 2017, and how to watch major live-streamed announcements

LG V30 hands-on review

LG may have been one of the first smartphone manufacturers to release an edge-to-edge “bezel-less” phone in 2017, but the G6’s early release forced the company to use an older Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor. Nearly all other flagship phones utilize the superior Snapdragon 835 chip. Sales of the G6 haven’t been stellar, but the latest LG V30 smartphone may finally put the company on the right track. It features hardware specifications that match other high-end 2017 phones, and it continues the design trend of minimizing edges around the screen. In our LG V30 hands-on review, we found it to be a great phone all-around, with plenty of nifty features to love.

Read: LG V30 hands-on review

An AI just beat George R.R. Martin to writing the latest ‘Game of Thrones’ novel

When it comes to information processing, computers tend to be way faster than we are. The same thing may be true when it comes to generating new plotlines for A Song of Ice and Fire, the series of novels better known to TV fans as Game of Thrones. After all, with six years having elapsed since his last book, 2011’s A Dance With Dragons, was published, author George R.R. Martin certainly appears to be in no rush to publish its follow-up. So it’s no surprise that the producers of the TV show are currently coming up with their own storylines.

That’s where the work of one computer science-savvy fantasy fan enters the picture. Colorado-based software engineer Zack Thoutt has trained a recurrent neural network (RNN) to predict events for the as-yet-unfinished sixth novel in the series, The Winds of Winter. As with the real-life writers on the TV show, the data set the RNN is gleaned from the roughly 5,000 pages of existing novels in the series. It was then set to generate chapters, with Thoutt kicking each one off by giving the AI a “prime word” to riff on, before letting it go off in its own direction.

Read: An AI just beat George R.R. Martin to writing the latest ‘Game of Thrones’ novel

Scientists detect strange repeating radio burst on the other side of the cosmos

It seems like every time we attempt to take a step toward better understanding our cosmos we are left with more questions than answers — a regular Bonini’s Paradox. Just a few years ago we didn’t even know that the cosmic phenomena known as fast radio bursts (FRB) — rare, bright, and inexplicable signals from beyond our galaxy — existed. And until recently, only one of these FRBs had been recorded on more than one occasion. However, last week, a team has recorded yet another repeating FRB.

The scientific community has been perplexed by these enigmatic signals for the past 10 years. Currently, the explanation behind these FRBs range from outbursts of neutron stars to some sort of propulsion system used by an alien civilization on the opposite side of the universe. Some have even suggested these signals are the result of dark matter — another space phenomenon we know very little about — smacking into black holes.

Read: Scientists detect strange repeating radio burst on the other side of the cosmos

How to use the Amazon trade-in program

Did you know you can trade-in products like smartphones and tablets to Amazon and get store credit? The Amazon Trade-in program has been around for some time, but if you haven’t heard about it before, here’s how to use it.

Through the program, you can trade in a slew of different items — but perhaps the most important these days is the smartphone. If you’re in the market for a new phone, Amazon will buy your old phone from you to help offset the cost. Interested in the new Samsung Galaxy Note 8? Amazon could pay you up to $170 for a Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge, which could go straight to helping you buy your new phone.

Read: How to use the Amazon trade-in program

Domino’s and Ford are working together on driverless pizza delivery

Soon, you may not have to tip your pizza delivery driver anymore but not because the fast food industry is going tipless — rather, because it’s going driverless. That is right, your pies could soon be coming your way in autonomous delivery vehicles. That is, if you are ordering from Domino’s. According to The Verge, the pizza franchise partnered with Ford to test self-driving pizza delivery cars, hoping to gauge how well (or poorly) pizza enthusiasts respond to and engage with this newfangled technology.

Over the course of the next few weeks, some Domino’s customers in Ann Arbor, Michigan, will have the option of getting their pizzas delivered in a Ford Fusion Hybrid autonomous research vehicle. Alas, the car won’t be entirely without a driver (so you should probably still tip). All cars will be operated by a Ford safety engineer, and will actually have quite a few other passengers in the form of additional researchers who will be tasked with examining the last 50 feet of the drive and the customer experience.

Read: Domino’s and Ford are working together on driverless pizza delivery

Here’s how Amazon could change Whole Foods (and grocery shopping)

What would the world be like if Amazon owned actual retail stores? We’re on the cusp of the answer to that question. Amazon’s acquisition of Whole Foods Market has been finalized. Amazon now owns 431 Whole Foods supermarkets. But don’t worry — Whole Foods will still operate under its own brand, and remain headquartered in Austin, Texas. The company also assures loyal shoppers that it will continue to grow its team and create jobs by opening new stores and expanding support of local farmers and artisans.

The deal between Amazon and Whole Foods Market was announced in June. Deciding that competitors won’t be harmed and people will still have plenty of places to buy food, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) blessed the merger in late August, according to Bloomberg. On the same day, Whole Foods Market shareholders approved the deal, Reuters reported.

Read: Here’s how Amazon could change Whole Foods (and grocery shopping)

2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT Trackhawk first drive review

2018 Jeep® Grand Cherokee Trackhawk

A 707-horsepower sport utility vehicle seems a bit out of step with a car industry that’s currently fixated on electrifying everything and even taking the driver out of the equation whenever possible. And to gas-mileage-be-damned enthusiasts, the concept of a high-riding SUV with super car-like capability is a bit of a curiosity. As we discovered in our 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT Trackhawk review, it’s a sentiment that hasn’t been lost on Jeep’s brass.

“You might be asking yourself the question, ‘Why make this vehicle?’” Jeep brand director Scott Tallon confessed to a room full of journalists before our test drive. With a 6.2-liter supercharged Hemi V8 under the hood, along with hardware from the likes of Brembo, Bilstein, and other racing name plates — this track-focused machine seems out of step for a company that built its reputation on crawling over rocks. But Tallon assured us that the Trackhawk’s actions would speak louder than words.

Read: 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT Trackhawk first drive review

NASA has a crazy plan to prevent the Yellowstone supervolcano from exploding

Life on this little space rock of ours is delicate to say the least. Be it an asteroid impact, pandemic, or casual nuclear launch, there are dozens of unique ways in which we could easily too go the way of the Dodo. While we’ve spent boatloads of money preparing for a cataclysmic extinction-level asteroid impact event, there’s a much more imminent threat lurking just beneath our feet. The Yellowstone supervolcano is due for an eruption and could send us back to the Stone Ages in just a few fiery moments — but don’t worry, NASA has a plan.

A study by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory concluded that the Yellowstone supervolcano, a massive pool of magma beneath the national park, is a much graver existential threat to life on this planet than any potential large-scale asteroid impact event. There are 20 known supervolcanoes on Earth with a major eruption occurring every 100,000 years or so. Here’s the bad news: An eruption of the Yellowstone supervolcano could bury the bulk of the United States under tons of ash and lava, change the climate of the Earth for centuries, and potentially kill millions in the process.

Read: NASA has a crazy plan to prevent the Yellowstone supervolcano from exploding

Don’t miss out on these awesome Anker Bluetooth headphones for $20

Don’t worry about the lack of headphone jack on your next phone thanks to this great deal from our friends at Thrifter!

Right now you can pick up Anker’s popular SoundBuds Slim Bluetooth headphones for just $19.99, a savings of $6 from the regular list price. Bluetooth headphones continue to become more of a necessity as manufacturers remove headphone jacks from more and more phones, but not everyone has hundreds of dollars laying around to spend on a pair.

While they may not sound like a pair of JayBird or Bose headphones, the quality and performance of these is actually quite impressive. With over 2,000 Amazon reviews, the headphones maintain a 4-star rating.

• Listen Up: Precision engineered 6mm drivers, fed via Bluetooth 4.1, offer powerful and skip-free audio.
• Find Your Fit: Lightweight design with customizable EarTips and InEar-Hooks give anyone a strong and comfortable fit.
• Leading Playtime: Listen for up to 7 hours on a single charge. Enough juice to soundtrack your day.
• Water-Resistant: Run in the rain or sweat it out in the gym. IPX4 water-resistant shell and internal nano-coating provide a double layer of water protection.
• What’s In The Box: SoundBuds Slim, XS/S/M/L EarTips, S/M/L InEar-Hooks, FitClip, Shirt Clip, Micro USB Cable, Travel Pouch, welcome guide, our worry-free 18-month warranty and friendly customer service.

This is the lowest price these headphones have sold for since being released earlier this year. If you want to see what all the rage is about with Bluetooth headphones, be sure to get your order in before the price jumps back up.

See at Amazon

More from Thrifter:

• What does Amazon’s takeover of Whole Foods mean for you?
• Five free travel apps to help you save big on hotel stays

For more great deals be sure to check out our friends at Thrifter now!

Get your own 360-degree Android camera attachment for just $80!

Get your own 360-degree Android camera attachment for just $80!

360-degree cameras are still a bit of a niche product, with the best cameras still priced at a couple hundred dollars. Sure, that’s a cool product to have, it might not be something you’re willing to drop a few hundred dollars on just for the novelty. And yet…

image

If you want to check out a 360-degree camera sooner than later, Android Central Digital Offers has the deal for you! For just $80, you can get a 360-degree camera that simply plugs into your Android smartphone and lets you snap complete roundabout photos in up to 8MP resolution. You also have the option to shoot 2048 x 1024 video at 30fps. There’s also a built in micro SD card slot that can support a card up to 128GB (not included), so you don’t need to use up your phone internal storage.

Photos are shot in .jpg and video are recorded as .mp4, which makes it real easy to share it all with your friends and family on social media. The camera attachment has a USB-C connector, but we’ve graciously included a microUSB adapter if needed.

Regularly, this 360-degree camera would be sold for $149.99, but you’ll save 46% with this deal. Get yours and record the world around you like never before!

See at Android Central Digital Offers

Action Launcher beta now works with Android Oreo’s Adaptive Icons

Our favorite third-party launcher is getting a nice, delicious Oreo boost with its new beta.

Action Launcher v28, which is currently on its second beta as I write this, now officially supports Android Oreo’s Adaptive Icons feature, which has eluded third-party launchers until now.

Adaptive Icons are a new feature in Android 8.0 that allow app developers to create home screen icons of various shapes to suit manufacturer preferences and, in the case of themers, icon packs. From developer Chris Lacy’s blog:

Pick from 5 Adaptive Icon styles: circle, square, rounded square, teardrop and squircle.

This update also sees big enhancements to Quickedit, Action Launcher’s powerful icon editing system which offers suggestions for icon replacements based on icon packs on your device. Adaptive Icon support is now integrated into Quickedit, so you can quickly pick the icon shape that best suits your mood.

Prior to installing, you’ll need to opt into the Action Launcher beta, which can be found at this link. Once you’ve opted into the beta program, the update will download as normal from the Play Store.

The best Android launchers

Our favorite books, movies, TV shows, and music this week

Here’s what we’re doing when the whistle blows and we stop typing all the words!

We all have pretty busy lives here at AC, but when it comes to downtime some of us like to chill and spend it watching a movie or show, reading a book, relaxing with the headphones on or just enjoying all the media artists have created no matter the format.

It might be old or it might be new, but you’ll find what we’re listening to, reading or watching right now below.

Russell Holly

This week has been a little intense for me, so I’m going to shut my brain off to some good ol’ fashioned brand new movies. Wonder Woman just hit Google Play, Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2 just hit the For Rent option, and Death Note is now available on Netflix.

That should be enough to power down for a while, just in time to get my kids ready for the first day of school.

Tom Westrick

I found out last week that the first two seasons of Static Shock have been released on DVD after the DVDs for the series had been in legal hell forever. I went ahead and ordered those, ripped them to my computer, and I’m now watching them through Plex on either my Chromebook or projector. Either way, it’s great to rewatch a series I loved as a child. Beyond that, I also bought Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and Alien: Covenant, both of which I’ll probably watch this weekend.

I’ve also been trying really hard to get into the Netflix Marvel series now that The Defenders is out, but I just can’t care about any of them. Sorry, everyone.

Daniel Bader

This has been a pop culture-light week for me from a visual perspective — no new shows or books — but I’ve been spending lots of time listening to great music.

Last week brought a bunch of exciting new releases, including The War on Drugs’ A Deeper Understanding, which has gotten me through several nights of late night writing. It’s a very textured, emotional album that’s perfect for pairing with good headphones, a dark room, and some blank pages.

Oh, I did watch Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 last weekend and … meh? It was fine but came nowhere close to the pure mind-bending enjoyment of the original.

Jen Karner

I’ve slowed my page flipping frenzy of reading for a week since I finally caved and picked up a Hulu subscription.

I’m wickedly late to the game, but I’ve spent the week bingeing Rick and Morty for the first time which has been, shall we say…an experience. I can’t decide if it’s satire or absurdism, or what, only that it’s pointed, hilarious and relevant, and I’m only halfway through Season 1 so far.

Marc Lagace

A few weeks ago Father John Misty came through town as part of a music festival. I was already a fan of his before the show, but man have I been doubly obsessed with his music since.

His latest album is Pure Comedy and it’s one of my favorite albums of 2017. The themes on the album are pretty dark and cynical at times, but then again we are living in somewhat dark times now, aren’t we? I don’t think there’s a more relevant lyricist in music today than Father John (a.k.a. Josh Tillman), and this album has been on heavy repeat all summer long. Check out the surreal music video for Total Entertainment Forever above.

Ara Wagoner

The summer anime season is well underway, and I’ve been indulging a show that called out to me as an Android lover: In Another World With My Smartphone. After God accidentally kills a teenager, he offers to reincarnate him in a fantasy world and give him increased abilities as an apology. God asks him if there’s anything he wishes for, and, being a teenage boy, Toya asks if he can keep using his smartphone in this new world. In his new world, his almost OP penchant for magic combined with his smartphone make him quite popular.

It’s interesting to see how he takes advantage of his new situation, and the shenanigans he and his adventurers get into are hilarious. As a campy fantasy harem show, In Another World With My Smartphone has been a great way to unwind and forget all the chaos at the TV station and with Harvey, even if only for a little while. It’s not quite to Konasuba levels of ridiculousness, but it’s a fun ride. I wanna mix magic and Android now.

Jerry Hildenbrand

I’m splitting my time between some fun reading, jamming out and trying not to die.

I’ve finally gotten around to starting the Dayworld series from Philip Jose Farmer. I’ve had a paperback copy of the first book laying around here (somewhere) for a few years, but noticed it at Google play the other day and snagged the set. I still like “real” books, but I never have the one I want with me when I want it, so Google Play Books to the rescue. If you’re a fan of that weird Sci-Fi genre where the finds awful ways to enslave humanity, you’ll probably dig the Dayworld trilogy.

I can’t tell if I love or hate the new Queens of the Stone Age album Villans. Every time I start listening to it I hate how so many of the songs start slowly with long drawn-out intros, then gems like The Way You Used To Do get my fingers drumming and my foot tapping. Unless you’re a die-hard fan of QOTSA (and I’m not) check it out on YouTube or your favorite music streaming service before you plunk down the cash for it.

I also “rediscovered” a game on Steam that I bought ages ago when it was an early release. Planetbase from Madruga Works is a colony building survival game, and now that all the kinks are worked out I’m trying not to kill off all my colonists and build the biggest base unknowns worlds have ever seen. I just love finding jewels like this on Steam where I can have some good old-fashioned single-player fun. If you’re a fan of city builders, it’s well worth the $20.

Your turn

Got a movie or album or anything really you think everyone should check out? We’d all love to hear your recommendations in the comments!

Where to buy the LG V30

Here’s what we know about the LG V30’s availability.

When LG announces a phone it does things a little differently than, say, Samsung. Instead of offering pricing and availability details on day one, it prefers to put its product out into the world and wait for the carriers themselves to hammer down the details.

So when the V30 was announced earlier in the week, we learned that carriers in LG’s home country of South Korea would begin selling the phone on September 21, and that a number of carriers in the U.S. would be offering the phone sometime this fall. Similar promises were made from European and Canadian carriers, but the details are sparse right now.

Signs point to an approximate retail price of $749, as first seen in a Terms & Conditions document for a V30 Twitter contest, which seems likely given the G6’s $649 price when it first came out. (The G6 quickly dropped in price, and you can find it for around $500 right now.)

Let’s break it down individually by country and carrier.

Note: This article is not complete and will be updated often once we learn more.

U.S. carriers

T-Mobile

Starting with T-Mobile, the instigator carrier will offer the V30 sometime this fall, and it will work with the company’s newly-launched 600MHz network, offering better coverage and indoor penetration in big cities, and excellent reception in rural parts of the U.S.

See at T-Mobile

AT&T

AT&T says it will offer the LG V30 sometime this fall as well. It will work on the company’s so-called 5G Evolution network, which is equivalent to the fastest 4G LTE speeds today. That’s because the V30 takes advantage of new technologies like 4x carrier aggregation, 256QAM modulation, and 4×4 MIMO antenna placements, as well as unlicensed spectrum standards like LTE-U and LAA.

See at AT&T

Verizon

Verizon plans to offer the V30 in “early fall,” which gives us the clearest indication of when the phone will be available in the U.S. — probably early October.

See at Verizon

Sprint

Sprint didn’t put out a press release, but CEO Marcelo Claure tweeted that it would be available this fall and that Sprint has the lowest prices for the high-end phone.

1/2 Yes, it’s true, @Sprint will carry the new #LGV30+ from @LGUSAMobile! Amazing display + great speakers = win! pic.twitter.com/kX7ZMtqfot

— MarceloClaure (@marceloclaure) August 31, 2017

U.S unlocked

LG didn’t promise a U.S. unlocked version, but all indicators point to its existence. For starters, the review unit I’m using has a model number of US998, which follows the naming trend of LG unlocked phones — the unlocked G6 is US997.

there will also be a carrier-free variant, US998 USA, which will most likely get official bootloader unlock from LG Developer page.

— autoprime (@utoprime) August 31, 2017

We’ve also seen tweets (h/t r/Android) indicating that LG would offer an unlocked model.

If that model starts selling in early October for $749 as some documents claim, it would be a very competitive price compared to the $900+ Samsung is asking for the Note 8.

Other countries

Right now, besides South Korea, all we know is that the V30 will be available “this fall in Asia, Europe, Africa and the Middle East.” That’s good news given that the V20 didn’t get a wide release outside the U.S., so it’s nice to know that LG’s best phone ever will get its widest possible release — and a chance for success.

Stay tuned for more purchase details for the V30 in the coming weeks!

LG V30

• LG V30 hands-on!
• Full LG V30 specs
• LG V30 vs. G6 vs. GS8
• The V30 is the first phone to support 600MHz spectrum
• Join our LG V30 forums

This $11 Extech digital multimeter makes sure you’re never guessing around electricity

Whether building a PC or doing some other project around the house, the team at Thrifter knows you’ll need this multimeter to do it right!

Today’s Amazon Gold Box deal of the day features a couple of Extech products on sale. The Extech MiniTec digital multimeter is down to $10.99 until the end of the day. Tools like this have a long shelf-life, and this multimeter has been around since at least 2011. In all that time it has never dropped very far below its $33 street price until recently. That’s huge savings compared to other multimeters, even other models sold by Extech that go for $45.

The other Extech item on sale is this infrared thermometer for $19.99. It hasn’t been around as long, only appearing on Amazon in June, but it has sold between $23 and $33 since then. This deal is its lowest price ever.

Multimeters are essential for any do-it-yourself projects you’ve got going on around the house that involve power and electricity, even building your own computer. This iFixit article breaks down multimeters really well, including how to use them and what they’re good for. Electricity is always dangerous to mess with if you don’t have the right tools, and a multimeter is a great step in the right direction.

The features for this multimeter include:

• Easy-to-use with large, 2000 count, LCD display measures AC/DC Voltage, AC/DC Current, and Resistance.
• Includes 1.5V and 9V battery test modes to easily test a wide variety of batteries.
• 10A fuse protection as well as overload protection and indication keep you safe.
• A Continuity beeper allows you to easily test for a complete circuit.
• The MN25 includes a protective rubber holster, 9V battery, and test leads.

You can buy extra test leads and probes for $17 with this Extech electronics kit.

See at Amazon

More from Thrifter:

• What does Amazon’s takeover of Whole Foods mean for you?
• Five free travel apps to help you save big on hotel stays

For more great deals be sure to check out our friends at Thrifter now!

Netflix nabs 8-part musical series from ‘La La Land’ director

Netflix snagged an exclusive deal for The Eddy, an eight-episode series from Damien Chazelle, the Oscar-winning director of La La Land and Whiplash. Like the former, his new show will be a musical drama, and will focus on a modern-day Parisian club, though Netflix didn’t reveal when we can expect the show to air.

The Eddy includes dialogue in French, English and Arabic, representing the multicultural Paris of today. BAFTA-winning theater and TV scribe Jack Thorne, who penned the stage play for ‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’ among many others, as well as for the shows Skins and This Is England, will write the show. Its music comes courtesy of six-time Grammy Award-winner Glen Ballard, who wrote tracks for Alanis Morissette and Michael Jackson. The Eddy will be produced by Alan Poul, who did the same for Six Feet Under and The Newsroom.

Source: Netflix

Jaguar makes first hire through Gorillaz mixed-reality app

In June, Jaguar Land Rover launched its code-breaking recruitment puzzle in the Gorillaz mixed-reality app in order to attract new talent to its team and fast-track successful players through the interview process. Today, the company has announced that it has made its first hire through the app and he’ll be joining the company next month.

So far around 41,000 people from 35 different countries have taken the app’s recruitment challenge and over 500 have cracked the code. Jaguar has interviewed around 50 candidates so far. Daniel Dunkley, a 23-year-old UK resident is the first hire. He left school at 16 and taught himself the software skills that landed him the job.

Gorillaz guitarist and Jaguar Land Rover ambassador Noodle said in a statement, “Think big and do better, my motto. Stop putting those filters on your food and download this app immediately. The first hire has happened, so get involved and win!”

The challenge is still available through the Gorillaz app and Jaguar is actively looking to hire. Interested applicants can also head to Jaguar Land Rover’s London-based Tech Fest September 8th through 10th to try their hand at a recruitment puzzle at the festival’s pop-up Gorillaz garage.

Source: Jaguar Land Rover

Sony’s smart speaker gives Google Assistant a more capable home

Google announced a slew of new devices running its Assistant software here at IFA 2017, and one of the most interesting additions is Sony. The electronics maker today showed off its new smart speaker, which has the unfortunately clunky name of LF-S50G. The speaker resembles Apple’s upcoming HomePods, but runs Google’s Assistant with some Sony enhancements. So basically it’s the love child speaker of tech’s Romeo and Juliet, except raised by Sony.

I checked out a demo of the smart speaker at Sony’s press conference here at IFA, and found it about as responsive as my Google Home. The audio is louder than the Home, and the music it played was clear — I was surprised I could hear over the noise in the convention hall.

The speaker itself is a squat cylinder with a perforated grill, and has an LED display on the front to tell the time, and animates to show you when the Assistant is listening or processing. Much like the Amazon Echo, the Sony LF-S50G has a ring of lights at near the top to indicate volume levels, too. All told, the speaker is physically unremarkable — some of my colleagues appreciate its aesthetic, but I find it bland. It’s available in white, black and blue, and none of the three stand out as especially appealing to me.

What sets the Sony device apart from other existing smart speakers is its ability to recognize touch-free control gestures to tweak volume and control playback. In plain words: you can adjust the volume by drawing a ring in midair above the speaker, or skip tracks by sliding your hand over the device. During our demo, only the Sony rep was able to do this well, most likely because he had been trained on exactly where you should place your hands. I tried drawing a clockwise ring in the air above the speaker, but it only picked up my movement after my fifth attempt. This isn’t a feature I see myself using a lot, anyway, since I’d usually just tell Assistant to turn down the volume or skip to the next track.

The LF-S50G will cost $200 when it ships in October, which is $50 more than the Google Home but cheaper than the $350 Apple HomePod. From the brief demo we had here in Berlin, the Sony smart speaker’s superior audio makes it a good alternative to Google’s own version, but we’ll have to perform our own at-home tests to see if that holds true. And with the slew of new Google Assistant speakers that were unveiled this week, the Sony LF-S50G has a lot of competition to outdo.

Follow all the latest news from IFA 2017 here!