Google was forced to close its CES booth yesterday before its opening because of heavy rain. Although the firm doesn’t have a history of showcasing products at the annual electronics show, this year it appears Google changed its mind, with its own booth in the planning, a number of product partnerships and a big focus on Google Assistant. Yet, unfortunately for the company, very heavy rain put a stop to its plans for a time, though it should be noted that it’s been reopened as of today.
The company was set to unveil its booth to the public yesterday, with the structure itself being a two-story outdoor building placed in the parking lots situated near the Convention Center. However, after a period of heavy rain, the roof of the structure has been covered up completely in the hope of preventing any further flooding, while the electronics inside have also been put under covers. Considering the indoors is full of electronics, and one of the walls is covered completely in displays, the water damage could potentially end up being a very costly repair. But not all is doom and gloom for the Alphabet-owned company. After all, its Google Assistant is certainly leaving its mark at the annual event, with the words “Hey Google” plastered all over Google’s booth, and advertisements related to the assistant being found all over the event which also showcase the all-important words. However, this isn’t all, as Google has also announced a number of partnership with industry leaders. The likes of JBL and Sony have confirmed they will be introducing the Google Assistant to a bunch of headphones, while LG has announced a new smart display with Assistant integration. Another important announcement came from Google itself, who confirmed that its voice assistant will be coming to Android Auto vehicles in the near future, thus widening the reach of the AI software.
Not all announcements were Google Assistant-related, though. The Silicon Valley-based company also unveiled the world’s first standalone Daydream VR headset alongside Lenovo known as the Mirage Solo, which will retail for under $300 and, according to Lenovo, will launch in Q2 of 2018. Another announcement that should affect user more immediately is the fact that Android Pay and Google Wallet are no longer. Instead, the two will be folded into a new product dubbed Google Pay which is already live in the US.