Sony launches Apple Homepod rival at IFA 2017
EW DELHI: Besides introducing the Xperia XZ1, Xperia XZ1 Compact and the XA1 Plus smartphones, Sony also introduced a new accessory for music lovers at the ongoing IFA 2017 conference in Berlin today. The Japanese technology company has introduced what can be called as the Apple HomePod speaker rival (in terms of design). Dubbed LF-S50G, the new 360-degree speaker by Sony comes with Google Assistant, making it as an alternative to the Google Home.
From the looks of it, the Sony LF-S50G looks similar to the Apple HomePod speaker, which was introduced during the WWDC 2017 conference earlier this year. It has the same tube-like shape and looks similar from the top and sides.
Sony says that its LF-S50G is the company’s first wireless speaker with the Google Assistant built-in. At the event Sony boasted its LF-S50G for the sound quality, billing it better than Google Home. The device comes with a subwoofer and a unidirectional two-stage diffuser. The accessory pairs with the source device over Bluetooth, NFC and Wi-Fi, like the case with most of the other Sony speakers.
Users can listen to high fidelity music and change the tracks using the ‘Gesture Control’ feature. The feature lets users adjust the volume or skip to the next track without directly touching the speaker. They can also do it by simply waving hand nearby. The speaker has IPX3 splash-proof capabilities and can also act as a microphone that can hear user’s voice commands and implement it on the other connected devices, for instance, the Sony Bravia TV.
The Google Assistant speaker — powered Sony LF-S50G also lets users perform basic features like setting alarms, calendar events, check traffic information and more. It also has a LED display placed below the speaker net.
The Sony LF-S50G is said to initially reach markets including the US, UK, Germany, France and others at $200 (roughly Rs 12,700). It will be reaching the US in October.