The JBL Soundbar with Google Assistant is now available

Presented at the last Google I / O 2018, the soundbar JBL with Android TV on board has suffered several delays. Many, considering only these days, a year after its presentation, is finally available on the market. Its particularity is precisely to include the virtual badistant of Google on board.

Thus, while virtual badistants now take control of many connected devices, including those present inside the house, even the soundbar JBL equipped with the Google badistant, the next soundbar JBL, which will work with an ad-hoc software version for Android TV.

Its cost is $ 400, and although it may initially seem too high, it offers good value for money. In fact, a Chromecast Ultra costs $ 70, the same price as a low-end Android TV box, which can still turn your TV into a device with Google Assistant. The JBL Soundbar includes, of course, Chromecast and Google Assistant functions, but adds the functionality of an audio device and offers more HDMI inputs and JBL sound quality. With the soundbar, it will be possible to purchase an optional $ 300 woofer.

For the moment, we do not know if, when and at what price, it will also arrive in Italy or leave the US borders anyway. It is certain, however, that the idea is not totally improbable, since Google Assistant has been available in our country for some time now, also via the company's smart speakers, such as Google Home Mini, Google Home and the. Nest Hub Home.

In terms of technical specifications, as indicated last year, this is not an accessory for audiophiles: the soundbar will have a power of 100W. It is therefore clear that the strength of the device lies in the presence of the voice badistant, which will control the soundbar by means of voice commands.

The soundbar includes a complete Android TV interface and active voice control from Google Assistant. The user can then ask to play TV programs in addition to the usual commands offered by the Google Assistant, whether the TV is turned on or off.

The new JBL soundbar with Google Assistant is therefore an alternative to the Sonos sound bar, although with some differences in the features offered, two new features that indicate a new direction for the market, that of the soundbar at a price affordable but enriched by the presence of voice badistants. smart. This is Alexa, the voice badistant of Amazon, who currently controls most of the sound bars on the market, while this JBL is actually a real novelty in the scene.