Echo Show owners were dealt some bad news earlier this week when Google suddenly disabled the ability to stream YouTube videos on the device.
Echo Show owners were dealt some bad news earlier this week when Google suddenly disabled the ability to stream YouTube videos on the device.
Amazon said the decision came as a total surprise without any explanation or notification. Google took a difference stance, claiming Amazon’s implementation of YouTube on the Echo Show violates their terms of service and creates a broken user experience.
As it turns out, Google’s reasoning may be a bit more complex.
Multiple sources have told TechCrunch that Google is building its own version of the Echo Show. The tabletop smart device, codenamed Manhattan, will reportedly feature a display that’s similar in size to the 7-inch screen on the Show and feature support for Google Assistant, Google Photos, video calling and of course, YouTube. One person said it’ll run a version of Android – good news for developers.
Sources note that Google was originally targeting a mid-2018 launch date but due to the success of the Show, they’re trying to expedite the launch and squeeze it in by the end of the year.
Google was previously working on devices with larger screens that would compete with full-sized televisions but according to the publication, they’ve since shifted focus to the smaller Manhattan project.
Amazon launched its touchscreen-equipped Echo Show home speaker back in June. The company doesn’t release sales figures but given the overall success of Amazon’s voice assistant, it’s probably doing just fine in its slot as a higher-end Alexa device.
Google has a press event scheduled for October 4 where it plans to unveil its new Pixel 2 smartphone. It’s entirely conceivable that Manhattan could also make an appearance, assuming of course that it is ready by then.
