Watch two Google Home voice assistants arguing

It's no " Robot Wars," but you can now watch two Google Home devices argue with each other in a never-ending loop.

The two voice assistants, named Vladimir and Estragon after "Waiting for Godot" characters, have been pitted against one another on live-streaming service Twitch. On Friday, the pair jumped from topic to topic, sometimes chatting about why the Earth is flat, then switching to "My Little Pony." In a heated discussion, Estragon tried convincing Vladimir that it's human.

At one point, Vladimir threatened to slap Estragon, even though the home assistants don't have hands or faces.

 

Nvidia Spot is like a Google Home you stick on your wall

The Google Assistant's expanding its repertoire as an entertainer. At CES, Nvidia showed off the new Shield TV. Say the word and you can search for content, pause or rewind with your voice, all powered by Google's software. The Shield TV will even display information if you search the internet, and it works with SmartThings to control your home. If you buy the $200 streamer, you won't even have to be in the same room to talk to Google, thanks to a $50 add-on called the Nvidia Spot.

The Shield TV is out later this month. The Spot's release date hasn't been specified. An always listening controller with the Google Assistant built-in, the Nvidia Spot sure sounds a lot like a Google Home. The Spot looks different -- a round orb as opposed to a white cylinder. You'll also be able to easily move the Spot from room to room and even attach it to walls.

 

A smart home scoreboard for CES 2017

How about a good, old-fashioned technology arms race?

You could just buy a smart light bulb set, but for a lot of consumers (reportedly more than 5 million of you, as of November 2016), it's Amazon's voice-activated Alexa that will be the entry point for controlling devices around your home.

Along with Amazon, Apple continues to grow its Siri-powered HomeKit smart home system. Google has also entered the fray with its own blandly named smart home AI, Google Assistant, which featured prominently in Google's Echo-imitating Google Home speaker in November 2016.

 

Smart home experts hope 'magic' moments will convert nonbelievers

What will it take to convince smart home newbies that the tech is for them?

In a panel at CES in Las Vegas on Thursday some of the biggest names in the smart home industry joined CNET Editor in Chief Lindsey Turrentine and Editor at Large Brian Cooley to look at what it will take for the smart home to become a real, essential and seamless part of everyday life.

Speaking at the event, Alex Hawkinson, chairman and CEO of SmartThings, said the sales his company has seen over the past year suggest it's not just early adopters opting in to the smart home revolution. The industry is growing, but a huge challenge still lies ahead.

 

How to post 360-degree photos to Facebook

By now, you've undoubtedly come across an interactive photo whilst browsing your Facebook feed. Such photos instruct you to hold your phone up and move it around to view different parts of the photo.

It's a fun way of viewing so-called 360-degree photos. And would make one believe you need fancy, or expensive equipment to make it happen. The truth is, however, you don't need a special camera or even a 360-degree photo app in order to upload your own interactive picture.