Huawei and Google were reportedly co-developing a smart speaker but the project is shelved following President Donald Trump's blacklisting of the Chinese tech company.
Smart Speaker Collab Gone Awry
The development of a Huawei-branded smart speaker that would have been powered by Google assistant was stopped in May. Consequently, after the U.S. government imposed trade sanctions against Huawei, the collaboration was affected.
According to a report from The Information, the companies worked to build the speaker for at least year. They allegedly planned to unveil the product at the IFA trade show in Berlin this September, and sell it online in the United States.
The report's source was a Huawei employee who spoke under the condition of anonymity. Google and Huawei have not issued a statement or comment on the report.
China's Growing Smart Speaker Shares
In Q1 2019, smart speakers from Chinese companies shipment grew by 500 percent, overtaking U.S. lead in the smart speaker market. Baidu, Xiaomi, and Alibaba were among the top smart speaker producers along with Amazon and Google.
Huawei is the world's largest supplier of telecommunications equipment. In 2018, it registered a revenue of $105 billion.
Entity List, Blacklisting, And Ban
Huawei remains blacklisted in the United States. President Trump signed an executive order adding Huawei and 70 of its affiliates on the 'Entity List' or firms deemed threats to national security, effectively prohibiting the firm from buying U.S. technology, and components.
U.S. companies are also not allowed to use any technology assessed to be a national security risk. The ban went into effect on May 17. As a result, Google was forced to suspend business operations with Huawei, locking Huawei out of Google's Androidoperating system and updates.
According to Huawei founder and CEO Ren Zhengfei, Huawei bought $11 billion worth of products from the United States last year. He added that the trade restrictions would cost the company $30 billion this year and next.
Prior to the blacklisting, the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency flagged Huawei for allegedly receiving funding from intelligence organizations connected with the Chinese government. The Shenzhen-based company denied the accusations.
Best Smart Speakers Of 2019
Some of the products cited as among the best smart speakers released this year include the Amazon Echo Dot and Google Home Mini. The Google Assistant now has almost as many capabilities as Alexa, and even a little smarter.
Value for money goes to the third-generation Echo Dot that sells only for $50. If looking for the best-sounding smart speaker, the $200 Sonos One is the best option according to CNET.
