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LG’s next strategic smartphone G6 will be featured with Google’s artificial intelligence (AI) voice assistant service “Google Assistant.”
Ahead of the release of its next strategic smartphone “G6” next month, LG Electronics is strengthening cooperation with global companies, such as Google and Amazon, as part of its efforts to promote its sluggish smartphone business.
According to industry sources on January 19, LG Electronics is actively seeking to technologically collaborate with Google and Amazon for its new products to be launched this year.
There are rumors that the G6, which is to be unveiled at the Mobile World Congress show in Barcelona, Spain, on February 26, will be featured with Google’s artificial intelligence (AI) voice assistant service “Google Assistant.” The service is installed in the Google Pixel. When the G6 is equipped with Google Assistant, it will be the first smartphone in South Korea using the service.
In addition, Google’s technologies will be applied to LG’s next smartwatches. Foreign news reports said smartwatch, which is developed by Google and produced by LG Electronics, will be released under the LG brand name. The product is expected to be the first smartwatch running Google's smartwatch operating system “Android Wear 2.0.” The next smartwatch will be revealed early next month.
LG Electronics has also left open the possibility of cooperation with Amazon. The company already used Amazon's AI technology “Alexa” in its new home appliances products. As smartphones will expand the role of controllers for the Internet of Things (IoT) connecting with home appliances, LG Electronics is likely to apply the related interworking technology to its smartphones.
Meanwhile, the mobile communication (MC) business division, which is in charge of LG Electronics’ smartphone business, is expected to post 500 billion won (US$424.45 million) in operating loss in the fourth quarter last year, being constantly in deficit since the second quarter of 2014.