Whirlpool’s new KitchenAid Smart Display with the Google Assistant is a gadget designed for the actual reality of your kitchen: it’s messy as hell when you cook. The 10-inch display is rated water jet-resistant, so if you accidentally aim your faucet the wrong way, it should be in fine. In theory.

Much like other Google Assistant-powered smart displays, KitchenAid’s model responds to Google Assistant voice commands and you can watch YouTube videos or make calls through the device. It includes cooking recipes from Yummly, one of Whirlpool’s other brands. And just like the Google Home Hub, it can control your other smart home devices.

Whirlpool is one of those companies that is trying to play across all of the smart assistant ecosystems. It’s like Switzerland — it has plans for an Apple Watch app, it just expanded its Wear OS app, and it has voice commands in its Smart Laundry app for both Google Assistant and Alexa. If and when more companies can add as many integrations as Whirlpool has, the smart home world would become a lot less fragmented.

Its latest KitchenAid Smart Display is entering a crowded space where the Google Home Hub and Lenovo Smart Display are already competing. But unlike those other displays, the KitchenAid device has that water resistance, which could be a significant advantage in the kitchen. According to CNET, the Whirlpool Smart Display will cost somewhere between $200 and $300 and should be available in the second half of this year.

https://www.theverge.com/2019/1/6/18168917/kitchenaid-google-assistant-smart-display-splash-resistant-cooking-price-specs-features