Business Editor
It is less than a year since Google released the first Nest Hub smart speaker
with a screen.
Evidently though, the company thinks the world is ready for an upgrade, with
the second generation of the device now available.
The big addition to this one is (and don't nod off here) sleep tracking.
DESIGN
In the looks department the new Google Nest Hub 2nd generation appears much
like its predecessor.
Rectangular in shape its front is dominated by a 7" touch screen.
Thatâs mounted at an angle on a cloth covered near triangular shaped block.
It is all very neat and tidy and would blend in nicely on any shelf or worktop.
The screen is surrounded by a chunky bezel, giving it a digital frame-like look.
As with the previous version, you can choose what you want to appear on the
screen when you arenât using it â be it photos from your Google Photos
account, images from the pre-loaded internal selection or widgets like a clock
or the weather.
It can also be used for playing Netflix or Disney+ or YouTube.
The display itself is very sharp and clear, delivering bright colours, deep
blacks and brilliant whites.
The Ambient EQ feature also adjusts the brightness depending on the ambient
light.
It is also very responsive to the touch.
To its rear are two switches, one for controlling speaker volume and the other
for turning the voice recognition mic on and off.
The hubâs overall dimensions are just about right.
Not too large to be overbearing or dominant in a room, but also not so small
that it canât be seen properly.
It comes in two colour options â Chalk and Charcoal.
And if sustainability is important to you, then you might be glad to know that
its enclosure contains 54% recycled plastic.
SPEAKER
The audio technology used in the new generation hub is the same as that used in
the Nest Audio speaker.
But the full-range speaker with 43.5mm driver delivers 50% more bass that the
original hub.
The result is a pretty powerful speaker that pumps out a decent amount of sound
for its minimalist size.
Its by no means an audiophileâs dream and lacks depth despite the bass boost.
However, for delivering some background music, radio, podcasts and other
general audio it does a respectable job.
There are three far-field microphones built into the hub, so it performs quite
well at picking up the wake-word (Ok Google) and the instructions that follow,
once there isnât too much background din.
It is possible to pause and play media using hand gestures in front of the
screen rather than actually touching it, but it didnât seem to want to work
for me.
Obviously you can control everything by voice too using Google Assistant, and
Voice Match can also be turned on so that the device will give you your
personalised calendar as well as other individualised results.
The device will play a range of streaming services once you have subscriptions
to them, including YouTube Music, Apple Music and Spotify.
SMART HOME
The new version of the device continues where the old one left off as a means
of controlling your smart home devices.
Once set up through the Google Home app, you can see them all in one place on
the hubâs screen and operate them from there.
They can be set up in groups or as a collection in a particular room.
You can also set up routines for bedtime, morning or arriving home for example
where a series of different smart home actions happen together.
It all works pretty seamlessly.
SLEEP TRACKING
The big new selling point on the revised hub is sleep tracking.
The device has low energy radar technology built in that powers Motion Sense
â software that can figure out the breathing and movement patterns of the
person next to the display to establish how they are sleeping.
It does this, youâll be glad to hear, without the use of any cameras. So no
need to worry about hackers or anyone else spying on you.
Although the thought that a sensor is monitoring your every move beside your
bed might not be cause for a restful night for some.
Fortunately, use of the system is optional so you can turn it off if you
donât want it.
The software can also detect coughing, snoring and other disturbances, while
light and temperature are also monitored.
What that means is that when you wake from your slumbers in the morning, a
personalised sleep summary will be awaiting you on the screen.
Compared to a wearable sleep tracker the accuracy seems reasonably good,
although not perfect.
The data is also transferable to the Google Fit app on mobile devices if you
choose to, but Google claims coughing and snoring data is not sent to its
servers.
The company also says the data it does gather is not used for personalised ads.
The system also offers suggestions on how you might improve your sleep through
schedule and other changes, with those ideas developed by a team of sleep
scientists.
And if sleep tracking isnât your thing, there are other features around
waking up and going to sleep, like auto dimming of the display at night, as
well as a gradual increasing of the brightness of the screen and the sound of
the alarm when its time to get up.
CONCLUSION
Overall, there are many things to like about the Google Nest Hub, including the
way it looks, the sound it produces and the range of video that can be played
on the decent quality screen.
That display also makes interacting with the device easier, although whether
you will want to use the full range of features that it offers is a separate
question.
There are some obvious features missing though, like for example a USB port on
the device for charging other gadgets overnight.
There is also no headphone socket which might be useful in a bedroom setting.
And while the absence of a camera is a necessary trade off for the privacy most
people will demand for its use in the bedroom, the downside is that it canât
be used for video calls.
When it comes to the Sleep Sensing functionality you will either love it or
hate it. And therefore you can as easily take it or leave it.
At â¬100 it isnât bad value, although if you are willing to sacrifice the
screen and the sleep tracking you can get most of the same features on a
simpler Google or Amazon speaker for a good deal less.
https://www.rte.ie/news/business/2021/0524/1223658-review-google-nest-hub-2nd-generation/
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