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Google is testing a way to activate Assistant without wake words
A leaker triggered the voice assistant just by getting close to a Nest Hub Max.
Netflix now works on Facebook's Portal TV
You can hop into Zoom calls with Portal smart displays too.
Google's Nest Hub could be your next hotel concierge
'Hey Google, when is the pool open?'
Amazon Echo Show 5 review: An Alexa display with alarm clock smarts
When Amazon introduced the second-gen Echo Show display last year, it was a huge upgrade over the original, with a built-in browser, better sound and more video options than before. Just months later, however, and Amazon has released a new model called the Echo Show 5 (In case that's confusing, the "5" refers to the screen size, much like how Amazon names its Fire tablets). That might seem odd, but the Echo Show 5 isn't meant to replace the larger Show; it's a smaller version designed for desks and nightstands. Think of it as a squarer, reimagined Echo Spot that doubles as competition for Google's Nest Hub (and, in a way, the Lenovo Smart Clock). It's not perfect by any means, but for those who want a smaller, sleeker Amazon smart display that's also a decent alarm clock, the Echo Show 5 might be it.
Google will let you play simple games on smart displays
Starting today, developers will be able to create games for Google's smart displays. Google is opening up access to a Google Assistant-based framework called Interactive Canvas, which will allow them to build full-screen apps (or Actions) on smart displays that bring together touchscreen inputs, voice and visuals. For the time being, games are the only type of Actions they can create for smart displays using Canvas, with more categories coming soon.
Google Nest Hub Max hands-on: A bigger, smarter display
I was surprised by how much I liked last year's Google Home Hub. The 7-inch smart display won me over with its beautiful screen and adorable design. It was also popular with other reviewers, who praised its clever Assistant features, affordable price and Photos integration. This year, Google has a bigger, more powerful model: the Nest Hub Max. Unveiled at the company's I/O developer conference today, the Hub Max is a 10-inch display that looks like a stretched-out Home Hub. But there are a few other differences besides the size that make it more useful than the smaller version.
Google unveils the Nest Hub Max smart display
When we saw a leak of a device called the Google Nest Hub Max in March, we thought it was a little unusual. Why would a Google Hub device have the Nest branding on it? Now, we know why. At Google I/O, the company announced that it is finally folding its Home brand of products into Nest, and the first product from this Home-Nest team is, indeed, the Google Nest Hub Max.
Facebook cuts its Portal smart display to $99 for Mother's Day
Mother's Day is less than a month away, and it seems Facebook is hoping you'll consider giving your Mom a Portal or Portal+ to keep in touch with you -- it's running a Mother's Day sale on the smart displays. Until May 12th, Portal will set you back $99 instead of $199. If you decide to pick up a pair of them (maybe, possibly one each for you and Mom), you'll get $200 off, as long at least one is the larger Portal+.
Facebook employees caught leaving five-star Amazon reviews for Portal
Facebook released its Portal and Portal+ smart displays two months ago, at the tail end of a scandal-ridden year in which data leaks and privacy incidents were abundant. So, the company faced a tough battle in convincing consumers to buy a smart display for their homes, no matter how well the camera tracking works. Still, Facebook does have some happy customers, judging by Portal's five-star reviews on Amazon. Or at least it seems that way until you take a closer look, and see that some of them were apparently left by Facebook employees.
Mui's wooden smart display is an elegant way to control your home
One of the challenges with building smart home gadgets is making things that comfortably fit into peoples' homes. Japanese company Mui has come up with a seemingly elegant solution: a touch-sensitive, LED light display built into a piece of wood. Mui first launched its product on Kickstarter in October and met its goal, and today they're showing it off at CES.
Smart displays came into their own in 2018
When Amazon first debuted the Echo Show last year, plenty of people, us included, mocked its unusual design. More than that, we wondered if adding a display to a smart speaker makes sense, or if it was just another one of Amazon's gimmicks. It turns out, however, that being able to see the result of your queries is actually quite helpful; it's easier to glance at your entire shopping list than it is to have Alexa read it line by line. Amazon later followed up with the Echo Spot bedside clock, which offers the same features in a smaller design.
LG's first Google Assistant-powered smart display is rolling out
Need another smart speaker to consider for your holiday gift-giving? The LG smart display we spotted at CES is finally ready to go on sale complete with its 8-inch touch screen, Android Things platform with apps for Google Maps, Photos and YouTube plus Google Assistant-powered AI features. It also has an...interesting official name: the XBOOM AI ThinQ WK9. LG is touting the speakers and their Meridian Audio technology, which it hopes will make the $300 MSRP easier to swallow among all of that competition. That's more than the $200 8-inch Lenovo Smart Display that also runs Android Things and Google's own $150 Home Hub which does not, not to mention the various other options with Alexa, Siri, Facebook or Cortana onboard. It's even more than the $250 JBL Link View which similarly focuses on audio quality. However, at least for Black Friday LG has said it will cost $200, although it's not listed as available at most retailers yet. Liliputing points out a sale page on B&H Photo, and we'd expect to see it everywhere else by the time the big day rolls around.
Google Home Hub review: A more personal smart display
Google debuted its take on the smart display earlier this year with a slew of Echo Show rivals. This is, after all, the Google way. As it did with Android, Google created the ecosystem and then partnered with third-party companies like Lenovo and JBL to make the actual products. However, as with the Pixel and the first run of Google Home products, Google likes to dabble in hardware, too. That's why it wasn't much of a surprise when Google announced the Home Hub -- its very own spin on the smart display. What was surprising, was how different it was from all the other Google-powered smart displays so far. The Home Hub is small, clad in a fabric finish, and (perhaps its most intriguing "feature") doesn't have a camera. It all adds up to a refreshing take on the smart display that makes it a good fit for nearly every room in your home.
Facebook’s confusion about its Portal camera is concerning
Facebook couldn't have picked a worse time to introduce Portal, a camera-equipped smart display designed to make video chatting in your home easier. And, if the rumors are true, the company is reportedly also preparing to launch a video chat camera for your TV, based on the same system as Portal. Not only does news of this hardware come at a time when when Facebook is under major scrutiny after suffering a massive data breach in September, which exposed private information of 29 million users, including usernames, birth date, gender, location, religion and the devices used to browse the site. But the most concerning part about Portal, is that Facebook's own executives don't seem to have a basic understanding of what types of data the company will be collecting or what it will be using it for.
Google-powered smart displays will support multi-room audio
Google is shifting its focus from a smorgasbord of new hardware to a slew of Assistant- and software- based features. To begin with, it's rolling out multi-room audio support to all smart displays. Like audio-only Assistant speakers, you can add the screen-equipped devices to speaker groups and play music wherever you are in your home. Also, smart displays and smart speakers alike are receiving a previously hinted-at "Downtime" feature to block access during key hours. A "Filters" option, meanwhile, manages permissions for kids.
Google Home Hub hands-on: A surprisingly compact smart display
Sure, Google's new Home Hub wasn't a secret today -- but I was still surprised at just how tiny the device is in real life. I imagined a tablet-sized screen perched on top of something resembling the giant Google Home Max, but I couldn't have been more wrong if I tried. The Home Hub is positively dainty -- thin, light and unobtrusive. The photo below with my iPhone 8 Plus next to the Home Hub should give you an idea just how small this device is. It still feels like a Google Home product, with the same acoustically transparent fabric found on the Home Mini and Max. But, the display clearly sets it apart from Google's past smart speakers.
Google unveils the Home Hub smart display
Yes, those leaks of Google making its own smart display were true. The company has unveiled the Home Hub, which melds an Assistant-equipped smart speaker with a 7-inch touchscreen display. As with other smart displays, you can use to both get visual feedback for searches (such as the weather or recipes) as well as finding photos and videos. However, it does have a few stand-out features of its own -- including things that are missing.
Google's own smart display is reportedly the $149 Home Hub
On October 9th, Google will reveal its latest hardware lineup. Rumors have spread for some time that the company is preparing to unveil a smart display at the event, and a leak unearthed by MySmartPrice corroborates the existence of the device, indicating that it will be called Home Hub. Meanwhile, a separate leak of a retail listing suggests the smart display will cost $149, according to Android Authority.
Google might launch its own smart display this holiday season
Google is expanding its line of Assistant-powered devices with its own smart display, at least according to Nikkei. The tech giant has reportedly told its Taiwanese manufacturing partners to gear up and make sure they can deliver, because it's planning to take its competition with Amazon up a notch. Mountain View, the report says, will launch its own take on the smart display platform it recently debuted this upcoming holiday season. Its plans could even be more aggressive than that, because Nikkei's source said the company is aiming to "ship some 3 million units for the first batch of the new model of smart speaker that comes with a screen."
JBL’s Google-powered smart display is available for preorder
Another Google Assistant-powered smart display is on the way, as JBL has now made its Link View available for preorder. First announced at CES earlier this year, the JBL Link View follows the release of Lenovo's Google Assistant-powered Smart Display -- you can check out our review here. The JBL Link View has an eight-inch display and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. The display is also splash proof and comes with two front-facing 10W speakers, a rear-facing passive radiator for deeper bass and 24-bit HD audio streaming, resulting in JBL's "legendary sound," as the company puts it.
