Google Home Max
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Google is selling the Home Max smart speaker again, for now
While flashing a message saying the device is sold out and prompting customers to try out a pair of the new Nest Audio devices instead, the Google Store will still let you check out a Charcoal-colored Home Max speaker for $179. On eBay, they're available for $159.
Google is officially retiring the Home Max
Say goodbye to the Home Max, Google’s original large smart speaker meant to provide HiFi audio. The company has shared with Engadget that it is no longer manufacturing the device and that it’s sold out of the last few units on the Google Store. Existing users will still see support for the foreseeable future, and there are no plans to end support for this or the original Google Home.
The Google Home Max is half off for Black Friday this year
Google’s smart speakers and displays have steadily improved over the years, and luckily for us, a few of them are on sale for Black Friday. The biggest discount by far is the Google Home Max, which is now selling for $149.99, a whopping 50 percent off its regular price of $299.99) Sure, it’s a few years old now -- we gave it a review score of 88 in 2017 -- but it’s still a very good device, with stellar audio that outclasses most other Google-powered smart speakers, especially in terms of volume and bass. The Google-powered Nest Hub Max is on sale for $179.99 this week as well, which is $50 less than its usual price of $229.99.
Google is finally fixing Bluetooth audio on Home speakers
Most people who buy Google smart speakers use them for direct streaming, but that hasn't been entirely voluntary for the past year. Ever since late 2018, people have complained that any Bluetooth connections (from phones or to other speakers) would drop after a few minutes or less. Not much of a feature, is it? However, relief appears to be in sight. Google staff have confirmed that they're "investigating" a fix. There's no mention of when it might be ready, but it's a welcome relief after many months of silence.
