Google’s $99 bedside display is great—even if it thinks my dog snores too much
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About the Nest Hub (second-gen)
Great for entertainment
Sleep Sensing works best for singles
The Nest Hub (second-gen) can help track your sleep, manage your Google-enabled smart home, and more.
Setup is quick and simple: Just plug in the display using the included 15W power adapter and follow the on-screen prompts. The device also supports Chromecast, Bluetooth, and dual-band Wi-Fi.
The new Nest Hub is available in four colors and features a modern, edgeless glass design.
The new Nest Hub ticks just about every box when it comes to great design. The second-gen model features a slick, glass frame around the 7-inch touchscreen, unlike previous Nest Hubs which have an outline around the frame’s edge. It’s a small but noticeable detail that adds to the Hub’s good looks. Smart displays and speakers are the home base of many smart homes, often featured in prominent areas of the home, so a pleasing design is always a plus.
The slim design of makes it perfect for small spaces like nightstands and bookshelves.
Google’s Nest Hub (second-gen) supports Netflix, YouTube TV, Sling, Disney+, Apple Music, Pandora, and other popular streaming services.
The Nest Hub (second-gen) supports Quick Gestures that can be used to play/pause videos and turn off/snooze alarms. To stop and start videos, stand in front of the speaker and tap the air like you’re about to give it a high five (but don’t touch the screen). To snooze alarms, wave your hand across the screen. The motion-sensing tech works just as efficiently here as it did on the Nest Hub Max, which is impressive given the fact that the Nest Hub uses its sensors in place of cameras. Gestures are a handy way to use your display when you’re getting messy in the kitchen or when you need a quiet, hands-free way to communicate with your display.
Your nightly sleep stats can be viewed directly on the Nest Hub (second-gen) or in the Google Fit app.
My old dog’s loud snoring habits threw off my sleep data, which counted 144 minutes of slumbering snores one night.
That’s exactly what happened to me. I sleep with my husband and my 45-pound English Bulldog, the latter of whom is a very heavy (and loud) snorer. The Nest Hub clocked me at 144 minutes of snoring even after I was awake but still lying in bed. I can only imagine it was picking up my bulldog’s human-like snoring. As such, it’s tough to know how accurate any of my sleep data was. Sleep Sensing can be used without enabling cough/snore detection, but you won’t get the full sleep-tracking experience.
Eventually, you’ll have to pay to use Sleep Sensing (no pricing was available at the time of publication), but you can access a free preview until next year.
The mic mute switch is located on the back of the Google Nest Hub (second-gen).
Privacy is always a concern with smart devices, but the Nest Hub (second-gen) does give you some options for more peace of mind. On the back of the Nest Hub (second-gen) you’ll find a mic mute switch. To disable the mic, slide the switch to the left. When the mic is muted, the small indicator light on the front of the device will turn orange. To turn the mic off, slide the switch back over.
Quick, smart, and full of useful features, the Nest Hub (second-gen) is a fantastic Google-enabled display for small spaces.
The latest Nest Hub is a well-designed smart display for Google Assistant users. The state-of-the-art device’s Sleep Sensing technology offers a detailed look at how you’re sleeping and provides tips for how to sleep better (though it works best for solo sleepers). The display is also a solid entertainment hub, offering a good selection of music and video streaming services that can be stopped and started using Quick Gestures. And while its lack of a built-in camera means you can’t use the Nest Hub (second-gen) for video calls, it makes for a great smart alarm clock, digital photo frame, smart home controller, and more.
The Nest Hub (second-gen) packs in a lot of awesome features for a 7-inch touchscreen display. It’s quick to respond, can keep you (or your kids) entertained for hours, and can maybe even help you catch some more restful Zs.
Senior Staff Writer
Rachel Murphy covers smart home for Reviewed. She holds a journalism degree from the University of Central Florida. Previously, she worked as a freelance writer for several major outlets and as an associate editorial producer for ABC News' Good Morning America.
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Category: Technology
Source: USA Today