Google Second-Generation Nest Hub, reviewed

We look at the latest iteration of the Nest Hub product line. See more on their website here.

Google Second-Generation Nest Hub, reviewed

This could be cool, at the same time how often have you found Google Alexa interrupting your conversation, when you hadn’t asked it to, and when you had thought that you had disabled it to. At the same time the FANG companies will keep looking to offer us products to find that sweet spot where we are willing to trade off our privacy, and data about us, and our personal and intimate moments and movements, in exchange for useful and helpful insights.

The big pitch on this device is the Sleep sensing. In many ways it is hard to argue to that knowing exactly, and everything about what we do for up to eight hours everyday is a big amount of information to give away. At the same time the value that is being offered is that it can help to give us better insights into our own personal health and wellbeing. It does leave you wondering, how can you or would you sleep better? It is surely the definition of an unconscious activity.

Overall the evolution of the Google Nest product line remains an interesting development to watch. The fact that there is such a detailed and explicit description around their privacy policy suggests that there is a growing awareness of the importance of getting this right. The question will of course remain though about what you are being told, and what might actually be happening behind the curtain, and it does highlight that government’s, policies, and legislation seem to always be running several steps behind what is actually live, on the market and gathering data about us. Interesting times.

The product details ->

The new Nest Hub’s speaker is based on the same audio technology as Nest Audio and has 50 percent more bass than the original Hub. Fill any room with music, podcasts or audiobooks from services like YouTube Music, Spotify, and Apple Music — or enjoy your favorite TV shows and movies with a subscription from providers like Netflix, Disney+ and YouTube. With Quick Gestures, you can pause or play content at any time by tapping the air in front of your display.

The new Nest Hub also shows all your compatible connected devices in one place. And with a built-in Thread radio, Nest Hub will work with the new connectivity standard being created by the Project Connected Home over IPworking group, making it even simpler to control your connected home.

New sleep features for better rest

The Nest Hub has always helped you tackle the day; now, it can help you rest well at night. Many of us don’t get enough sleep, which comes with some real risks.

Sleep Sensing uses Motion Sense (powered by Soli low-energy radar technology) to analyze how the person closest to the display is sleeping, based on their movement and breathing — all without a camera or wearable. Sleep Sensing can also detect sleep disturbances like coughing and snoring or the light and temperature changes in the room with Nest Hub’s built-in microphones and ambient light and temperature sensors, so you can better understand what’s impacting your sleep.

Every morning you’ll receive a personalised sleep summary on your display, or you can view your sleep data anytime on the Nest Hub by asking, “Hey Google, how did I sleep?” Sleep Sensing can also connect to your Google Fit app on Android and iOS devices, so you can see your sleep summary alongside your other health and wellness information on your phone.

Get help for better sleep: Understanding your sleep is an important first step, but you may still have questions about what else you can do to get a better night’s sleep. Sleep Sensing helps by providing tailored bedtime schedules and personalized suggestions for improvement, developed by a team of sleep scientists and using guidance from organizations like the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Compiled after several nights of analysis, these suggestions point you to notable aspects of your sleep, educate you on why those areas are important and provide suggestions to improve.

Built with your privacy in mind: Sleep Sensing is completely optional with privacy safeguards in place so you’re in control: You choose if you want to enable it and there’s a visual indicator on the display to let you know when it’s on. Motion Sense only detects motion, not specific bodies or faces, and your coughing and snoring audio data is only processed on the device — it isn’t sent to Google servers. You have multiple controls to disable Sleep Sensing features, including a hardware switch that physically disables the microphone. You can review or delete your sleep data at any time, and consistent with our privacy commitments, it isn’t used for personalised ads.

See more stories here.