Google announced at today’s hardware event it was creating a smart home display called Google Home Hub. This device marries its Google Home smart speaker with a tablet interface.
"For life at home, we designed a smart display so you can hear and see the info you need, and manage your connected home from a single screen. Introducing Google Home Hub." – Rick Osterloh #madebygoogle
— Made by Google (@madebygoogle) October 9, 2018
The Hub looks very much like the Echo Show, or the recently-announced Facebook Portal. As shown in the pre-event leaks, it comes with a 7-inch touchscreen with a speaker base in pink, white, grey, and green.
Diya Jolly, Google’s VP of Product Management, said its major goal with the Hub was to make a device that’s comfortable to use in the home. To that end, the Hub won’t have a camera. The screen will also automatically adjust to the light in the room, so that it doesn’t have a garish glow in a dimly-lit space.
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The Hub is designed to be used by multiple people, according to Jolly. It can differentiate between voices and offer personalized responses to questions. It also offers Home View, a dashboard that shows information about all smart devices in the home, as well as offering room-specific controls. Google also announced integration with Nest devices, such as the smart doorbell and thermostat — both of which can be controlled from the Hub.
Hey @nest. Let’s make this official. Your home should be thoughtful, not complicated. We've got Nest + Google integrations that are nice and simple for everyone. #madebygoogle
— Made by Google (@madebygoogle) October 9, 2018
In addition, the Hub can be turned into a photo frame when it’s not directly in use. Specifically, it can display Live Albums, automatically-updated albums of loved ones selected from your Google Photos by AI.
The Google Home Hub can be pre-ordered today for $149. It’ll be available on September 27.
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