nest

First, they were rectangular boxes. Then they became canisters or pucks. Over the years, wireless speakers have changed their form and now Google seems to be considering yet another revolution in speaker design. Practically confirming an earlier leak, Google has apparently been sending out more or less official marketing material for what may be the successor of the Google Home sporting what can probably be best described as a pillow design.

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Today we're taking a peek at the newest in Google Home and Google Assistant hardware with a leaked smart speaker. This device is likely the successor to the original Google Home speaker, now likely headed for a Google release with new "Nest" branding onboard. The abilities of this device are not known in full, but what we can see and read give us a pretty good idea of what we're going to get.

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The excitement over the prospect of upgrading your home into a smart home can easily be doused by the thought of having to install those IoT devices yourself. Sure, you can get away with some smart bulbs and smart plugs but the real magic happens when you add smart thermostats, smart security cameras, and smart locks to your house. If electrical jobs are not your forte, Google is now offering the help of third-party pro services to do that for you. Presuming, of course, you're going all-in on the Nest platform.

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Google's mesh routers are getting a WiFi update to make the experience of slower internet connections less frustrating, including greater control over priority devices like a work laptop. The new update is being released for both Nest Wifi and its predecessor Google Wifi, the company says, and will be installed automatically.

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Google is gearing up to release a new Nest smart speaker that is allegedly codenamed 'prince,' a new leak claims. The model is said to feature a familiar Google smart speaker design, but with upgraded audio compared to the previous Google Home model, enabling it to take on the Sonos One smart speaker. The speaker model hasn't been officially announced at this time, but will likely make an appearance later this year.

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During these weeks or even months of practically being forced to stay at home, it's not unusual for companies to offer some free or extended trial period to customers to do their part in keeping them sane and healthy. Google, however, seemed to have gone over and beyond by offering free devices instead, like free Nest Mini speakers to YouTube Premium subscribers. Now it's doing the same with a Nest Hub smart display but you need to have jumped on the new Nest Aware subscription to qualify.

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Google has announced that its Advanced Protection Program is now available for Nest. With this new support, Nest device owners can use the same Google accounts on both the Nest devices and Advanced Protection. This is a change from the previous restriction that allowed a Google account to only be used with one or the other, but not both at the same time.

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A new free Nest Mini has appeared in a sort of "offer" delivered to a number of subscribers to YouTube Premium. This isn't the first time Google's delivered their Google Assistant speaker devices to subscribers to their services. This usually signals that Google is preparing to release a new model - but it's also part of their overarching efforts to get as many Google Assistant devices as possible into the hands of users and potential users.

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Remember the almost comical incident more than three years ago when Amazon Echo speakers started ordering dollhouses because a TV anchor said so? Those things are long behind us and people have been less than enthusiastic about the prospect of making big orders without any visual confirmation from their phone at the very least. But for a certain class of users, that may be the only kind of interaction they may be able to make which is why Google is now testing an accessibility feature that would let some users confirm purchases by voice alone.

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After a highly successful first Pixel phone launch and a more or less decent Pixel 2, Google's performance in the smartphone market has been anything but stellar. As a company notorious for making and then dropping even extremely expensive projects (hello Google Glass!), there have definitely been some concerns whether Google is in it for the long haul. Google and now also Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai assures that the company is, but it might not be for the reasons Android faithful might have been hoping for.

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COVID-19 measures, particularly lockdowns and shelter-in-place orders, have taken a toll on everyone. For one group in particular, however, these days have been more emotionally and psychologically draining because of being socially isolated even from their loved ones. These are the high-risk seniors that may, unfortunately, be living by themselves or in retirement communities away from children and grandchildren. Google is now reaching out to these people with Nest Hub Max units and a new experience fine-tuned for their particular needs.

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Google is rolling out its new Nest Aware pricing, simplifying subscriptions for the company's connected cameras, as well as dropping some Nest hardware prices. Word of the change first came all the way back in October 2019, alongside the launch of the Pixel 4, new Nest Mini, and new Google Home app.

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