At the Launch Night In online event today, Google announced two new products for the home. The first is the Chromecast With Google TV which is the first device to run Google TV and the second product is the Nest Audio smart speaker.
Chromecast with Google TV
While this device has Chromecast in its name, it is actually a streaming TV stick dongle. So it is going up against the Amazon Fire TV Stick line, the Xiaomi Mi TV Stick, and Roku’s streaming dongles.
Chromecast with Google TV brings a new UI called Google TV. Unlike Android TV which lists contents from apps such as Netflix and Prime Video, Google TV combines content from all the sources available. So on a row, you can have movies from Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, and Prime Video. It doesn’t matter if you don’t have a subscription from all three, those you can’t watch will have a padlock icon.
Chromecast with Google TV also has Live TV available via YouTube TV, and a recommendations tab that is based on your subscription, viewing history, and your own content. Of course, there is support for casting from compatible devices. When not in use, the device will show a slideshow of your favorite photos from your Google Photos library.
The remote has a Google Assistant button which you can use to search for shows and movies and also use to control your connected smart home devices. You can even view the feed from your Nest camera on the TV.
Chromecast with Google TV is priced at $49.99 and comes in Snow, Sunrise, and Sky. It is available for purchase already in the US and will be available in more countries by the end of the year. Google also revealed during the launch that Google TV will be made available for more Android TV streaming devices but we don’t know how soon.
Nest Audio
The Nest Audio smart speaker is the spiritual successor to the original Google Home smart speaker. However, unlike the Nest Mini which has the same design as the Google Home Mini, the Nest Audio speaker has a different design.
The speaker is wrapped in fabric and comes in five colors – Chalk, Charcoal, Sage, Sand, and Sky. Google says the enclosure is made from 70% recycled plastic. It has a 75 mm woofer and a 19 mm tweeter for loud and crisp audio. It even adapts to your environment and what you are listening too. An example is news and audiobooks which sound clearer and differently from music.
Of course, there is Google Assistant which means you can ask it to play podcasts, audiobooks, and more from various platforms. You can also set reminders, ask questions about the weather, and control smart home devices. You can also pair speakers together and move playback from room to room.
If you have a Nest Aware subscription, the speaker will send you an alert when it detects sounds such as the breaking of glass or the sound of the smoke alarm. There is a button at the back to turn off the microphone and you can ask the assistant to delete what you just said by saying “Hey Google, delete what I just said”.
The speaker is powered by a quad-core A53 processor clocked at 1.8GHz. It supports dual-band Wi-Fi and its power rating is 30W.
The Nest Audio smart speaker is priced at $99, lesser than the launch price of the Google Home. It will be available starting October 5 in 21 countries.
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