Google I/O 2019: Amazon Echo Show-competitor Nest Hub Max launched, coming soon to India- Technology News, Firstpost

tech2 News StaffMay 08, 2019 13:09:47 IST

At the Google I/O 2019, the company announced that it is rebranding its Home Hub as Nest Hub, and going forward all of its smart home devices will be released under the Nest banner.

Google also cut down last year's Nest Hub's price to $129 and said that the smart display will be released to 12 other countries, including India, this year. While the device will come to the market, the timeline for release is still unclear.

The Nest Hub's price cut also makes way for Google's new Nest Hub Max, priced at $229, which comes with a larger 10-inch display, and a camera — something that was notably missing from the 7-inch Home. Further, just like the Nest Hub, Nest Hub Max too acts as a Google Home speaker and has an in-built Google Assistant that can converse with users.

Nest Hub Max

If you compare it with the competitors, the Nest Hub Max is what Amazon Echo Show is to the Echo series. Hub Max will also compete with Facebook's Portal devices.

Coming this summer, #NestHubMax is a Google Assistant smart display that’s also your digital photo frame, smart home controller, kitchen TV and indoor camera—plus it's perfect for video chats → https://t.co/lMYfCIz83u #io19 https://t.co/VPVclPQKAE

— Google (@Google) May 7, 2019

Google says that the Hub will recognise a user through face recognition — Face Match — and use it to offer a personalised experience.

(Also read: Google's next-gen voice assistant is kinda epic, and it's coming to the Pixel 4 this year)

Also, in order to deal with the privacy concerns, Google says that it has placed a green LED light in the Hub Max, which will light up when the device is recording a video or streaming it. The device also has a switch that users will be able to toggle to physically disable the camera and microphone. Amazon Echo devices also offer similar functionality.