Smart displays continue to be not particularly stylish, but we like that the Echo Show 8 (2nd Gen) looks like a small tablet from the front, with its pyramid-shaped speaker hidden behind the screen. We also noted how well the display walked us through the setup process, and compared the various capabilities of the Alexa and Google Home apps. It lacks the Nest Hub Maxs nicer speakers, gesture control, and facial recognition but is otherwise very similar. This will take you to a window where you can pick if you would like to delete any information. Google said in a statement that it is investigating the whistleblower "to prevent misconduct like this from happening again. As for hardware, the Nest Hub Max has very few physical buttonsjust a volume toggle and a switch that digitally kills the camera and microphone. This allows you to add any of the 80,000-plus available Skills (as of early 2021, in the US specifically) to the display through the Alexa app (think anything from turning on your Xbox One to ordering Dominos pizza). To gauge sound quality, we had each unit stream multimedia from a number of services and also tested video calling. This pint-size version of the Echo Show is perfect for catching a weather report and playing tunes while you get ready in the morning. Put Amazon's Alexa to work for you with these great smart-home devices. Investigators in the same case also managed to obtain data from a smart water meter that suggested that the crime scene had been hosed down before police arrived. Once you finish a rather long setup (endless pages in the app, followed by a video, and then calibration to detect sleep), the Nest Hub will automatically track your sleep (which is displayed when you wake up each morning). You would be forgiven for thinking that your private conversations were just that, but two leading voice assistants are listening to everything you say, a new report claims. By contrast, Alexa devices can alert you when they hear the sound of breaking glass or an alarm, but they do not include a motion detector. The feature feels a little gimmicky, but we found it useful when we were cranking a Glass Candy album a little too high and didnt feel like shouting Hey, Google! over the vocals. The camera adjusts its view somewhat slowlyat one point in our tests, it zoomed in on someones butt instead of their head while we were video chatting. But the Show 8 (2nd Gen) also works with the Honeywell Home Lyric thermostat, Rachio and Garageio devices, and D-Link smart plugs. Your audio is saved to your account only when youre signed in and Voice & Audio Activity is turned on. The Nest Hub Max includes an Ambient EQ setting, which adjusts both the brightness and the color tone of the screen to match the mood of the room; when you dim the lights to watch a movie, for example, the Nest Hub Max follows suit on its own. If you have a specific recipe you want, youll have to search for it on Amazon Silk (but at that point, you may as well grab a laptop instead of using your Echo). Cooks and heavy Google app users who want to access Google Assistant via a screen will love this display, which is well integrated with Google Calendar and Photos. Googles recipe library can pull from nearly all the same partners as Echo but also many more, including such popular sites as Bon Apptit. The Google Assistantenabled Google Nest Hub Max is a handy digital assistant for streaming audio and video or making video calls. It is also used to improve speech recognition across it products. The screen auto-dims when you turn out the lights, mimicking an unobtrusive vintage glow-in-the-dark clock. Signe Brewster is an editor on Wirecutter's PC team. If thats something youre looking for in the Alexa ecosystem, we recommend checking out the Echo Show 10. In our previous tests of Echo Show devices, we found that the on-screen menus and options werent as developed as on other platforms. (In future guides, well note in Flaws but not dealbreakers sections any issues that may affect a purchase decision.). Like other Alexa devices, the Show 8 has the broadest smart-home-device compatibility of any smart display. The study warns of an Orwellian future in which the gadgets eavesdrop on everything from confidential conversations to your toilet flushing habits. The Shows speaker is powerful enough to fill a 120-square-foot room with loud but undistorted music. Weve also updated this guide to reflect that Meta is changing its focus for Portal devices to businesses rather than consumers. They also make video calling potentially more streamlined than using a smartphone, laptop, or tablet. The latest model includes sensors to track your sleep, which may be useful for people who have trouble catching zs. The Show 8 (2nd Gen)s speaker produces clear audio and is powerful enough to fill a room. How does the technology work? If your phone lives on your kitchen counter and tends to get splattered with sauce, or you just want an easier way to view photos or control smart devices, try a smart displaya mashup of a smart speaker and a tablet. It worked consistently, too, and we couldnt trick it by waving our hands, brushing hair off our face, or making other hand gestures. An Amazon Echo made headlines last year when US police investigating a murder sought to subpoena recordings made by the device. Overall, the addition of Zoom is a big bonus for using the displays video-chatting features more often. Overall, though, Google Assistant and Alexa were able to hear and respond similarly to most simple questions (such as How many tablespoons in a cup? and Whats the weather?). But if you want more options, we have other favorites for you. This is not a replacement for a full security system, but for a free feature, its useful and a nice perk. We were impressed with how accurately it captured sleep patterns, whether we fell asleep on time or it took a couple of hours to finally nod off. Law enforcement is already seeking information from smart devices. All rights reserved. ", "Your device will only send audio to Google if we detect that you or someone in your home is interacting with your Assistant or if you use a feature that needs it," writes the company. You can also play YouTube and YouTube TV videosand even stream the displays screen to a Chromecast-compatible TV (which is a neat feature if you dont already have a streaming media box). The austere text-on-a-white-background look of the Nest Hub Max recipes made us miss the beautiful food pictures that recipe books often include. This is not the first time that the voice search function has landed Google in hot water in recent months. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. But it has a smaller, 5-inch screen, which makes it fit nicely on a nightstand or a bathroom counter. In our testing we found that Alexa smart displays are generally better for managing smart homes and watching videos, and Google Assistant models are better attuned to performing cooking tasks and using Googles suite of apps (such as Calendar and Photos). The Show 8 has an 8-inch HD screen, a reasonably powerful speaker, and a new 13-megapixel camera with a privacy cover (for those moments you want to be sure you arent being watched). And we could swipe through on the device itself if we wanted to see a new photo or move on to one of the informational screens. In fact, theyre all about snooping on you and your family in your home and gathering as much information on your activities as possible. The Lenovo Smart Display 7 has a nice design, but Google Assistant performed poorly when we tried using third-party apps, and its speakers were the lowest quality among the smart displays we tested. Our pick, the much cheaper Echo Show 8 (2nd Gen), has the same 13-megapixel camera with a much smoother software zoom. The Amazon Echo Show 5 (2nd Gen) does everything the larger Echo Shows can do. The feature is designed to allow users to talk to enabled gadgets to search the web, launch apps and use other interactive functions. The Nest Hub Max is also the first smart display we tested that incorporates gesture controls; you just hold up your hand to pause or resume music or videos. 2022 Wirecutter, Inc., A New York Times Company. One unique feature of the Nest Hub Max is facial recognition: It serves up Calendar reminders, posts security alerts, and scrolls through images uploaded to Photos based on who it sees (though only if you register your account first). We liked speaking with Google Assistant more than conversing with Alexa because you can use more-natural language to ask Google Assistant questions, instead of having to hit the precise formula of words that Alexa recognizes. The Amazon Echo Show 8 (2nd Gen) is easy to interact with, whether by voice or touch, thanks to its excellent on-screen menus and Alexas always-impressive conversational chops. Verizon announced an 8-inch smart display in collaboration with Amazons Alexa Custom Assistant program, which allows third-party manufacturers to put their own custom assistants on top of the existing Alexa technology. She previously reported on emerging technology and science for publications like Wirecutter, MIT Technology Review, Wired, Science, and Symmetry Magazine. The Nest Hub Max can stream music from Spotify (including the free version), TuneIn, and Pandora, as well as Google Play. Depending on how much youre into getting personal, you can opt to enable other customized information, such as weather forecasts, headlines, and commute times. Thats especially true for recipes: The Nest Hub Max has recipe search built in from the start, so you dont have to go through the app to add new recipe websites. For instance, when we used the Show 8 (2nd Gen) with Zoom, the audio and video were clear and comfortable for both parties, and we could view the Zoom chat from the Show 8 screen (though we werent able to type messages). The video quality was also higher than what we usually get with a laptop, but whether we used it with Zoom or Alexa calling, the automated pan and zoom ability could sometimes be erratic, especially after any movement of the subject. She originally wrote about smart-home gear for Sunset magazine, focusing on things that would easily improve the lives of readers without requiring them to be tech-savvy. We looked specifically for displays that were compatible with Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant and had the following features: We timed how long it took to set up each smart display and link it to an iPhone app. Like the Echo Show 5, the Nest Hub (2nd Gen) feels right at home on a bedside table. As part of this process, Google keeps copies of clips made each time you activate it, but it has emerged that background chatter could be enough to trigger recording. Weve updated this guide to change our also-great pick for Alexa users to the Echo Show 5 (2nd Gen), due to availability issues with the first-gen model. Our picks range from two to 13 megapixels. However, we had no difficulty placing calls between Google-made and Lenovo-made smart displays. If you plan to use the Nest Hub Max for smart-home functions, double-check that the devices you own are compatible with Google Assistantthere are many, but far fewer than with Alexa. Some apps, streaming services, and smart-home devices may be exclusive to either Alexa or Google Assistant, so its important to consider what you already own or plan to purchase down the line. *At the time of publishing, the price was $85. Its native recipes pull from only a few popular cooking sites (such as Allrecipes, Americas Test Kitchen, and Epicurious) and a bunch of smaller blogs and sites (like Kitchen Stories and SideChef). You can also use voice to direct-dial a phone for an audio call. Wirecutter takes security and privacy issues seriously and investigates as much as possible how the companies we recommend deal with customer data. However, we think Google Assistantenabled devices make better use of all that space with a thoughtfully organized layout. The Echo Show 5 (1st Gen) is also a great option for bedsides if you can find it, but its often out of stock. If you need a display for watching shows or cooking, we highly recommend opting instead for the 10-inch Echo Show or the Nest Hub Max. ", This reportscontradicts what Google states in its "commitment to privacy in the home. However, when that information is compiled others could access it. The Echo Show 15 also costs $250, and while it has some new features, none of them merit the higher price tag compared with the Show 8. Hackers and identity thieves are also likely to be able to access the data compiled by Google and Amazons snooping, the report warns. The main attraction of the Echo Show 8 (2nd Gen) over the previous generation is its 13-megapixel cameraa huge jump from 1 megapixelwhich also has the ability to zoom in and pan around to follow whoever is speaking on camera. Just keep in mind that if youre having friends over for dinner, for example, theyll be treated to a view of your calendar and other information whenever you step in front of the display. x, Help Stop Commissioner Lara From Violating Our Privacy and Allowing Car Insurance Telematics. We reached out to Verizon in February 2022 and the company has no further updates. As part of our vetting process for these smart displays, we examined the security and data-privacy practices behind our picks. Video calls we placed between the Nest Hub Max and a Lenovo Smart Display were of high quality, second only to calls on Facebook Portal devices.

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