'What is a Google Home Hub?': Everything you need to know about the Google smart device that can help you navigate daily life
- The Google Home Hub is a visual, touchscreen-based interface that's designed to help you navigate daily life.
- The device can do things like guide you through a morning or evening routine, watch the news, follow recipes, and even make calls.
- A Google Home Hub retails for $129 and comes in four different colors.
- Here's what else you should know about the Google Home Hub, including the various things it can do and how it stacks up compared to other smart devices.
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The Google Home Hub, also known as the Nest Hub, is a part of the Nest line, which also consists of the Google Home, Home Mini, and Home Max smart devices.
Simply put, the Google Home Hub is a visual interface which is meant to help you accomplish everyday tasks. It looks like a tablet, and is focused on making your life easier, from organizing your schedule to making grocery lists.
Here's what else you should know about the smart device.
Check out the products mentioned in this article:
Google Home Hub (From $129.99 at Best Buy)
What is a Google Home Hub?
At a basic level, it's the next step in the Google Assistant, and it has the Assistant built in so you can use those voice commands while using the Hub.
The Google Home Hub also has Chromecast and Bluetooth 5 built in, and is compatible with Android, iOS, Mac, Windows, and Chromebooks.
The device itself has a seven-inch LCD touchscreen display and built-in, full-range speakers. It retails for $129 and comes in four colors: Chalk, charcoal, aqua and sand.
What can the Google Home Hub do?
The Google Home Hub can do things like:
- Allow you to view your daily schedule, commute, and reminders
- Control compatible lights, cameras, and TV's
- Access "visual, immersive" answers to your questions about things like recipes, local weather and businesses, and more
- Play music
- See your photos in Google Photos
- Watch the news
- Make calls (in the U.S., these only work domestically)
- Create shopping lists
- Secure your house and control your thermostat (if your systems are compatible)
- Control other compatible smart devices, like Google Home
How the Google Home Hub compares to other similar products
Compared to Google's other Home products, the Hub is the most robust, offering both the voice commands of Google Assistant (a common thread for the Nest line) as well as a touchscreen interface, thereby increasing its possibilities for use to things like videos and text-based tools.
But it can take up more counter or surface space than the smaller products, like the Home Mini.
When you look outside of the Google Home line at comparable visual smart home products, there are more factors to consider.
Amazon's Echo Show, for example, maintains the voice-assistant trend, offering Alexa as its assistant. The display is smaller at 5.5 inches, and still lets you do things like check out your calendar, control your compatible smart home devices, watch videos, and call or message friends and family.
You can also turn off the camera - which the Home Hub does not have - and mic with the touch of a button for privacy. It retails for about $65 on Amazon.
Whether the Nest Hub is right for you will depend on your values and budget. But for those who are a fan of Google's products, it may be a good option.
Related coverage from How To Do Everything: Tech:
How to set up any Google Home, Google's versatile smart speaker, in just a few minutes
How to use and customize Google Assistant on your phone or Google Home
'How to reset any Google Home device to its factory settings, if it's malfunctioning or you're planning to sell it
How to setup and use Google Home with your iPhone or Android device