Google Nest

The Google Home team is answering the “top questions” it has received from users since Wednesday’s Gemini for Home launch. 

Google’s latest lineup of Nest Cam devices has arrived, but there are no new battery models in the 2K refresh. Why? Google has an understandable answer.

Every single Home speaker and Nest smart display that Google released in the last decade will support Gemini. However, Gemini Live requires newer devices and a subscription.

Google Home’s Gemini revamp is here and, for Nest Cam owners, it means getting better notifications, the ability to search through footage, and more. Here’s what to expect.

With the launch of Gemini on Home, Nest Aware is no more. It’s being rebranded to Google Home Premium with an Advanced tier that unlocks the full set of “AI camera” capabilities.

Google is delivering its first big Nest hardware refresh in over four years, with new 2K video upgrades for the Nest Doorbell and Nest Cam Indoor, as well as a new wired Outdoor Cam.

Gemini for Home does more than just replace Google Assistant on smart speakers and displays. Featuring a rebuilt Home architecture, it adds intelligence to cameras and makes possible a redesigned Home app for Android and iOS. 

Over the years, the Google Home ecosystem – Nest included – has changed a lot, largely to fit Google’s priorities of the time. But, more often than not, any one step forward has resulted in taking two steps back which, as a user, means there’s always some annoyance at play. As Google prepares to present Home and Nest news next week, what’s the one thing you would change about Google Home if you could?

Users appear to be getting familiar renewal discount offers for Nest Aware, bringing the yearly $100 cost to just $50.

Welcome to episode 70 of Pixelated, a podcast by NewGeekGuide. This week, Abner, Damien, and Will talk through their feeling surrounding the upcoming smart speaker Google appears to be readying for launch next month. From whether a Gemini-powered smart speaker fits with what people ask for in their homes to debating if a display is absolutely necessary to make the device worth it, all three hosts work through their feelings on the looming reboot of a once-booming market, and where Google might intend to take the lineup moving forward.

Subscribe

• YouTube Podcasts
• Pocket Casts
• Spotify
• Apple Podcasts
• Overcast

Google promised that Nest x Yale Lock controls would eventually be included in the Home app, even though no more units are being produced. It appears that’s finally happening, as the lock begins to appear in users’ Google Home controls.

Following yesterday’s Home Depot leak, Google’s upcoming camera lineup continues to appear in stores, and we now have more details about the Nest Doorbell 2K, like the exact resolution.

Ahead of the expected October 1 announcement, the rumored Nest Cam and Doorbell “2K” updates are already appearing in stores.

Following a leak last month, a new update to the Google Home app has surfaced with images and details about the company’s new lineup of Nest cameras.

In a brief post today, Google is officially teasing an October 1 debut for its new Nest Cam and Gemini updates for Google Home.

Over the past few weeks, Google has been rolling out various improvements to how the Home app works with Nest Cam products, and the company is now detailing everything new.

Google is apparently planning a shakeup for its smart home hardware efforts centered around – you guess it – Gemini, with a new “Google Home Premium” subscription reportedly taking the place of Nest Aware.

Google’s Nest hardware suite hasn’t seen a refresh in four years now, but the company is now gearing up for a new launch this year which includes better video quality, support for digital zoom, and some striking hardware updates.

Through recent updates, the Google Home app is now fixing the final deficiency of older Nest thermostats with the arrival of scheduling support.

Google is addressing a longtime sore point of its Nest cameras with recent updates to the Google Home app which, apparently, will reduce how often users run into “no video available” errors.

Google this week revealed that Nest Aware, the service required to make the most out of Nest Cam, is getting a major price hike, and it’s a tough one to accept as the hardware just keeps aging.