The Nest Hub is a smart display: that is, a smart speaker with a screen, in this case of 7 inches. Produced by Google, it has an affordable price (99.99 euros), a discreet appearance, a reasonable sound. The second version, on sale from 5 May also in Italy, in addition to being compatible with many more apps, is made in part with recycled plastic and integrates even more easily with the various connected devices, becoming the ideal command center for home automation. But it is what happens at night that makes the difference.
The Nest Hub can be seen as a very advanced digital photo frame or as a steroid alarm clock, but in any case its ideal place is on the nightstand, next to the bed. From this position, he will be able to monitor the sleep of those closest to him using the Motion Sense feature, based on a low-energy radar technology called Soli. Keeps movements and breathing under control, without the need for a video camera or wearable device. Thanks to the built-in sensors and microphones, the Nest Hub can also detect disturbances such as coughs and snoring, or changes in light and temperature in the room, to understand what affects sleep. Every morning, when you wake up, you can consult a personalized sleep summary on the display, to be used, if desired, in the Google Fit app together with other information relating to health and well-being.
Sleep tracking can help you sleep better and improve your quality of life in general, so Google in addition to the data will provide some guidance provided by organizations such as the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. These tips are compiled after an analysis of several nights of sleep and highlight some significant aspects of sleep, explain why they are important, and provide advice for improvement.
To protect privacy, you can choose whether or not to enable all or some of the monitoring functions, and an indicator on the display informs you when they are active. There is also a switch to physically disable the microphone. “Motion Sense only detects motion, not bodies or faces; the audio data is processed on the device, it is not sent to Google’s servers ”, the presentation reads. At any time it is possible to review or delete sleep data, which – underlines Google – is not used to send personalized ads.
Sleep tracking on the new Nest Hub is free until next year, then those who want to use it will have to pay a monthly subscription. Meanwhile, Google’s smart display can still help you fall asleep and wake up more comfortably: the light of the display, in fact, dims to promote rest, while from the “Your evening” page you can play relaxing sounds to help you sleep. . When it’s time to get up, there is Nest Hub’s Gradual Light Wake up which increases the display lighting and ringer volume a little at a time. With Motion Sense, then, the gesture of a hand is enough to postpone the alarm.