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    Thursday, October 1, 2020

    Google Unveils Chromecast with Google TV, $99 Nest Audio Smart Speaker

    Google unveild a new smart speaker, the Nest Audio and Chromecast products with Google TV. An update to the original Google Home, the Nest Audio speaker comes with a list of acoustic updates for a better music listening experience, plus a slimmer profile.

    The new Chromecast has nearly all the same capabilities of the Chromecast Ultra, supporting 4K HDR at up to 60 frames per second and Dolby Vision. It’s still an HDMI dongle that you plug into the back of your TV instead of being a small box you set under it. It also still supports all the same cast functionality.

    Chromecast with Google TV

    Seven years after, Google has finally giving the Chromecast its most-requested feature: a remote control. Today, the company is announcing the launch of a new Chromecast that also runs new software. And its official name is the somewhat awkward “Chromecast with Google TV.” The company is resurrecting the Google TV as an interface layer that runs on top of the actual OS powering the new Chromecast, Android TV.

    The Chromecast media-streaming stick is a bit different to its popular predecessors. It still works as a Chromecast receiver, meaning you can cast photos, audio and video from your phone, but it also has a new smart TV experience called Google TV.

    The new £59.99 Chromecast with Google TV is a slightly fatter HDMI dongle that’s made of 49% recycled plastic and plugs into your TV, but now comes with a remote and a full smart TV interface that is a modernised version of that seen on various Android TVs, including Sony’s TVs and Nvidia’s Shield streaming box.

    The dongle supports the latest TV formats, including 4K HDR and Dolby Vision. The remote has a Google Assistant button and mic for voice control, while a new unified search will find TV shows and movies across your various subscriptions, apps or rental stores. It will not have Google’s Stadia game-streaming service on launch, but supports Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ and most of the UK’s catchup services on launch, except All4, and will ship in mid-October. It will cost $49.99 in the US.

    Google Nest Audio

    Four years after the introduction of the Google Home smart speaker, Google showcased its successor to the company’s mid-range smart speaker. In keeping with the broader rebranding of the company’s smart home products, the device is now called Nest Audio.

    The Nest Audio is Google’s replacement for its original Home smart speaker from 2017. The new Google Assistant speaker looks more like a smaller version of Google’s big Home Max, with a full fabric-covered body, hidden LEDs on the front and a touch-sensitive top for volume and playback control.

    The new wifi speaker is 75% louder with 50% more powerful bass than its predecessor with a 19mm tweeter and 75mm woofer. It has an automatic equaliser and a smart Ambient IQ feature that adjusts the volume of the voice, news, podcasts and audiobooks based on background noise. Two Nest Audio speakers can be used as a stereo pair and it has Google’s local AI chip for faster and more private voice recognition.

    The Nest Audio costs £89.99 in the UK or $99.99 in the US, is made of 70% recycled plastic, comes in white or charcoal and ships on 15 October.

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    Item Reviewed: Google Unveils Chromecast with Google TV, $99 Nest Audio Smart Speaker Rating: 5 Reviewed By: BrandIconImage
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