The best option is to work out the types
of video and audio content you think you’re
going to want access to, and then pick a
smart screen accordingly. Spotify, you’ll
be pleased to hear, works across just about
every smart screen on the market, so you
don’t need to worry on that score.
What’s more, with a smart screen, your
content – from podcasts to TV shows – can
be controlled with a press on the display.
Instead of shouting at your smart speaker to
skip tracks or to pause playback, you can
simply tap on the screen instead (and if
you’re listening to a mix of new music, you
don’t have to be constantly asking Google
Assistant or Alexa what the current song is).
This sort of convenience extends to
controlling smart home devices too. An Echo
speaker can turn your bedroom lights onAlmost every smart
screen can make
video calls to the
same kind of device
PROTECTING YOUR PRIVACY AT HOME
Should you be allowing even more cameras and microphones into your home?
The spotlight is on Google and Amazon (and
the rest of the big tech giants) in terms of
user privacy right now, and you’d be forgiven
for being a little wary about allowing yet
more microphones and cameras into your
home. Indeed, it puts some people off these
devices completely – which we understand.
The latest smart screens on the market,
including the Google Nest Hub Max and the
Amazon Echo Show 8, come with physical
buttons and shutters for disabling the
integrated cameras and microphones when
you don’t want to be disturbed, listened to, or
watched. The Google Nest Hub doesn’t have
a camera on it at all, so there’s no way youcan be watched (and there’s no way you can
make video calls either).
Besides disabling different sensors and
features on your smart screen, you should
also familiarise yourself with companies’ user
privacy and data collection policies – primarily
Amazon and Google, but also the companies
who make kit that connects to your smart
screen, or apps that run on top of it.
These policies are often couched in
ambiguous and vague language, but you
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Look not just at what data is being collected
by the companies you’re dealing with, but
also how that data is being used.Both Google and Amazon keep records
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they can improve the accuracy and relevance
of their services, they say – but if you’re not
happy with this, you can delete the logs inside
the accompanying mobile apps or on the web.
In your Amazon account on the web, look for
the Review Voice History option under the
Alexa Privacy tab on the Manage Your
Content and Devices page; in your Google
account on the web, follow the Data &
personalisation, then Activity controls.
In both cases you can review the data
that’s been logged, and wipe some or all of
LWbIURPWKHUHFRUGand Amazon-powered speakers play Prime
Video, of course... but beyond that it’s not
quite as clear cut as you might think.
Smart screens with Google Assistant on
board also act as Chromecast devices, which
means you can cast audio and video from
apps on your phone (not Netflix, though –
these smart screens don’t meet Netflix’s
stringent standards for what counts as a
display suitable for streaming video).
Just about every app on your phone will
offer a cast feature, so you can get the likes
of Plex, iPlayer, the ITV Hub, YouTube and so
on up on a Google-powered screen. In terms
of supported streaming video, there’s a
bigger range of options than there is on the
Echo Show, where you’re really limited to
Amazon Prime Video, plus iPlayer and
YouTube through the on-board web browser.
and off via a voice command, but an Echo
Show lets you use your voice or tap on the
screen, and see at a glance what smart home
gear you’ve got set up (and the status of each
device). It’s a more comprehensive option.
Smart home tricks extend to viewing live
footage from a security camera or video
doorbell, which most smart screens can do- provided you’re using compatible cameras,
naturally (this is another reason why you
need to weigh up the gadgets you’ve already
invested in before you pick a smart screen).
Something else that almost every smart
screen can do is video calls. If you want to be
able to see your family and friends as well as
hear them, it might be worth the price
premium needed to upgrade from a smart
speaker to one with a display attached.
Typically though, you can only call smart
screens and speakers of the same make – so
find out what your closest friends and family
members are already using.
Finally, recipes, which smart screens
featuring both Amazon Alexa and Google
Assistant are good at. If you’re going to be
setting up your gadget in the kitchen, then
it’s a lot easier to follow instructions on a
display than it is to try and remember
everything that a smart speaker is telling
you while you’re up to your elbows in flour.The Google Nest
Hub works as
a Chromecast
display too70 T3 DECEMBER 2019
The complete guide to...
Smart screens