Google-powered devices like the
Home Hub. It’s a lot more stripped
back – while key screens like
calendar, weather and alarms offer
rich visual feedback, elsewhere
you’re presented with just a pulsing
Google Assistant logo.
For instance, ask the Google
Home Hub for info about US
Presidents, and it’ll present visual
information alongside a spoken
description. On the Lenovo Smart
Clock, you just get the Google
Assistant logo.
That may be a deal breaker for
those also eyeing up the Google
Home Hub, which isn’t much
bigger or more expensive.For private parts
By putting privacy first and cutting
down on distractions, the Lenovo
Smart Clock will be the go-to
choice for many in the bedroom.
It handles connected home
commands with ease, is reliably
alert to voice requests, and works
well as a bedside speaker too.
The addition of a USB charging
port for your phone is thoughtful
too, cutting down on the plug
socket wars you’ll encounter
come bedtime.
The Lenovo Smart Clock
however does consciously cull
some standard features in an
effort to be less distracting come
bedtime, from rich-media visual
cards to that absent camera, which
ideally would be present but with
an optional physical shutter for
maximum flexibility.
But as far as working to a feature
set focussed directly into the most
intimate room of your home, it ticks
(and tocks) almost all the boxes and
is well worth your money. QGets your bedroom connected
in an unassuming, useful form
factor, and puts privacy first.that’s not really a problem given
the device’s purpose. Sure, you’ll
need another speaker if you want
to have a real party in your
bedroom (ahem), but if it’s just for
listening to news reports, podcasts
or the odd tune here or there, it’s
fine. It’s a clear speaker, and the
Google Assistant always rings out
when it responds to your requests.
If you’re at all familiar with
Google Assistant, you’ll know what
to expect here. After setting up the
Smart Clock through the Google
Home mobile app (which ties all
your accounts and settings to the
device) you’ll be able to command
it to do all manner of things.
You can also use the four-inch
touchscreen to carry out some of
these tasks, but you’ll do most of
the heavy lifting with your voice
- the Smart Clock has a few panels
you can play with, and a pull down
menu that lets you adjust a few
settings, but the vast majority of
features are accessed by voice. Note
that the majority of this
functionality is Google Assistant-
based, and not unique to the
Lenovo Smart Clock.
However, it is one of the first
devices using Google’s smart
helper to take advantage of a few
new features coming to the
platform. For instance, you can
not only tap the Lenovo Smart
Clock to stop your morning alarm,
but you can simply say “stop” too- no ‘OK Google’ wake word
needed. Finally!
Elsewhere there are routines that
can be programmed through the
Google Home app. Say “Hey
Google, good night”, for instance,
and you can have the Smart Clock
dim your lights, turn down the
volume and trigger a meditation
app’s sleep helper.
There’s also a unique ‘Sunrise
Alarm’ feature. This slowly raises the
brightness of the screen over the
course of the 30 minutes leading to
your sonic alarm going off.Small faces
The Lenovo Smart Clock works like
a treat. Its microphones easily pick
up our voice requests, and Google
Assistant is smart enough to
successfully answer the majority of
our queries satisfyingly.
Like all the best alarm clocks, the
Lenovo Smart Clock is reliable –
even when it’s feature set is
exponentially more complicated
than your old clock.
With a smaller screen than any
Google Assistant smart display
that’s gone before it, the Lenovo
Smart Clock uses a tweaked
interface compared to previous“Lenovo wants you to feel comfortable bringing
this into the more intimate rooms of your home”
Upgrade
Lenovo Smart Clock
August 2019 | |^83
KEYFEATURES
Lenovo Smart Clock
Supplier http://www.lenovo.com
Display size four-inch
Resolution 480x800
Screen type IPS
RAM 1GB
Storage 8GB
Connectivity Wi-Fi AC, Bluetooth
Weight 328g