COVER STORY
BEST SMART
DISPLAY
OF 2019
GOOGLE NEST HUB:
Elegant looking, the Nest Hub has a
slightly tilted 7-inch display with thick
displays on all the four sides and a speaker
at the rear. The touch response is rather
impressive. One can easily confuse it
for a 7-inch tablet. Powered by Google
Assistant, it shows a lot of information
on the screen, including controls for
compatible devices such as smart lighting
and appliances. The paired devices list
appears on the Nest Hub when swiped
down from the top for one-touch access. But what I loved the
most about the Nest Hub is how it helped me relive all my
memories with its digital photo frame feature. While setting up
the Nest Hub, I allowed it to access my pictures from Google
Photos (selected faces and highlights) to display images I
wanted to view on the small display. Every minute, it showed a
new, different picture, transporting me back to my memories.
The Ambient EQ sensor at the top of screen auto-adjusts
brightness and colours to match the room’s ambient light and
temperature. All this works like a charm.
ECHO SHOW 5:
Competing against the Google Nest Hub,
Amazon’s Echo Show 5 is of perfect size, and
can easily fit on a nightstand, TV unit, study
tablet, kitchen counter or anywhere you can
think of. Addition of the physical mic mute
button and camera shutter address privacy
concerns, helping Echo Show find a place
in bedrooms too. Using the touch display,
I was able to set up this entry-level smart
display from Amazon in just a few minutes.
All it required was wireless connectivity and
Amazon account login details. Swiping down
from the top reveals brightness control toggle
along with settings and do not disturb. Making
the experience more intuitive, swiping towards
left from the right edge opens dashboard,
giving access to communications, smart home
controls, music, video, routines and alarms.
The display also adjusts the brightness
automatically, which comes in handy at night,
especially in dark.
memories with its digital photo frame feature. While setting up
the Nest Hub, I allowed it to access my pictures from Google
W I N N E R
RUNNER UP
