Josh Hendrickson
From Nest Hub Max to the Lenovo Smart Clock, there’s no shortage of Google Assistant Smart Displays. But a smart display is only as good as the content it shows you. That’s why Google is overhauling its smart display UI today to bring you content you need more quickly and add a few features to help your day.
It seems like everything from Operating Systems to browsers to messenger apps has a dark mode now, and Google Assistant smart displays are joining the club. You can still use light mode, of course. Or you can have it switch between the two based on ambient lighting. But it’s not just dark new colors you’re going to enjoy.
Google is rolling out a new morning, afternoon, and evening pages to get you through the day. It’s reminiscent of Google Assistant’s classic cards. Tap on one, and you’ll get reminders for upcoming meetings, up-to-date news, and upcoming weather. As the day goes, the pages will evolve to match it.
You’ll also have access to a new “Media” page for quick access to YouTube TV, Spotify, Netflix, and Disney+, and a new “Home control” so you can get to your smart home devices.
It’s not just changes to the way things look, though; Google has new features in mind. You can add multiple accounts in one place now, which will let you see calendar appointments from both your personal and work schedules. The new “Communicate” page will help you start meetings from Google Meet and later this year Zoom as well.
And if you’re using a Google Nest Hub Max, it will soon keep you in the frame when you move around during a video call on Google Meet. The “Evening” page will suggest “relaxing noises” streams to play so you can drift to sleep to the sound of rain.
And when you’re ready to wake up, the new Sunrise Clock will help. It will gradually increase the screen’s brightness, starting 30 minutes before your alarm will go off. And, just like timers, you can say “stop” without the “Hey Google” to stop an alarm.
Source: Google
