Google Nest 4th Gen Learning Thermostat and Google TV Streamer: Specs, Features, Price, Release Date
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Finally, the Nest Learning Thermostat has a new System Health Monitor to flag potential maintenance needs by tracking the behavior of your HVAC system, like if your air conditioner suddenly isn’t cooling a room as efficiently as it used to. Plus, a new Smart Ventilation feature checks the quality of outdoor air before it’s introduced into your home—especially helpful if the air quality in your area is poor.
The new Nest Learning Thermostat (along with the accompanying sensor) is available for pre-order now and costs $280. It will ship on August 20.
The Future of Google Assistant
Google has been integrating its Gemini chatbot and large language models into its products and services over the past year, but what does that mean for Google Assistant? The Alexa and Siri competitor has become a mainstay for year But not mentioned once at Google’s developer conference in May. You would think this would mark the end of Google Assistant and that it would eventually end in Google Graveyardright? Think again.
Gemini’s large language models will power Google Assistant, allowing it to “redefine the next era of the smart home,” Kattukaran says. The most immediate change? Google Assistant’s voice will be much more natural and human-like, with improved speed and cadence. It will offer a more conversational experience and be able to maintain the context of your conversation when you combine multiple commands and queries.
This Gemini-powered experience will also improve existing features. For example, motion alerts from your security camera will be much more detailed, letting you know exactly what’s going on without opening the camera feed. You can even ask Assistant to provide information from your camera feed, like whether a FedEx delivery person is around. Google wants people to ask Assistant to set up home automation without getting bogged down in in-app menus.
None of this helps Gemini’s branding problem—there are many variants with different capabilities, like the Gemini Nano, Gemini Ultra, Gemini Flash, and more recently the Gemini Live. Google Assistant, on the other hand, is a neat AI umbrella that handles everything. But now that Assistant is getting support from Gemini, the company isn’t ready to replace it anytime soon, meaning we’ll have to live with two assistants for a while longer.
The new Google Assistant experience is available now to select Nest Aware subscribers as part of a public preview and is expected to roll out in 2025.
