Google launches smart speaker in NZ
Google is launching its first smart speaker for your home in New Zealand with its $89 Nest Mini which comes with a hardware switch to turn off the microphone.
The smart speaker, powered by Google Assistant, can play music, make phone calls, tell you the news or read out a recipe.
The Nest Mini responds to voice commands and can be trained to give up to six people in a household a customised experience through voice matching.
Google Nest product manager Chris Chan said the speaker was designed without buttons to blend with other furniture in a home.
Last year, it was revealed Google employees could listen to recorded audio picked up by the smart speakers to train their artificial intelligence.
The Nest Mini has three inbuilt microphones, which can be switched off with a verbal cue as well as a manual switch that short circuits the microphones preventing the possibility of it being turned on through an external hack, Chan said.
‘‘It has no buttons but there is a switch. It was that important,’’ Chan said.
Google New Zealand country director Caroline Rainsford said users could also access, review and delete their queries.
‘‘Google chrome and wi-fi have been in New Zealand for quite some time,’’ Rainsford said.
‘‘With the Nest Mini you have your three primary bases covered. Hopefully this will be the beginning of us being able to launch more products here.’’
Rainsford did not give a time frame for when other products like the Google Home would become available in New Zealand.
Volume can be controlled by touching the sides of the hockey puck shaped speaker, which was created using recycled plastic bottles.
The external enclosure is also made from 70 per cent postconsumer recycled plastic.
Four LED lights light up as your hand gets close to the device, indicating where you can tap to adjust the volume.
The speaker which runs on wi-fi, needs to be plugged in to operate and can connect to more than 30,000 devices, including TVs, remote controls, lights, appliances, plugs and thermostats, Chan said.
‘‘Traditional technology often presents itself as cold, square, rigid and in this case we wanted to get as far away as possible so it could be an inviting fit into your home,’’ he said.
Google Nest Mini will be available in two colours, chalk and charcoal, at Spark, Noel Leeming, JB HI-FI, Harvey Norman and at The Warehouse from June 25.