Nest Mini (2nd Generation) with Google Assistant - Chalk

I've been a heavy user of Amazon Alexa products for the past several years, but I'm also deep into the Google and Nest ecosystem. So I ordered this new Google Nest Mini with an open mind, hoping it would be a decent companion for my Nest thermostats and Wemo smart plugs. Surprisingly, the switch to Google Assistant was quite seamless and I'm very impressed with the sound quality and versatility of this little hockey puck-sized device. PROS: - Incredibly simple setup, even for iPhone users. Just download the Google Home app, sign in with your Google account, and the app will walk you through the rest. - Small size, but substantial weight and build quality. Compared to my first generation Echo Dot, the Nest Mini appears to have much better craftsmanship and is made of very nice materials. The mesh fabric nicely blends in to home decor and doesn't look like a traditional speaker. There's even a built-in screw cutout on the back of the device for wall mounting. - The Nest Mini uses a proprietary power connector rather than microUSB or USB-C, but luckily the plug is compact and rounded, so it won't take up much space on your surge protector or wall outlet. - The sound quality of the Nest Mini blows the original Echo Dot out of the water. Bass is noticeably stronger and surprisingly deep for such a small device. Audio can get quite loud with very minimal distortion at higher volumes. - Voice detection is also excellent. Even with music playing at high volumes, the Nest Mini responds instantly to my voice. Google has supposedly added a machine learning chip to the Nest Mini which learns your voice and makes the Assistant faster over time. The responsiveness is absolutely noticeable, and the Assistant's answers are surprisingly detailed and useful. - The Google Assistant is compatible with an incredible amount of smart home devices and partners, including Wemo, Harmony, and obviously Nest devices. If you have Nest thermostats, camera, and a security system like I do, you will appreciate the seamless integration. You can also connect to almost every music service like Spotify, SiriusXM, and Pandora to stream music directly from the Nest Mini. CONS: - Other than the nice improvement to audio quality, there are really no major improvements to the Nest Mini compared to the original Google Home Mini. If you have a Home Mini, I see no reason to upgrade right now. - There is no 3.5 mm audio jack for connecting/streaming music to external speakers. OVERALL: This is the best compact smart speaker that I've used and it offers an incredible amount of value for its affordable price. If you use other Google products or services with any frequency, this is probably the speaker for you. The Nest Mini is a great-sounding compact speaker that is also stylish, durable, and incredibly versatile. Highly recommended!

This is the first time that I have used a Google smart speaker extensively, (I spent a couple minutes with my aunt’s Google home, the original one) and after a few days of having this little guy, I must say I am impressed. The packaging was simple and straight to the point. Inside came the speaker, a round power cable and a quick start guide. I really like the look and feel of the device. The speaker is round, and the cover looks and feels like a cloth-like material and I would be surprised if it really wasn’t cloth. On the bottom of the speaker there is a small notch that allows you to mount the Nest mini onto a wall, this is a great addition to have as you’re now not limited to place it on your desk or counter. Also, there is a physical switch that allows you to turn off the microphone. I also appreciate that it has touch controls on the top underneath the cloth. It allows you to play/pause in the center while on either end a tap will allow you to set the volume to your preference, with the LED lights on top indicating the volume level . When it comes to audio, this little guy puts out much more sound than I thought it would, to be specific, I mean it got much louder than I thought it would. Also, the bass feedback is pretty good especially when your place it against an appropriate surface. Loudest is not the only thing though, the sound comes through clearly and there is very little distortion at high volumes. I threw various genres at it, and all sounded reasonably well. This speaker isn’t necessarily aimed purely at listening to music, so keep that in mind when you look at these. Setting this up with my phone (android) was straightforward and easy. Download the Home app and it picks it up and sets it up quickly. After that you’re ready to use Google Voice Assistant, which is better than ever. With a quick “Hey google” you can begin asking it a plethora of things as well asking it to play music from any of your music streaming apps (i.e. Pandora, Spotify, YouTube music). Another thing I must point out is that the Nest mini is very good at picking out my voice from surrounding noise, such as from a TV or from another speaker playing in the room. This must be a result of the mic combination within the Nest mini as well as Google’s software for voice recognition, well done Google. If you’re looking for a little companion for a small space that will be a great voice assistant, the Nest mini will be a great buy, whether for someone new to smart speakers or someone who already has a google ecosystem set up at home and wants to add a new speaker to another room.

Overview: Google's smaller version of the Google Home smart assistant which was originally released back in November of 2016. The Good: This is the second Google Home Mini (Sorry, I still call it that even though they rebranded it into "Nest") that I've purchased. These little smart speakers are tiny but pack a bunch as far as audio quality and volume are concerned. The term "Smart Speaker" rings true here - this thing can do a ton. From setting alarms and timers from you, to playing the daily news, it seems there's always a new feature to be discovered with this device. The microphone is surprisingly sensitive and will be able to hear your "Hey Google" ques even if you're a good distance away. I've played a ton of music on these devices, controlled Phillips Hue light systems, and used it to boost productivity through reminders and alarms. This thing is so well designed that I don't really see the need for the larger Google Nest products. The Bad: There have been some weird issues with inadvertent voice recording in the past. Google has subsequently removed that recording feature through patches. Still, the stigma of having a device unknowingly recording you is one that is hard to get rid of. The Other: This thing is loooooaded with cheesy puns and bad jokes. The Dad joke enthusiasts among us will love this thing. Just say, "Hey Google, tell me a joke" and prepare yourself! Recommended? Yes.

It can be paired with Bluetooth speakers(use one at a time). The wall mount is a clever idea. I use a push pin to mount it (they recommend a #8 screw). You can ask(voice) it to play specific music, change volume; with smart bulb, turn on/off/dim (even to certain percentage)/change color; with Tile, search for missing objects; ask/set event schedules, ask weather, time etc. I believe it can operate smart curtain and shower head, but I haven't install one. It looks pretty too. But I still don't have a good way for music source. The YouTube reqires premium membership, the Pandora doesn't work, the Google Music Play always say the piece I choosed not available. Now it uses some alternative, works fine now, but I don't know whether it's just temporary trial.

I found it a great birthday gift for a 10-year-old boy. My son spent his whole afternoon interacting with the Nest Mini, asking questions, doing riddles and playing music. I should have got this toy for him earlier.

I'll confess in that I was not expecting the Google Nest Mini to be any different from the Google Home Mini I had been using. Wow, was I ever wrong! First off the sound quality from the Nest Mini is a huge improvement over my older Home Mini. Lightyears better. It's not up to premium quality speaker brands such as Bose but for something this small to have such full, rich sound is amazing in my book. If you've used a Google Home (or Home Mini) then you know the basics here. It uses the Google Assistant to answer questions, control smart home items such as lights, and also play music, pod casts and audio books. One thing i like about the Nest Mini is the built in hole on the back in case you wanted to mount it on a wall. Another bonus is easier to use pause/playback and volume controls on the top. I posted three pictures with my old Google Mini side by side with the Nest Mini. They are the same size with the Nest feeling ever so slightly heavier. Another change is the ditching of charging via Micro-USB. Again, the biggest improvement for me in this is the outstanding sound quality.

I have owned an Amazon Echo (old and newest gen) for years. It by far has the most apps that it works without. However, that doesn't mean it works well. I use this to mostly control my Hue Lighting and answer random questions throughout the day. Sometimes for music. The Echo when turning on lights would often give me some type of error, not work, or not hear me at all. I'm from Colorado (where most would say I don't have an accent), well educated, and enunciate well. Not bragging here just mentioning problems that make voice activated stuff not work so well. So, in other words I'm the ideal person for this device but it would still not pick me up half the time. So, I bought a Google Home now called Nest Mini. The application itself is more modern looking than Alexa (Echo). If you have any google application they are very similar. Setup was a lot easier and user friendly than on the Alexa. It also works a lot better. I would say you can do more on Alexa but Google executes what it can do a lot better. Wall mounting is easier on the Nest Mini than Echo. Google boots up faster. The answers are more detailed and correct. The voice prompts (how she interacts with you) is more natural as well. She actually notifies you what she is doing to verify it heard you. When I turn on my lights it's almost instant. No lag time and rarely comes back with errors. Also, search function goes into google which is way better than Alexa. Rarely does it tell me it doesn't understand or can't answer a question. It also hears me a lot better even when blasting music. Like I can whisper and it can hear me. For Alexa I practically had to yell at her which was awkward for us both. The Nest also looks a lot sleeker. Audio quality is similar. All around I recommend the Nest Mini 9/10 times over Alexa. That 1 time is for the specific application that Google Home doesn't support. So, Me and Her we are done. I've got a new BFF.

I have had and been using amazons alexa "ZIGGY" for months before i purchased this google home. Let me just say, though quite sad... Ziggy has been unplugged since the second day of the introduction of google home.... a much smarter device