google Assistant

Bang & Olufsen has been working on a minimalist, WiFi, modular speaker that has adaptable acoustics and a minimalist, Scandinavian-inspired design.

It has a powerful five-driver set up that delivers immersive, full-range sound that adapts based on the speaker’s orientation. Laid down, standing up or hanging on the wall, speaker automatically expands the width of the sound to reach everyone, everywhere in the room.

The frame is crafted from premium aluminium in Denmark and thanks to its modular design allows for replacement batteries, changeable fabric and wood covers, and more. The soft-touch buttons are seamlessly integrated into the frame and there is an integrated proximity sensor allowing for the buttons to appear when needed and ensuring that they are the right brightness at all times.

A smoothly integrated handle ensures easy pick up while IP54 dust and splash resistance means you can place it anywhere with confidence. With up to 16 hours of battery life, this elegant speaker is designed to enhance whichever room it’s moved to.

At the back of the device, there is a seamless circular plug that magnetically clicks into a depression at the rear similar to MagSafe on the new iPhones.

The Beosound Level with Google Assistant/ AirPlay and ChromeCast allows you to play your favorite music, control volume and find information about the song that you are listening to, hands-free. If you want discretion, simply slide the button on the top surface of Beosound Level to turn off Voice control completely.

It is available in two colours – Gold tone with light oak or Natural with dark grey and costs £1,099 for the natural and £1,299 for Gold.

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At Google’s Launch Night In, the team revealed a number of new products including the new Pixel 5 smartphone and Google TV. However, one of the more intriguing products of the night was and is the Nest Audio speaker.

Building on Google Home, and Nest Mini (aka Google Home mini), the new Nest Audio 75 percent louder and has 50 percent stronger bass than the original Google Home. It is larger than the original, but has a slim profile so it won’t be obtrusive wherever it is placed.

Fitted with a 19mm tweeter for consistent high frequency coverage and clear vocals and a 75mm mid-woofer that really brings the bass, this smart speaker is a music lover’s dream, as evidenced by Mark Ronson in the launch event enjoying Amy Winehouse’s Valerie.

One thing that was an issue with previous Google speakers is that the assistant would come in at the same volume that you were last listening to music, which can be quite upsetting when asking what the weather is going to be like early in the morning. Google has come up with a solution to that – Media EQ, enabling Nest Audio to automatically tune itself to whatever you’re listening to: music, podcasts, audiobooks or even a response from Google Assistant. And Ambient IQ adjusts the volume of Assistant, news, podcasts and audiobooks based on the background noise in your home, so you can hear the weather forecast over a noisy dishwasher.

If you own multiple Google speakers around the house, the music can be moved into each room that is being occupied or if you like sound emanating through the entire house, you can group the products to create a house filling sound system.

Nest Audio comes in five colors: Chalk, Charcoal, Sand, Sky and the all-new Sage coming in at £89.99, however, only chalk and Charcoal can be pre-ordered now.

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