Google Home Hub, Lenovo Smart Displays get better alarm functionality

By Patrick Hearn November 26, 2018

Greg Mombert/Digital Trends

When is the last time you woke up and decided to sleep for another half an hour? Most of us find that an extra bit of sleep can make or break the day, but the effect of that sleep is largely lost when you have to smack your lips and groan out a command to Google to wake you up in 15 minutes.

The Google Home Hub and the Lenovo Smart Displays have fixed this problem in a recent update. You can now set alarms by touching, rather than speaking to the devices. Aside from the personal convenience of setting alarms the old-fashioned way, this update makes the devices more viable for people with partners. No one wants the angry looks they get when they wake up their girlfriend or boyfriend by talking to Google.

Of course, the update comes with other features. The Google Home Hub has a brand-new look for its menu. If you swipe up from the bottom of the screen, you’ll find the ability to adjust the brightness, volume, and three more icons that let you add an alarm, mute the Hub, or expand the menu into more detailed settings.

One of the Lenovo Smart Display’s most popular features has also been shown a bit of TLC. Users can now save recipes into a virtual cookbook for later review and use. Lenovo released an official list of features:

Touch alarms have been added to Quick Settings
Users can remove, favorite, and share photos
“My Cookbook” functionality
Thanksgiving Recipe Recommendations card
Nest Hello doorbell two-way talk via touch
The screen times out faster to Dark Mode in low light
The Smart Display will respond to commands to “turn off the screen”
Larger dark mode clock face
The previous feature will be shown when swiping off current feature

These changes are set to roll out soon, although the updates to the Google Home Hub are only available for users enrolled in the Preview Program. If you’re interested in getting access to the latest changes to Google devices, you can sign up for the Preview Program through the Google Home app on your phone.

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