One of the best parts of a tablet is its versatility. In addition to supporting mobile apps, these devices can be used for video streaming, making calls, and more — all with a display that is conveniently larger than your phone. However, not every tablet has the same range of functionality. ThePixel Tabletis one of the newer models on the market, but it notably lacks some of the features found on existing tablets. Now, a Google app update indicates the company might bring a helpful Nest Hub Max feature to the Pixel Tablet.
Upon entering Hub Mode on a charging dock or connecting to a USB-C power cord, the Pixel Tablet might eventually support “Look and Talk,” as discovered in an APK teardown done by9to5Google. On a similar note, Google may be working on bringing Quick Gestures support to the device with an update as well. The Nest Hub Max already supports both features, which has led some to question why the Pixel Tablet — despite being newer — didn’t come with either of them. Now, Google app version 14.43 reveals work that may resolve this dilemma.
With “Look and Talk,” you don’t need to prompt Google Assistant to activate it. Instead, you can look at the device from up to 5 feet away and start vocalizing tasks. If you don’t want the device to activate in this way, you can simply toggle off the function to prevent it while docked. Quick Gestures provides similar help by allowing you to gesture to your device when you want to control it. For example, you can wave your hand in front of the tablet’s camera to change the media playing on the tablet.
While these all might seem like nice-to-have features, it’s hard to ignore the lackluster debut of the Pixel Tablet in general. The device may have not been as highly anticipated as the Pixel 8 phone, for example, but there’s some speculation that Google could’ve taken more time to flesh it out. A teardown of the device revealed thatthere is a noticeable amount of empty space— space that could’ve been used for a larger battery or a more efficient cooling system. The fact that its dock is also an add-on cost on top of the $500 launch price point is enough to turn away some consumers.
Google doesn’t appear to be abandoning its venture back into the tablet market, but it might have to consider rolling out some of these features sooner rather than later.
Google Pixel Tablet
The Google Pixel Tablet might not be the perfect replacement for a Nest Hub Max, but it’s getting there. Useful smart home features like the ability to control IoT devices when docked take it most of the way, and rumored additions like the ability to trigger the Assistant by looking at the device could quickly close the gap.
