As Google expands its smart home capabilities through its Nest family of hardware, it also implemented a new feature in Google Assistant, Ambient Mode, that duplicates the functionalities of a Nest Hub. First announced in IFA last September, Ambient Mode turns your Android device into a miniature smart hub, allowing it to act as a virtual assistant of sorts. The onscreen display tells you of any notifications, calendar events, weather, and smart home controls. You can even turn it into a digital picture frame if you so desire, streaming photos from your Google Photos account. And because it's still Google Assistant, you can use voice commands to send text messages, add new schedules to your calendars, change your music, and so on. Ambient mode is automatically activated when you plug in your phone to charge.

Limited Devices As Of The Moment

However, not all devices can access Ambient Mode as of the moment. While Google announced that Ambient mode is going to be available in all Android devices running Oreo (8.0) and upwards in the future, right now, it's only available in a select number of devices. Two tablets from Lenovo, the Yoga Smart Tab, and the Smart Tab M8, have Ambient mode already enabled. From Nokia, the 6.2 and 7.2 also officially support Ambient Mode. There have been some users in various websites who have reported seeing the option available in their other Nokia devices, and even some Xiaomi phones.

Doubling Down On Interconnectivity

Google seems to be doubling down on interconnectivity between their devices, alongside further integration with its software offerings. Apple has successfully done this in recent years, with strong cross-platform and cross-OS incorporation allowing users on the Apple ecosystem to easily access their files and data between their iPhones, iPads, MacBooks, Apple Watches, and Apple TV. Google seems to be following suit, as they have recently increased connectivity between their Nest devices (recently combined with Google's previous Home offerings) and other platforms such as Android. With their recent acquisition of Fitbit, we may soon come to see the smartwatch be part of the Google Ecosystem as well. Google has also continued development on its browser-focused Chrome OS, together with its continued offering of premium devices such as Chromebooks and Pixels.

Google's Eyes Are Everywhere

Yet the similarities with Apple stops there. While Apple is mostly a hardware company with a few software and entertainment offerings (such as Apple Music and Apple TV), the company itself doesn't have much data on its users (except for payment info and preferences). Google, on the other hand, is well known for tracking its users all over the internet. The search engine giant keeps tracks of most search queries done on an Android phone or Browser with an account logged in, the places where the Android phone has been, and even recent purchases done on other websites. This has led some users to show concern on just how much Google knows about you, and how much control you have over the data they have stored. The recent acquisition of Fitbit has only furthered reservations from these users. And Google hasn't exactly been the best at keeping users' info safe from hackers.

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