beyond the alphabet
Beyond the Alphabet is a weekly column focused on the world of technology in and around Mountain View.
On August 2, 2021, Google’s efforts in the consumer market changed forever. Apparently Google was tired of seeing its phones leaked over and over again, and that’s when the Pixel 6 was officially confirmed. A little over two months later, the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro were announced, followed by the next release a week and a half later.
Fast forward to today, and Google’s latest Pixel lineup consists of four slab phones, a foldable phone, a tablet, and a watch. All of this combines to give us the consistent experience we were craving. More recently, Google TV Streamer has emerged as the successor to the long-running Chromecast series.
The current Nest Hub will turn 4 years old in March 2025, while the Nest Hub Max will celebrate its 6th birthday in May 2025, so Google doesn’t think it’s completely dead yet. I still think the Pixel Tablet is better. has been quietly running as a replacement for Google’s Nest Hub Max, but I’m still hoping for improvements to the Gemini-powered Nest.
So why is Google TV Streamer more than just a Chromecast replacement? Because it’s proof, at least to me, that Google is committed to delivering a premium experience across its product lineup. This is no different than what Apple has been doing for years, just at a slightly slower pace.
TV streamers not only give you a new way to watch your favorite movies and shows, but they also serve as a central hub for everything in your home. This is thanks to support for the Matter smart home standard, as well as the built-in Thread border router. Speaking of which, this means you can connect the Streamer to Apple HomeKit, but we don’t recommend this.
But that’s not all, as TV Streamer also introduces a new smart home panel. Essentially, this is the same interface you see when you open the Home app on your phone, lending further credence to the previously consistent ecosystem-wide idea. Of course, this isn’t a revolutionary idea or anything, but it’s a new (and welcome) addition to the Google Handbook.
No, TV Streamer isn’t as powerful as the latest Apple TV. Yes, it probably uses a processor as old as the Nest Hub Max. But unless Google fully embraces Amazon’s path and introduces advertising everywhere, it’ll be fine for the next few years. In Google’s favor, the TV Streamer offers twice the RAM and storage compared to the Fire TV Stick 4K Max.
We’re now more confident than ever in recommending the Google ecosystem to people who aren’t sure where to start. Amazon is probably a close second, not because of Fire TV or Fire tablets, but because of the number of smart home companies it operates under.
But since TV Streamer offers support for Matter and Thread, you should be able to tie these products to Google Home anyway. Even better, you don’t have to wait for smart accessory manufacturers to implement support for Matter or Thread; you can just use Home Assistant on your Raspberry Pi. That’s a story for another day.
The whole idea of providing a premium experience goes beyond a TV Streamer or a Nest Thermostat. I think that’s one of the reasons why the name Chromebook Plus was born. This alone can be the difference between a cheaper Chromebook and one that performs better thanks to Google’s minimum spec requirements.
Leading the way in this regard is a familiar face, with the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Plus set to offer a high-end, premium experience in this space soon. Google and Samsung worked closely together during the development process. This is something we’ve heard before (HP), but Samsung and Google’s relationship is a little different than other relationships.
What I really hope is that the Galaxy Chromebook Plus will usher in the new Pixelbooks. Sorry, but this is the drum I’ll keep beating until it finally happens. In the meantime, I’m just going to sit back and finish watching the rest of this football game on my TV streamer.
in the heart of your home
The new Google TV Streamer has everything you want from a premium TV streaming device. It may not be the most powerful device on the block, but it’s definitely one of the more feature-rich solutions.
