With Gemini, Google's smart home dreams are finally getting back on track

Google's smart home efforts were in a sorry state as late as May. Google touted Gemini AI assistant throughout the entire keynote of its annual I/O developers conference, demonstrating how it would come to permeate every aspect of the search giant's products--everything from phones and AR glasses to watches and TV. But Google Home wasn't mentioned at all, while Google's Nest smart speakers, displays, and cameras were all but ignored. Just as troubling, Google had been discontinuing other Nest products and even withdrawing from some smart home categories from a manufacturing standpoint, all while many Google Home owners were complaining that Google Assistant was faltering at even the most basic smart home duties. Indeed, things got so bad that Anish Kattukaran, the director of product management for Google Home and Nest, felt compelled to speak up on social media, apologizing for Google Assistant's spotty performance while promising that his team is "actively working on major improvements."