Google

Well, here we are again. A while back I made the joke that if this trend continues, the Google Home Hub (which was recently renamed the Nest Hub) will soon be free. Because for months now, each week seems to bring another $1-$2 discount.

Like this week: For a limited time, and while supplies last, Altatac via Rakuten has the Google Home Hub for $55.99 when you apply promo code ALT9 at checkout. You also need to be signed into your Rakuten account (assuming you have one; if not, you'll have to sign up).

The Home Hub originally sold for $149, but then Google lowered it to $129. Even before that, it started showing up from resellers for around $80, and every couple weeks it seems to drop another a buck or two. Today marks the lowest price I've seen yet.

The Home Hub takes the Google Home smart speaker and adds a 7-inch touchscreen. That opens the door to things like guided recipes, song lyrics, appointment calendars and so on -- all the same stuff your phone or tablet can do, but on something that's a permanent fixture in, say, your kitchen.

There's no camera, so you can't use it for video calling the way you can an Amazon Echo Show or Facebook Portal. (Some people might find that preferable, though, in light of recent privacy concerns.) Google does offer a smart assistant with a camera, the new Nest Hub Max, but it's $230.

And don't forget the new Echo Show 5, which is very Google Home Hub-like and sells for $90 -- but has a smaller, 5.5-inch screen. Just to complicate your decision, the Echo Show 5 is currently on sale for $65 for Amazon Prime subscribers.

Read CNET's Google Home Hub review to learn more. Verdict: Top marks, even if the audio quality doesn't quite rival some screenless smart speakers. Likewise, over at Best Buy, it has an impressive 4.7-star review average from over 3,000 buyers.

At $150, this might have seemed a little extravagant. But at $56? Awfully tempting. (Of course, I'm also tempted to see if it can drop any lower.)

Read more: The first 9 things you should do with your Google Home Hub

Now playing: Watch this: Google Home Hub comes up big as a smart home control...

Originally published earlier this year. Updated to reflect new sale prices and availability.

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