Google’s Pixelbook is a 2-in-1 premium Chromebook

Google’s Pixel laptop is back! Sort of. After retiring its older Pixel Chromebook this year, Google is jumping back into the premium notebook fray with the Pixelbook. (We’ll leave it up to you to figure out how they came up with that name.) The big difference this time? It’s a 2-in-1 machine, so it can be folded around and used like a tablet. The previous Pixels were just very expensive and powerful touchscreen laptops. The Pixelbook is still pricey, though, starting at $999.

While the idea of a premium Chromebook still doesn’t make a lot of sense, the Pixelbook at least gives Google something to offer beyond the disappointing Pixel C. The company claims this is its thinnest laptop ever — its 10 millimeter thick frame seems reminiscent of Microsoft’s slim Surface Laptop. It also weighs just 2.2 pounds, or 1 kilogram. The Pixelbook features a 12.3-inch QuadHD (1,440p) display, and it’s powered by Intel Core i5 and i7 processors. You can also configure it with up to 512GB of storage and 16GB of RAM.

As for new features, the Pixelbook can automatically tether with your Android phone when it doesn’t detect a WiFi network. Google says it can get up to 10 hours of battery life (which is standard for most ultraportables today). It also charges over USB-C, just like the Pixel C, which also lets it get 2 hours of battery life in just 15 minutes. Google Assistant is built into the laptop, and it’s accessible with voice commands and typing.

Just like the latest Chromebook models, you can also install Google Play Android apps on the Pixelbook. That makes it far more useful than the past Pixel laptops, which were mainly just showpieces for ChromeOS. That means you can download apps like Spotify for offline listening — and yes, you can also view downloaded Netflix shows when you’re away from the internet.

The new $99 Pixelbook Pen (sold separately), also lets you mark up the screen and get more information from the Assistant. You could, for example, circle a photo with the Pen to learn more about it, or highlight a word for a definition. The Pen features 2,000 levels of pressure sensitivity, and it can recognize angles up to 60 degrees.

The base $999 Pixelbook comes with a Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. You can also bump up to a 256GB SSD for $200 more. There’s also an upcoming high-end model with a Core i7 chip, 16GB of RAM and a speed 512GB NVMe SSD. Preorders for the Pixelbook kick off today, but it’s unclear when it’ll start shipping.

Follow all the latest news from Google’s Pixel 2 event here!

Google Assistant will tell your kids a story starting this month

Kids don’t quite have the diction that adults to, which can make it hard even for us humans to understand them. Google knows this and has tweaked Assistant and Home to better pick up what your munchkins are laying down. The search juggernaut has also partnered with a number of providers for kid-specific things like stories from Disney and Sports Illustrated for Kids among others, and simple games (like musical chairs, for instance). The just announced Family Link will let you setup Google accounts for your under-13 youngsters, too. The updates will be rolling out later this month.

Follow all the latest news from Google’s Pixel 2 event here!

Sonos One hands-on: Betting on voice control to evolve

After months filled with teases, rumors and speculation, Sonos has finally introduced its first speaker with built-in support for voice commands. Today, at an event in New York City, the company unveiled the Sonos One, a device billed as “The Smart Speaker for Music Lovers.” As expected, the main attraction here are the voice features, which at launch will be powered by Amazon’s Alexa virtual assistant. We say “at launch” because Sonos CEO, Patrick Spence, ended the presentation with the news that the One will also work with Google Assistant in 2018.

You’ll notice right away that the new speaker, which arrives October 24th for $199, looks nearly identical to the Play:1. That said, the One does come with a few aesthetic changes, including a ring of microphone holes, an LED light and the traditional play/pause button — all located on the top base. Additionally, the grill has been tweaked subtly and it now comes in two colors: all-black and all-white. When asked what exactly changed internally, aside from addition of an array of mics, Sonos only went as far as to say that the One was “reengineered” from the ground up and features the “same great sound” as the Play:1.

If you’ve ever owned any Sonos hardware, then you know it has a reputation for sounding great. And the One isn’t an exception. During our demo of the speaker, we listened to a couple of tracks, including one from Drake and another from David Bowie, and everything in the room sounded crisp, with balanced lows, mids and highs, and not too much bass. The Alexa voice commands worked as smoothly as you’d hope, with the assistant playing tracks and honoring other voice commands in a matter of a second or two, if not less.

Once you say something like “Alexa, play More Life,” the LED on the top of the speaker lights up and lets you know that the assistant is processing your command. Sonos says it wanted the voice-recognition system to be visually quiet, hence the subtle light blink. At the same time, though, the company wanted to make it easy for users to know every time the microphone is active. What’s more, you can use the One to control other Sonos speakers in your home with your voice — think: “Alexa, play David Bowie’s greatest hits in the living room.” We expect Google’s own platform to perform just as well as Amazon’s next year, when it’s scheduled to hit the Sonos One.

Those of you who already own a Sonos speaker shouldn’t be completely jealous of the One. The company also announced earlier that Alexa voice control is coming to existing models in a public beta, albeit you’ll need a device such as an Echo Dot to make that work. Meanwhile, support for Apple’s AirPlay 2 will also be coming to the One and other Sonos speakers in 2018, which will allow you control them directly using your iOS device, like an iPhone or iPad.

Allen Mask, head of partnerships at Sonos, says the company needed to make its platform more open in order to keep evolving. “We were missing the element of openness,” he said. “We can develop these technologies [on our own], but we can only go so far. Opening up the platform makes it faster to get to where we want to go.” As for whether or not the One is intended to replace the Play:1, Mask said that’s not the plan for the foreseeable future, noting that Sonos is just as excited about making hardware work with an Alexa add-on as it is about its new speaker.

Google unveils the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL

Google has announced the second generation of its venerated Pixel handsets, the Pixel 2 and its larger sibling, the Pixel 2 XL. The former is shipping with a 1080p OLED display, while the latter is packing 6-inches, although the size is not the USP here. Instead, the company is pushing its refined hardware design with a bright pop of color on the power switch. In addition, Google has joined the cavalcade of others that have abandoned the 3.5mm headphone jack on its flagship smartphones — instead, users will need to connect their analog headphones using a bundled 3.5mm to USB-C adapter.

Google has made a big deal about the fact that there is feature parity between both handsets, a swipe at Apple — which saves more advanced camera features for the Plus version of the latest iPhone. One of which is the always-on display that, that will constantly show you the time and how many notifications you have. But one crucial difference is that the Pixels 2 will also have a persistent music-spotting feature like Shazam. Leave your phone on the table in a coffee shop, and it’ll always show you the name of the song that’s playing in the background.

The Pixel 2’s cameras are also getting an upgrade, with the company claiming that they have received a DxO benchmark score of 98. The handset gets a 12-megapixel lens with optical image stabilization that is paired with Google’s computational photography smarts. The company is also offering a portrait mode, albeit with a single lens, which is achieved with the aforementioned computational photography. That feature is also being offered on the front-facing camera, since it doesn’t require any additional hardware.

As for video, Google is using “fused video stabilization,” a method that combines optical stabilization with its digital equivalent for smoother shots. This has also enabled the company to add-in live photos to the litany of features available to Pixel 2 owners. Google has also reaffirmed its commitment to storing every photo taken with the Pixel 2, in full-resolution, on its cloud, for free.

Company hardware chief Rick Osterloh also spoke about how the field for smartphone manufacturers has flattened considerably. After all, the components that go inside almost every Android device has become so commoditized that it’s hard to tell one from another. That’s why the new Pixels (alongside the rest of Google’s new products) are leaning hard on artificial intelligence and software as a unique selling point. Osterloh describes them as “radically helpful,” as a way to anticipate your needs and make your life easier.

Part of that initiative, as well as the always-on display, is a notification pane embedded into the home screen that informs you of important calendar appointments. Meanwhile, a Google search bar remains persistent at the bottom of the menu, enabling you to search both your phone and the web at the same time.

Similar to the HTC U11’s squeeze-sides feature, you can pinch the bezels of the Pixel 2 to summon Google Assistant. Another feature is summoning Assistant during your commute, simply by declaring that you’re about to drive home. The system will surface GPS directions, resuming a podcast or song that was played the last time you were in the car and read out instant messages.

Google received plenty of praise for the Pixel from everyone except the people who actually wanted to buy one. That’s because the company has struggled to produce enough devices to cope with demand, distressing many in the Android faithful. Back in April, Android Central opined that even six months after launch, would-be purchasers were left waiting weeks, or months, for a phone. Around the same time, PhoneArena described the device as “vaporware,” because of the long wait times. It was enough of a problem that Rick Osterloh even joked about it during his keynote, saying that he wished there were “more to go around.”

Between then and now, Google has, at least, bolstered its R&D division in the hope of making future devices more compelling. The company spent $1.1 billion on buying up HTC’s “Powered by HTC” arm that was, until recently, working on Pixel devices outside Google. It wouldn’t be unreasonable to hope that some of the new hires may have better experience of what’s required to get a phone out the door.

Of course, much of the potential surprise was spoiled, thanks to a fairly extensive series of leaks that have popped up over the last few months. Leaked images of the device showed a minimalist, stripped-down smartphone with a larger rear camera and thin bezels. Other rumors suggested that the handset would crib the squeezable sides that were found in HTC’s well-regarded U11 smartphone.

Shortly before the event itself kicked off, a spec list for the Pixel 2 XL was leaked by 9to5Mac, revealing plenty about the larger device. Like the fact that it would be packing a 2.35GHz Snapdragon 835 SoC, 4GB RAM and 64GB storage all nestled beneath a 6-inch, 2,880 x 1,440 P-OLED display coated with Gorilla Glass 5. The list, interestingly, mentioned Android 8.0, rather than 8.1 being shipped with the handset, not to mention the 3,520mAh battery nestled inside.

The Google Pixel 2 will ship in a trio of colors: Kinda Blue, Just Black and Clearly White, while the XL is only available in black or a two-tone black/white. $649 for the 64GB version, while the XL starts at $849, with pre-orders beginning today although shipping dates are not yet known. Every order will, for now, come with a free Home Mini as a sweetener.

This breaking news story is developing, please refresh for more information.

Follow all the latest news from Google’s Pixel 2 event here!

Source: Google

Google’s Pixelbook Pen starts a search when you circle objects

Google isn’t launching the Pixelbook laptop all by its lonesome — it’s also unveiling the previously rumored Pixelbook Pen. The stylus lets you draw and write on the Pixelbook’s touchscreen, of course, and it promises to be quick about it with a very low 10ms latency, 2,000 levels of pressure sensitivity and 60 degrees of angular awareness. However, the real party trick is its tie-in with Google Assistant: you can ask Assistant to search for items just by circling them. If you’ve ever wanted to search from an image or a snippet of text, it’s now relatively trivial.

There’s just one gotcha: the pen isn’t included with the Pixelbook itself. You’ll have to spend $99 to buy it separately when it reaches stores on October 31st. It’s not surprising that you’d have to buy the Pixelbook Pen separately (it’d add significantly to the cost for people who don’t want it), but it does mean that the “full” Pixelbook experience will cost more than you might think.

Follow all the latest news from Google’s Pixel 2 event here!

Snapchat will be optimized for the Google Pixelbook

Get ready to see your snaps on a much bigger screen. Google just announced that it’s working with Snap to bring a version of the popular messaging app to its newly announced Pixelbook. Snapchat for the Pixelbook will be optimized for the laptop’s 12.3-inch quad HD display, so you won’t have to squint to see a tiny rectangle on your screen. Details are scant on what the integration will look like just yet, but the new notebook will be available in stores on October 31st starting at $999.

In addition to the larger screen, you’ll also have to use the Pixelbook’s webcam for Snaps from your laptop. That is, at least, if the app will allow uploads from your desktop. Technically, since the Pixelbook runs Chrome OS, Snapchat is already available as an Android app. But a version designed for a larger screen could not only look different but also potentially pack extra functionality. No word yet on when this version of Snapchat will roll out, though, so until then, you’re still stuck with the app as it exists now.

Follow all the latest news from Google’s Pixel 2 event here!

Google’s Pixel 2 always knows exactly what song that is

Google is coming for your Shazaam. At it’s Pixel 2 event on Wednesday, the company revealed an always-on music identification feature for its newest handset. It detects ambient songs playing around you, then leverages the Pixel 2’s onboard machine learning capability to compare that sound structure to a database of more than 10,000 popular tracks and figure out what it is you’re hearing. Best of all, the database is stored locally so the entire recognition process requires zero interaction with Google’s servers, preserving your privacy and ensuring it’ll work even if you don’t have an internet connection.

Follow all the latest news from Google’s Pixel 2 event here!

Google goes full Snapchat with AR stickers for Pixel phones

Last month, Google gave us a look into what it’s been doing with ARCore — the company’s augmented reality developer platform for Android. Some of the platform’s capabilities already include incorporating Street View images, providing step-by-step training tutorials and showing previews of what construction projects will look like once they’re finished. And today at Google’s Pixel 2 event, we got another look at what the platform can do.

Houzz is using ARCore to bring its showroom right into your living room and you’ll be able to watch League of Legends gameplay through an AR map. Lego is even using ARCore to allow users to build virtual models. Google has also been developing its own AR bits like AR stickers, such as food emojis, that will be exclusive to Pixel phones. Additionally, partners like Saturday Night Live, YouTube, the NBA, Stranger Things and Star Wars are also developing their own AR stickers.

Google says more AR stickers will be available in the future and you can check out what other ARCore projects are in the works here.

Follow all the latest news from Google’s Pixel 2 event here!

Google’s Lens visual search will hit Pixel phones this year

Google may be unveiling the highly anticipated (and heavily leaked) Pixel 2 phones, Pixelbook and “Max” and mini Home speakers today, but the company also has new software up its sleeves. In particular, it showed off the new Lens feature, which is designed to pull up helpful information for whatever you point your camera at. The preview will roll out to Pixel phones later this year via the Assistant and the Photos app.

Google already teased the Lens tool at its developer conference earlier this year, and today we got a few more demos of what the software can do. You can point the Pixel’s camera at an email address on a flyer, and Lens will offer you options like “Send email,” “Create contact” and “Copy text.” Point the phone at a work of art, a book or an album cover, and you’ll get details on each item, such as its dimensions or author.

This story is developing…

Follow all the latest news from Google’s Pixel 2 event here!

Sonos Rivals HomePod With New Assistant Speaker, Adding AirPlay 2 Support to Speakers Next Year

Sonos today introduced the Sonos One, an all-new smart speaker with six far-field microphones that allow it to work with digital assistants.

Sonos One can be controlled entirely with voice. At launch, it will support Amazon Alexa in the United States, Germany, and the United Kingdom, including full voice support for Prime Music, iHeartRadio, Pandora, SiriusXM, and TuneIn. Alexa voice control for Spotify will be coming soon after launch.

Google Assistant support will be added in 2018, making the Sonos One the first smart speaker with support for multiple major assistants.

Sonos One can play music from more than 80 streaming services, including popular ones like Apple Music, Spotify, Google Play Music, Tidal, and Pandora. In addition, it supports other traditional Alexa capabilities related to the weather, timers, news and traffic reports, the latest sports scores, and more.

Sonos is releasing a free software update today that will enable many of its existing speakers to be controlled with Alexa as well. In the United States, Germany, and the United Kingdom, Sonos owners can use any Alexa-enabled device like the Echo or Echo Dot to control the speaker with voice commands.

Sonos also announced that it will begin supporting Apple’s AirPlay 2 in 2018, making it possible to play any sound from an iOS device on Sonos speakers. Apple users will also be able to control music on Sonos speakers with any Siri-enabled device, such as an iPhone, iPad, and the HomePod once it launches.

Sonos One comes in black or white, weighs four pounds, and has an illuminated LED indicator light to ensure you are always aware when the speaker’s microphone is active. The speaker connects to a home’s Wi-Fi network, and it also has one 10/100 Mbps Ethernet port for those who prefer a wired connection.

The speaker features premium audio quality, with two Class-D digital amplifiers tuned to match the speaker drivers and acoustic architecture, one tweeter, one mid-woofer, adjustable bass and treble controls, and a six far-field microphone array used for advanced beamforming and echo cancellation.

Sonos One will be available starting Tuesday, October 24 for $199 in the United States. Pre-orders start today.

Tags: AirPlay, Sonos
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