Google Pixel: Everything you need to know
Google’s new Pixel phones have arrived — this is what you need to know.
We’ve seen the announcement, we know some of the main details — now it’s time to learn all we can about the new Google Pixel and Pixel XL. These latest phones are the first made entirely under Google’s control, following in the footsteps of the two Chromebook Pixels and the Pixel C tablet.
That makes these phones interesting from a hardware perspective, wearing just the “G” logo on the back and taking on some neat design cues, but also in terms of how the software and features are deeply integrated into these aluminum blocks. Here’s everything you need to know about the Google Pixel and Pixel XL.
Nexus is dead. Long live Pixel
The new Pixel and Pixel XL are of course not Nexus phones by brand, but they clearly carry on the legacy of the line. They come from Google, are sold unlocked and epitomize the complete Google experience.
If you owned (or lusted after) Nexus phones in the past for their simplicity, direct support from Google and clean integration of Google’s own apps and services, you’ll be served just as well by the new Pixels.
More: Should you upgrade to the Pixel XL from the Nexus 6P?
There are some Pixel-exclusive software features
One thing that differs with these latest Google phones is that the Pixels have exclusive software features that won’t be coming back to previous Nexus phones in an OTA update. The biggest feature on the list is Google Assistant, which is built right into the Pixel’s software and accessed through the home button. It isn’t part of Android 7.1, but something tied to the Pixels right now. The Pixels also have advanced camera processing and features, which technically could work on the Nexus 6P because of its similar hardware, but in likelihood will be kept Pixel exclusive.
More: There are some features Google isn’t sharing with other Android makers
We don’t know exactly which features will be just time-limited exclusives, which will be brought over with a different implementation and which will stay exclusive to Pixels forever. But you can know that Nexus phones’ software won’t look or act the exact same as a Pixel does today — that’s even more true for other phones that eventually receive Android 7.1 updates.
You get 24/7 support built in
It’s not necessarily a software feature at its core, but part of the justification of the Pixels’ high prices is the inclusion of live 24/7 support direct from Google. The support is built right into the settings of the phones, and lets you quickly contact Google for a phone call or chat to talk about what’s going wrong with your phone.
Much like Amazon pioneered on its Fire tablets, Google can also start a screen sharing session with you so you can literally show your exact problem to the support person and figure it out while on the phone. It’s these sorts of things you may not think about all the time, but when you just can’t figure out a problem it’s great to have it there. The feature may be particularly useful if you’re looking at the Pixel for a less tech-savvy family member or friend — you’re no longer the tech support!
Two sizes, same phone
Google’s branding for the Pixel phones is a tad confusing, as the name used in marketing is just “Pixel” while we of course we know there’s more than one phone available. But the way you should look at this is just two different screen sizes of the same phone: a 5-inch Pixel, and a 5.5-inch Pixel XL.
The phones are identical in terms of internal specs, build, hardware quality, features and software — there are just three differences to note: the Pixel XL has a larger 5.5-inch display, a higher 2560×1440 resolution, and a larger 3450 mAh battery. That compares to the Pixel’s 5-inch 1920×1080 display and 2770 mAh battery.
The drop in screen resolution shouldn’t be too upsetting considering the still-high pixel density at 5 inches, and of course when the body gets smaller the battery is going to shrink as well. Battery life shouldn’t drop off much considering the smaller screen and resolution. Really, this comes down to how much screen you need to get your daily tasks done, and how much you can manage in your hand and pocket.
More: Google Pixel vs. Pixel XL: Which should you buy?
Yes, they’re expensive
The standard Google Pixel starts at $649, with the larger Pixel XL at $769. An extra $100 in either case will bump the internal storage to 128GB. Those are absolutely top-end prices, competing directly with Samsung, HTC, LG and of course Apple. Whether these phones are worth that price to you is a personal decision, but Google is certainly trying to make a compelling case.
One thing to keep in mind here is how the Pixels fit in with the full retail prices of the Nexus phones that came before them. Aside from the Nexus 4 and Nexus 5, which both set an abnormally low expectation for price, Nexus phones have regularly broken the $500 and $600 price levels for their respective years — from back at the Nexus One launch, up to the Galaxy Nexus and on to the Nexus 6 and even Nexus 6P. They haven’t all been as inexpensive as we like to remember.
Where to buy the Google Pixels in the U.S.Where to buy the Google Pixels in CanadaWhere to buy the Google Pixels in the UKWhere to buy the Google Pixels in India
Updates come from Google, guaranteed
One of the most compelling reasons to buy a phone from Google is software updates. Not only will the Pixels be supported by two years of guaranteed Android platform and feature updates, but you’ll also be getting monthly security patches for three years as well. Those updates won’t be such a pain to take, either, as Android Nougat introduced seamless updates that get in place in the background and apply quickly on reboot.
There are lots of phones with really cool software features right out of the box, but it’s their shaky continued support a year or two down the road that make us take pause. If you don’t want to worry about when or where your future software update is coming, the Pixels should be your top choice.
You can buy from Verizon, but shouldn’t
When Google announced the Pixel and Pixel XL it touted the fact that a deal was made with Verizon as the exclusive U.S. carrier for the phones. Thankfully, you don’t have to buy the phones from Verizon — and in our opinion, you shouldn’t.
More: Don’t buy your Google Pixel from Verizon
If you buy the Pixel or Pixel XL from Verizon, you’re going to potentially have future Android updates delayed due to Verizon’s testing. There are also a few “bloatware” apps from Verizon pre-installed on the phones, which you may not use. The bootloader is also encrypted, meaning if you want to tinker with your phone you’ll be out of luck.
Our recommendation is to buy the Pixels from the Google Store.
You should look at Project Fi, however
If you’re looking to switch carriers after getting your Pixel, you may want to look into switching to Google’s own carrier offering called Project Fi. It’s an awesome carrier that doesn’t tie you down with contracts, agreements, lengthy bills or overage charges — it’s all about simplicity, just like the Pixels.
With Project Fi, your Pixel will actively switch between using Sprint, T-Mobile and U.S. Cellular networks depending on which is best, and will also jump on open Wi-Fi outside of your house as well as let you make calls and texts over any Wi-Fi network. It’s just $20 per month to start, plus $10 per gigabyte of data you use, no matter how much you use. You’re refunded for data you buy but don’t consume in the month, and you can even use that data outside of the U.S. with no extra fees. There’s even a group plan where you can bring along your family to Project Fi.
You can get a Project Fi SIM card for free when you order your Pixel, or if you already have one on the way you can pick up a SIM card when you sign up for Project Fi online.
Undecided? Hop in the forums!
There’s so much to learn about Google’s new Pixel phones, and even when you get to know more it can often lead to even more questions. If you’re still on the fence of whether or not to buy a Pixel, or have a specific question to discuss, the Android Central forums are the place to be!
Google Pixel + Pixel XL
- Google Pixel and Pixel XL hands-on preview
- In pictures: Google Pixel and Pixel XL
- Pixel + Pixel XL specs
- Understanding Android 7.1 Nougat
- Verizon is the exclusive U.S. carrier for the Google Pixels
- Join the discussion in the forums!
Google Store
Verizon
Digital Offers: Master JavaScript and code like a pro for only $29!
JavaScript is the engine that powers all modern browser, like Chrome and Firefox, and learning this dynamic language is your ticket to a career in front-end development, building frameworks and libraries. Alongside HTML and CSS, Javascript is among the three core language of the internet. Think of it as the Batman in the internet’s Trinity. Learning it is invaluable, especially if you’re looking for a career in development of any kind.
Learning in a classroom setting can be boring and taking all these extraneous electives and requirements that colleges and universities have is costly, time-consuming, and annoying (no, I don’t want to take Drama 1001; I want to learn JavaScript. I don’t care if this year’s musical is “Anything Goes”!). So you need courses that you can take on your own time and you need courses that start from scratch, especially if you’re not 100% about your career path.
Lucky for you. Android Central Digital Offers has the Essential JavaScript Coding Bundle. It features 15 courses on JavaScript and beyond, to which you’ll receive lifetime access. So if you only have time to learn JavaScript in your spare time, you can, and it can take years if you want. And why pay over $1000 for these courses, like you would elsewhere? Instead, pay only $29 at Android Central Digital Offers, a savings of 97%!
You’ll learn the ins and outs of JavaScript, from building application using popular frameworks to improving the efficiency of JavaScript code developing mobile apps, using Angular and Ionic. If you have any interest in learning JavaScript, now is the time to do it and Android Central Digital offers is the place to get the courses you need, and for only $29.
Whether you want to dive headfirst into JavaScript or you just want to dip a toe in the water, don’t go paying over $1000 for the courses you need to get you going. And why have those courses be finite? Get lifetime access to the Essential JavaScript Coding Bundle for only $29! Only at Android Central Digital Offers!
See at Android Central Digital Offers
Microsoft HoloLens now available in the UK, if you’ve got almost £3,000 handy
Microsoft is now taking pre-orders for its HoloLens augmented reality headset in the UK and a few other countries outside the US.
You can order the headset through the Microsoft Store website in Australia, France, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand and the UK. It costs £2,719 for the Development Edition HoloLens ($3,000 in the US) and will ship from November.
The AR device has been available to American and Canadian customers since March this year and plenty of developers and software engineers have created tools and utilities for it already.
Unlike a virtual reality headset, such as Oculus Rift, HTC Vive or PlayStation VR, the Microsoft HoloLens has a clear visor that allows computer graphics to be overlaid onto real world objects.
- Microsoft HoloLens preview: An augmented vision that’s still very much in the future
- Halo 5 on HoloLens hands-on: A gaming match made in Heaven?
It is pricey but self-contained, in that it doesn’t need to be connected to a separate computer. All the processing, storage and other PC tech is in the headset itself.
Pocket-lint has tested prototype models in the past, with practical and gaming applications. But it’s only with a wider rollout that more of its potential might be realised.
“When we set out to pioneer the mixed-reality category, we knew that many of the best innovations would be discovered when others got their hands on the technology,” said Alex Kipman, technical fellow for Microsoft’s Windows and devices division.
“It has been quite inspiring to see what our partners have built and what individual developers have created. Together, we have only scratched the surface for what mixed reality can do. I can’t wait to see what happens next as we welcome these new countries to our holographic landscape.”
Google’s Curio-Cité shows you a different side of Paris
Anyone can visit Paris, but even residents like myself can’t just stroll into Mayor Hidalgo’s office or go backstage (and underneath) the Opéra Garnier, the venue that inspired Phantom of the Opera. So you may be interested in Google’s latest Curio-Cité project that lets you stroll through ten “forgotten corners” of Paris.
Along with a tour of the mayor’s office and opera house, you can see Tour 13, a condemned high-rise building that’s housing the world’s largest street art exhibition. It also takes you to the 145,000 square foot “nave,” or central area of the Grand Palais built for the 1900 Universal Exhibition, on a boat down the Seine river, around Roland Garros stadium, and inside the Arènes de Lutèce, (Lutetian Arena) built between the first second century.
It’s the latest interactive tour for Google, which also offered inside looks at Abbey Road in London and five US national parks. The company has also hinted that there are more Curio-Cité visits to come. Check it out here, on Android or iOS, or Google Cardboard and other virtual reality headsets. It’s not the same as being here in person, but with a baguette, some Camembert, a glass of Bordeaux and a VR headset, you can do a decent simulation.
Source: Google
Muscle-mimicking soft robots can help with physical therapy
Some soft robots can wriggle into tight spots and swim like a real octopus. These ones developed by a team from the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), however, are also capable of doing something more: they can help with the physical rehabilitation of people recovering from injuries and illnesses. The EPFL team have created a number of flexible, reconfigurable machines that can mimic human muscles’ movement. They’re made of silicon and rubber — though the team also made a variant using a thick paper shell — and they can be controlled by manipulating how much air they have inside.
One of the medical devices they created with their soft robots is a belt that keeps patients upright and controls their movements during rehabilitation exercises. As you can see above, the current version is made of several, sausage-like soft robots, hooked to big, external pumps that can regulate their air pressure. The researchers are working to scale those pumps down, though, so they can be strapped to the belt itself. In the future, these squishy machines could lead to safe and flexible exoskeletons, perhaps something similar to Harvard’s that was designed to help patients regain control of their lower limbs.
Source: EPFL
Apple will build an R&D center in China’s Silicon Valley
Apple needs China a little more than China needs Apple, which is why the company is bending over backwards to show some love to the Middle Kingdom. VentureBeat is reporting that the iPhone maker will open a research and development center in Shenzen, the Silicon Valley of Hardware. The site quotes Apple spokesperson Josh Rosenstock saying that the facility will help Apple’s engineers work “even more closely and collaboratively with our manufacturing partners.” Given that Shenzen is home to Foxconn City, the site where several Apple products are assembled, it makes sense that Apple would push for an official presence in the region.
The site quotes local news sources as saying that Tim Cook held a meeting with Shenzen officials while at a Chinese innovation event, and was joined by Foxconn chief Terry Gou. It’s not the first time that Apple has pledged to build facilities in the country this year, with Cook pledging cash for a research and development building in Beijing back in August. That project is designed to increase cooperation with a country that’s been increasingly wary of Apple’s presence.
China very quickly became a key driver of iPhone growth for Apple, but as the smartphone market has stalled, those figures have begun to droop. The firm wants to demonstrate that it’s in for the long haul, however, and is using its financial muscle to put down roots in the country to assuage twitchy regulators. As well as pledging to build two facilities, the company pumped $1 billion into Uber-rival Didi Chuxing (which subsequently merged with its frenemy). That sort of cash should go some way in easing the fears of officials who want to protect local companies, which is one of the reasons China banned the iTunes Movie and iBooks stores earlier this year.
Source: VentureBeat
Adobe Releases Critical Security Update for Flash Player on Mac
Adobe has released security updates for Flash Player that address critical vulnerabilities that could put Mac users at risk.
Flash Player version 23.0.0.162 and earlier, Flash Player Extended Support Release version 18.0.0.375 and earlier, and Flash Player for Google Chrome version 23.0.0.162 and earlier are affected on macOS Sierra and OS X.
Mac users should update to the latest Flash Player version through the built-in update mechanism, or by visiting the Adobe Flash Player Download Center.
Mac users running Flash Player 11.3.x or later who have selected the option to “allow Adobe to install updates” will receive the update automatically. Likewise, Google Chrome will automatically update Flash Player to version 23.0.0.185.
Safari on macOS Sierra deactivates Flash by default, only turning on the plug-in when user requested. Chrome, Firefox, and most other modern web browsers also have web plug-in safeguards in place due to repeated security risks.
Similar critical security updates were issued in March, for example, while Adobe released an “emergency” Flash Player security update in April to address ransomware attacks affecting Flash-based advertisements on Mac and other platforms.
Ransomware is a type of malware that encrypts a user’s hard drive and demands payment in order to decrypt it. These type of threats often display images or use voice-over techniques containing instructions on how to pay the ransom.
The latest vulnerabilities, discovered by Palo Alto Networks, Trend Micro, Tencent, and other researchers, could lead to nondescript “code execution.” Adobe gave the Flash Player updates its top priority rating, meaning that users should update immediately.
(Thanks, rshrugged!)
Tags: security, Adobe Flash Player, Adobe
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You can try Sony PlayStation VR inside a giant headset
Sony’s virtual reality headset, the PlayStation VR, launches tomorrow, 13 October, and to celebrate a giant version has landed in London.
Sited at Kings Cross station, the massive PSVR doubles as a demo room, where you can try out the regular-sized headset for yourself.
Demonstrations inside the giant headset are running until 16 October, so pop along to the station and have a go.
The PlayStation VR (reviewed here) will be shipped to those who pre-ordered from tomorrow and stores in the UK promise that there will be stock to buy on day one. In addition, there is plenty of support for the device in terms of games and apps, with more than 30 titles available immediately and plenty of others being released over the next few weeks and months.
- Sony PlayStation VR launch line-up: Every game listed and best PSVR games revealed
- Sony PlayStation VR tips and tricks: How to solve PSVR problems and more
- Best Sony PlayStation VR games you must play: Farpoint, Resident Evil 7, Batman and more
- Sony PlayStation VR game trailers: Farpoint, Batman: Arkham VR, Star Wars, and more
The headset requires a PlayStation 4, PS4 Slim or the forthcoming PS4 Pro and a PlayStation Camera to work, but all experiences and games can be played using a conventional DualShock 4 controller (or the new model).
To enhance many of them though, you might also consider purchasing a couple of PlayStation Move controllers, which you can get for £70 a pair.
The PlayStation VR headset retails for £349 and the PlayStation Camera, which has been newly remodelled, costs £45.
If you have an existing PlayStation Camera with your PS4 and PlayStation Move controllers left over from the PS3 days, those will all work too.
Microsoft’s HoloLens is now available to pre-order in Europe
With all of the hype around VR, it’s easy to forget Microsoft’s push into augmented reality (AR). Today, the company is launching HoloLens pre-orders in a bunch of new countries, including Australia, France, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand and the UK. In (not so) good old British Sterling, the headset will set you back an eye-watering £2,719, while the enterprise-ready “Commercial Suite” version costs £4,529. Microsoft says the first units will ship in late November — that way, you can wow your friends and family with some tabletop-projected Minecraft over Christmas.
HoloLens has been a slow burn for Microsoft. The company kicked off pre-orders in the US and Canada on February 29th, with the first deliveries starting a month later. The use-cases are massive, but the high cost of entry has limited the hardware to deep-pocketed developers. That could change, however, if Microsoft develops HoloLens as a platform. At Computex in June, the company opened up its “Windows Holographic” initiative to third parties, enabling devices that can run both AR and VR “mixed reality.” Similar to Google Daydream, this could kick-start a wider ecosystem of HoloLens-style headsets, increasing sales and developer interest.
ZTE’s crowdsourced gadget competition is down to five
Since August, ZTE has been running an American Idol-style contest where, instead of singers, people are asked to judge the firm’s future product development. Users were asked to suggest plausible ideas that the company could create and sell within the next rough year, that folks could then vote on. ZTE took three of those offerings, added a further two from a concept phase, and will now put all five to a very public final vote. Between now and October 19th, you’ll be able to select which of the potential candidates you’d like to see built — and hopefully will buy once it hits shelves.
The final five options are:
- An eye-tracking, adhesive smartphone that you can stick to a wall and control with just a glance, which is ideal for reading e-books in the bath.
- A series of intelligent smartphone covers that expand the utility of your smartphone, much like Alcatel’s Magic Flip cases.
- A power glove that would control your fingers for use in rehabilitation or to teach you how to undertake dextrous tasks, like playing the piano.
- A stock Android flagship phone that would take on the Nexuses and Pixels of this world.
- A VR diving mask that’ll let you swim in a pool and make you think that you’re swimming in the ocean.
Since there are already intelligent smartphone covers and stock Android devices, we’re more excited for some of the other options ZTE Is pushing. The notion of a powered glove for rehab and learning, much like the one Georgia Tech devised back in 2012, seems like it has plenty of potential. Then again, the idea of being able to go diving in VR, too, seems like it deserves further exploration. Still, we can’t tell you what to vote for, so you can head over to ZTE’s website and make your own choice.
Source: ZTE
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