Google Unveils Pixel Phone, Smart Home Hub, and More at AI-Focused Event

[ani4ani]

Google and Samsung have fired cheap shots at Apple removing the headphone jack. It's gonna backfire on them when they once again have to submit to the fact that Apple sets the trend. Just saying.

I would hazard a guess that the iPhone will be the only product Apple launches in the next 12 months without a headphone jack. If they really were setting trends they would have the "courage" to apply it to all of the products from now on.

 

[Jimmy Bubbles]

I'll pass, but at least Google Assistant is light years ahead of Siri.

Well for all the data mining they do, it had better be that good!

 

[citysnaps]

So, Apple are being reactive.. not proactive?

I'd like to charge up my iPhone in 15 minutes.. rather than 60 minutes.. probably I'm not alone in liking a 7 hour battery time in just 15 minutes.

So what kind of operations/work can that phone do for 7 hours after giving it a 15 minute charge?

And is that 15 minute charge starting with a battery that initially has zero charge? Any long-term consequences to charging the battery at that accelerated rate?

Details...

 

[DoctaSfink]

But can it match the taste of the iPhone?

I've been licking my 6S on the regs ever since I ate the packaging.

 

[Kevin2055]

At that price....

No OIS
No waterproofing
No stereo speakers
No wireless charging
No dual lens cameras
No Iris scanner
No 3DT

No chance.

But they have headphone jack !

 

[deany]

UK Pricing right now from major phone supplier.

Pixel XL 128GB is exactly the same price as an iPhone 7 Plus 128GB

I'm not saying the Pixel XL is a bad phone at all, it's just not THAT cutting edge to be at iPhone 7 Plus or Samsung Edge Price points.

That's just crazy pricing, Google must be mad.

100% agree perhaps they may be trying to go 'upmarket' in an attempt to avoid a 'downmarket' reputation that they may struggle to shake off looking to the future.
Shocking prices.

 

[Cloudane]

Oh this is going to be fun.


The main problem is I'm going to have to switch to Oneplus phones in a year or two :/

 

[apolloa]

At that price....

No OIS
No waterproofing
No stereo speakers
No wireless charging
No dual lens cameras
No Iris scanner
No 3DT

No chance.

My Nexus 5 has wireless charging, and OIS and a 1080P 4.95" screen, although LCD and not OLED. And it cost waaaaaaayyyyyyyy less. Plastic build too though but yeah, it does show Google have taken a big leap here.

 

[ericgtr12]

As an Amazon Echo user I'll be interested in seeing how many products Google Home is compatible with, if it's anything like Siri who is forcing existing companies to upgrade their hardware before it will work then it'll be a long haul.

 

[Return Zero]

Verizon-exclusive? $649 starting price? Outdated design? Missing features ubiquitous on other flagship phones? A focus on user-friendliness and the synergy between optimized software and proprietary hardware?

Are we sure this isn't an Apple product?

This would be decent for $399 unlocked I guess. I really don't see how it could succeed at a flagship-phone price point.

 

[bchreng]

So what kind of operations/work can that phone do for 7 hours after giving it a 15 minute charge?

And is that 15 minute charge starting with a battery that initially has zero charge? Any long-term consequences to charging the battery at that accelerated rate?

Details...

15 minutes of charging from 5% for up to 7 hours of talk would be my guess. The battery was probably designed to endure that sort of thing.

 

[Kiwikat88]

I think the lack of SD slot and the price tag pretty much sealed the deal for me. I'll be getting a 7+ in a couple months when my contract is up on my Note 4, assuming they'll be in stock by then...

 

[JackieInCo]

what dont you like about the Pixel? or could you write that on a postage stamp!

For the price, I might as well wait and get the S8. It will have more features for the same price and an SD card slot.

 

[MacDarcy]

Not that I care, but very shocked Google of all companies didn't try to knock it out of the park. This Google phone is so meh in its look and features it's a major fail for a company like Google.

 

[deany]

Google Home is a product that interests me as I've just pre-ordered a Dot - assuming SONOS integration in 2017 is a done deal like the Echo
http://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2016/8/30/12709452/sonos-amazon-alexa-announced

Anyone know cost and launch date for Google Home? (UK)
thanks

 

[jetho]

I'm wondering how much it has to bug Google, that not only do they not own the @Pixel account, but -and I find this hilarious- it is owned by someone who works for Apple.

twitter.com/pixel

 

[Return Zero]

You could take your $649 and buy this phone, or you could use it to buy 27 New Mac candles, which if burned in succession might last you until the unveiling of the new MacBook Pro. I'd rather have the candles.

 

[truthertech]

So true. I'd go Android except they don't play well with OS X. iOS isn't that bad but Android really is the better OS. I describe it this way: Android feels more like using a Mac than does iOS. iOS forces you through byzantine workflows to manage files because it's targeted at dumb consumers. Android is targeted at everyone, both rubes and power users, exactly the way OS X is.

I hate to shoot holes in your theory that Apple's iPhone is targeted at dumb consumers, but since it is like shooting fish in a barrel, I'll point you to the following study from AdWeek. Sorry.

"iPhone users represent the richer spectrum of the society with 67% users having an annual household income of $200K or more. 80% of the Android users are more likely to have only a high school diploma compared with 37% of the iPhone users to have a graduate degree."

 

[TrueBlou]

I think the lack of SD slot and the price tag pretty much sealed the deal for me. I'll be getting a 7+ in a couple months when my contract is up on my Note 4, assuming they'll be in stock by then...

We can but hope, though Apples ability to count is a bit of an issue. I ordered Sep 18th, 3-4 week delivery. Which according to Apple is the 24th-31st of October....... Hmmm, just let me get my big boys abacus out for a minute

 

[DoctorDoctor]

Looks like a good phone, all-round.

Something the iPhone needs:
"Get up to 7 hours of battery life in just 15 minutes. ⁴"

The unlimited storage is good too - even for video.

The unlimited photo/video storage is very nice and something Apple needs to look at, but everything else is average at best. I rarely run out of battery so I don't mind not having that. I wonder what happens next year when Google decides hardware is not for them and they quit making phones. Do you lose the unlimited uploads once you replace your Pixel ?

 

[BSben]

My Nexus 5 has wireless charging, and OIS and a 1080P 4.95" screen, although LCD and not OLED. And it cost waaaaaaayyyyyyyy less. Plastic build too though but yeah, it does show Google have taken a big leap here.

So you can hold your Nexus 5 in your hands and use it properly whilst charging 'wireless'?

 

[samcraig]

The unlimited photo/video storage is very nice and something Apple needs to look at, but everything else is average at best. I rarely run out of battery so I don't mind not having that. I wonder what happens next year when Google decides hardware is not for them and they quit making phones. Do you lose the unlimited uploads once you replace your Pixel ?

You really can't argue against fast charging. It's a good feature. Even if you wouldn't use if often.

I remember people "yelling" at me when I suggested the original iPad should have come with a camera...

 

[aPple nErd]

Was hoping for something about a new Chromebook Pixel or Andromeda but nothing but crickets unfortunately.

I personally like the split glass/metal back of the Pixel phone but it's not enough to pull me out of Apple's ecosystem.

you seriously WANT chromebooks? lol

 

[beermode]

1. So, hmmm, how are you OnHub buyers feeling? Does that USB port work?
2. Pathetic cheap dig at the headphone jack. So, next year the Market will be full of lighting headphones that are compatible with 900 million iOS devices, and almost 0 USB-C headphones. Let's revisit this topic next year, Google. Pathetic.
3. Assistant is nothing more than a rebranded Google Now after the panic attack they got by Apple starting to opening up Siri. Even with their technical prowess, no one cared or used Google now on the real world. But Joes know Siri.
4. No new features, no new nothing, no useful nothing. Just rebranding what's already there.
5. Google Play music. Youtube Music. Youtube Red. One music service per chat app?
6. BTW, no one cares about any new Google service, so those chat apps are DOA, as usual.
7. It's hilarious to see older Google events and laugh it off of what they actually do after the hype.
8. Google home is a cheaper/"me too" answer to Homekit, so Android doesn't get years and years behind and steamrolled, like they are on any new category by usefulness and adoption. (home, payments, 64 bit, etc.).
9. Their phones are lower quality copies of an iPhone. A 749 6s Plus will have a more competent SoC, faster memory, more software support and updates, and a better ecosystem to boot.
10. Hype train and failure, as usual per Google.
11. Nice camera, most likely. Apple keeps saving on hardware components when they can, despite having the best SoC, memory and software. I know that it is all about scale and being able to produce 150 million devices per year, but still...
12. Lol

2...No USB-C headphone jack? You do realize that Apple's own products uses USB-C.

 

[inhalexhale1]

I disagree. They priced it as high as an iPhone. Given the specs and price, Google has courage.

I think you have courage.