Google Pixel

Removing 3.5mm headphone jacks has been a bit of a trend with flagship devices on the market, but now it seems there’s a possibility that Google could also be ditching the jack with the next-generation Pixel. The big question about this rumor is obvious: Would you still consider purchasing the “Pixel 2” if it didn’t have a headphone jack?

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Still on Android 7.1.1, the March security patch is beginning to rollout for current Pixel and Nexus devices. Likely addressing minor bugs, but otherwise lacking significant new features, there are fixes for 60 vulnerabilities.

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Google’s SVP of hardware, Rick Osterloh, said during a private meeting in Barcelona this week that there will indeed — unsurprisingly, considering its wild acclaim — be a second generation Pixel announced later this year. Further, Osterloh says that that the Pixel brand will “stay premium”…

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Google’s Pixel XL is a wonderful phone, and it’s been my daily driver for the past few months. The hardware on this phone is excellent, but whether it’s for added protection or a better look, most of us will add a case to the phone. There is an alternative, however, a skin.

There are several fantastic skin makers on the market today, but which makes the best skin for the Pixel XL? Over the past few weeks, that’s what I’ve been aiming to figure out. I’ve recently tested four different skins from dBrand, Colorware, Toast, and SlickWraps, all for the Pixel XL. Each skin was tested for a minimum of one week. So, let’s take a look.

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Google’s Pixel and Pixel XL are both fantastic devices, but they aren’t without flaws. Since launch, we’ve seen several issues pop up on the devices, including the speaker and problems with the camera. Google has been able to fix some of those via software updates, but now another issue is popping up ─ random Bluetooth disconnects.

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Stock for the Google Pixel, which launched almost 5 months ago, is still hit or miss. As of the time of this writing, the 5-inch Pixel is completely out of stock on the Google Store and the 5.5-inch Pixel XL is almost completely out of stock as well. There was one random day this month that stock suddenly reappeared in full, but the story since October has been mostly just that: random.

While any company as big and with as many resources as Google should definitely have been able to figure out stock for the phone by this point — 4 and a half months after launch — I think the complaints of many would be somewhat mitigated if the Google would just let customers backorder the phone and quote some future shipping date…

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Following a piece published about the design of the Pixel and Pixel XL yesterday, Google is now directly soliciting feedback about the phone’s look. In a post on the Pixel User Community, Product Lead Krishna Kumar asks what Google got right, wrong, and how it could improve future devices…

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Canadian cellular carrier Rogers and Google have announced today (via a YouTube video, seen below), that the “Really Blue” Pixel is coming to Canada in the form of a Rogers exclusive.

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Since its launch, it’s been pretty hit or miss to pick up either of Google’s new Pixel smartphones because for the majority of the time, many variants of the Pixel have been completely out of stock. The Pixel XL has been the main culprit here, with some models being out of stock for months at this point. Today, though, nearly every Pixel model is back in stock.

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I love changing up the way my smartphones look, and the Pixel is a prime candidate since its design is, well, less than beautiful. Lately, I’ve been trying out a handful of skins for the Pixel XL, including some from dbrand and Colorware. Recently, though, I’ve been trying a real-wood cover from Toast, and it’s a pretty interesting departure from your average vinyl skin.

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Despite the same branding, Google Assistant’s features wildly differ across devices. Today, the voice interface on the Pixel is finally gaining the ability to control smart devices, with ‘Home control’ beginning to widely rollout.

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One of the more prevalent issues affecting the Google Pixel and Pixel XL has been audio distortion at higher volumes. After some back and forth on whether this was a hardware or software defect, yesterday’s February security patch includes a fix for the issue. Meanwhile, last week’s 7.1.2 Developer Preview is still affected…

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Overshadowed by the 7.1.2 Developer Preview, the February security patch is beginning to rollout. Still on 7.1.1, there are fixes for 35 vulnerabilities, with factory images and OTAs now available for current Pixel and Nexus devices.

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Following its launch, Google’s Pixel smartphones have proved pretty popular. Due to that, Google has had a lot of trouble keeping up with demand for the phone, with many customers complaining about that issue. Now, some are alarmingly reporting that Google has ceased production of the phone. Unsurprisingly, Google has confirmed that those rumors are false.

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We’re constantly on the search for the “perfect” smartphone, but it’s still impossible — and will likely remain as such — to even get close in that endeavor. Google’s Pixel smartphones came as close as any smartphone before, in my eyes at least, but they were still very flawed phones with tons of room for improvement.

What made the Pixel so great? As we detailed in our review, it really came done to the software and performance. Google created a phone that offered performance and reliability on Android like we had never seen before. Combine that with a clean Android interface, useful features like “Moves” and Google Assistant, and top it all off with one of the best cameras ever on a smartphone, and it becomes clear that you’ve got an amazing smartphone….

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