Earlier this week, Google announced a $550 million strategic partnership with China’s JD․com to work together on e-commerce. A new report today suggests that there is more to the deal, with Google interested in also using it to sell consumer hardware in China.
Substantial leaks for the third-generation Made by Google devices emerged later than usual this year, with concrete rumors first surfacing at the end of May. In the coming months, there will be more and more rumors with one good source of news coming directly from Google’s Android Open Source Project.
During I/O 2018, the Google app gained the ability to customize what notifications get sent to Assistant headphones. Today, Google is rolling out a number of new features to Pixel Buds, including new double and triple tap gestures, as well as the ability to easily switch between devices.
Ahead of I/O 2018, a rumored LG Wear OS device with a hybrid form factor passed through the FCC. The only news from the conference ended up being an updated Android P Developer Preview. However, a flurry of reports in the past days confirm a “lead smartwatch,” while new rumors today suggest Google-made smartwatches later this fall.
From headlining an Oscars ad to playing at the company’s CES 2018 party, John Legend and Google have a particularly good working relationship. The latest partnership saw the artist capture his latest music video “entirely on Google Pixel 2.”
Months before Assistant smart displays were announced at CES 2018, we heard rumors that Google was working on its own device. Codenamed “Manhattan” in September, a new report today suggests that a Made by Google smart display is still on track.
At Mobile World Congress 2018, Google launched ARCore and highlighted how it supports 100 million Android devices. However, the company is also looking beyond phone-based augmented reality according to Rick Osterloh. In an interview, Google’s hardware head noted ongoing research, but no imminent products.
Late last month, Google Clips went on sale with an earliest expected ship date of February 27th. Ahead of the first customers receiving their AI-powered smart camera, the Google Clips companion app has arrived on the Play Store.
Throughout the Grammy’s and the Super Bowl, we saw Google start a new ad campaign for the Pixel 2. Using the ‘Question your lens’ tagline, Google advertises its handset’s superb camera by demonstrating that not a single photo defines a person or group of people…
This morning, a report surfaced about a secret Google gaming-console codenamed ‘Yeti’ that would allow users to stream video games from the cloud. While we have seen Sony and Nvidia introduce similar products, those platforms primarily provide AAA console games.
Before you would ever buy the ‘Yeti’ system and pay Google a monthly subscription, what types of games would the search giant have to provide?
Last November, a Nest merger into Google’s hardware division was rumored given the increased areas of overlap in the smart home. Today, the two are officially “join[ing] forces” to bolster Google’s hardware efforts.
Besides Android apps and the Play Store, Google’s current gaming efforts are particularly centered around video livestreams on YouTube and Daydream VR. However, the company reportedly has plans for a subscription-based game streaming service that would possibly involve a Made by Google gaming console.
Just before the October 4th event last year, Google made waves when it announced a $1.1 billion partial acquisition of HTC’s smartphone division. On Tuesday, hardware head Rick Osterloh revealed that the deal is officially complete.
Back in 2014, Google hired Ivy Ross to lead Google Glass. With previous stints at Gap, Disney, and Mattel, she is now vice president of hardware design, UX, and research. In an interview, Ross discusses leading the Made by Google design team and revealed some early iterations of the Pixel 2 and other recent devices.
With the launch of the Home Max last month, Google Clips is officially the last product from the October 4th event that has yet to see a release. However, an announcement may be coming soon as the AI portable camera just passed through the FCC.
Late last year, we learned that Google is bolstering its Shanghai hardware team tasked with overseeing manufacturing. A new report today reveals that the company has moved into an office in Shenzhen to possibly further expand its hardware capabilities.
In addition to opening pop-up locations in Los Angeles and New York for the 2017 Made by Google lineup, the company opened a series of similar stores in India. Given the success of those pop-ups in the key market, Google is now reportedly considering opening brick-and-mortar stores.
In 2017, Google’s hardware division launched its second-generation family of products, while expanding the group with the acquisition of several thousand HTC engineers working on the Pixel line and a rumored Nest merger. A new report reveals that Google is bolstering its hardware presence in China with a growing team of engineers based out of Shanghai.
Google and Nest have a close relationship with the latter demoing Home/Assistant integration at the former’s major October 4h hardware event. Given this, Alphabet is now reportedly considering a merger of Nest into Google’s purview and specifically Rick Osterloh’s hardware division.
The Google Store rolled out a suite of deals on Black Friday, but on Cyber Monday announced a new set of offers on its most in-demand items. A Pixel 2 or Pixel 2 XL purchase nabs a Google Home Mini and $100 store credit. Meanwhile, the first Pixelbook offer throws in a Google Home.
The Pixel 2 XL has encountered a spate of issue — especially centered around the display — since its release last month. Fortunately, durability doesn’t appear to be a significant one according to a torture test by JerryRigEverything on the larger Made by Google phone.
CES 2018 is just a couple of months away and while we’re not expecting a ton of new Android or Google-related announcements, there is something to get excited about — Google’s going to be there in official capacity this year.
Google’s primary marketing line for the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL is to have users “Ask more” of their phones. In addition to billboards teasing last month’s event, Google has released a new ad with the tagline that some viewers saw in front of movies over the weekend.
I spent my first several days with the Google Pixel 2 XL tearing its display to pieces. In light of concerns regarding its quality that were brought up in the first round of reviews (including ours) I wanted to know exactly what its shortcomings were. Lots of units — mine included — had burn-in/image persistence issues, blue tint shift, black smear, graininess, and other undesirable qualities. None of these issues are entirely unique to the Pixel 2 XL, but I came to the conclusion that Google’s flagship seems to suffer from them more than average at this price point. I stand by that.
I took it upon myself to look at every one of these problems under a microscope so that anyone that cared — which, I know, in the grand scheme of things is a tiny minority of Google’s target market — could know exactly what they’re getting in comparison to other flagships, the smaller Pixel 2, and even last year’s original Pixel. But even with all of the problems I’ve hounded on and pixel peeping I’ve admittedly done, I’ve finally come to a conclusion on this display: It’s not bad enough to keep me away.