Live Blog: Made By Google October Phone Event
by Matt Humrick on October 4, 2016 12:00 PM EST- Posted in
- Smartphones
- Android
- Mobile
12:06PM EDT - I'm here at Google's October phone event
12:09PM EDT - Google's first subject: using machine learning to approve their assistant AI
12:15PM EDT - This is my first Live Blog, so please bear with me.
12:16PM EDT - Google talking up AI. The next big innovation.
12:17PM EDT - Building hardware and software together let's Google create the best experience around AI
12:17PM EDT - Hardware with Google Assistant at its core
12:18PM EDT - Sounds like more hardware coming from Google in the future
12:18PM EDT - Introducing Pixel
12:19PM EDT - Polished aluminum case
12:20PM EDT - Pixel first phone with Google Assistant built-in
12:20PM EDT - "No unsightly camera bump"
12:21PM EDT - Photography, storage, communications, and VR central themes
12:23PM EDT - Google Assistant searching photos based on date with natural voice command
12:23PM EDT - Uses Google's Knowledge graph to find contextual results
12:24PM EDT - Ask it who's playing at a concert venue, and it will return upcoming shows with dates
12:24PM EDT - Google Assistant works with third-party messaging apps
12:26PM EDT - Ask about a restaurant and get contextual links to Yelp, Maps, etc.
12:26PM EDT - Get directions, message a friend, and make a reservation all in one easy flow without jumping between apps
12:26PM EDT - No more copy-paste between apps
12:27PM EDT - Now talking about Pixel camera
12:27PM EDT - DXOMark of 89
12:27PM EDT - iPhone 7 was 86
12:27PM EDT - 12.3MP rear camera
12:28PM EDT - f/2.0 aperture and 1.55 micron pixels
12:28PM EDT - Smartburst - hold down shutter button and take a continuous picture. Phone selects best image of capture.
12:29PM EDT - HDR+ combines multiple short exposures, reducing noise and improving dynamic range
12:29PM EDT - HDR+ has zero shutter lag
12:30PM EDT - Claims camera capture time is faster than any other phone
12:30PM EDT - Samples gyroscope 200 times per second for video image stabilization
12:31PM EDT - Google Photos integration. Free unlimited photos and videos at full resolution stored in cloud.
12:32PM EDT - Live blogging is hard :)
12:32PM EDT - Presenters talk fast
12:32PM EDT - Google Duo preinstalled on Pixel.
12:33PM EDT - Google Duo preinstalled on Pixel.
12:33PM EDT - This is Google's new video conferencing app
12:33PM EDT - Pixel comes with quick charging
12:34PM EDT - Pixel comes with Nougat, obviously. Software updates installed in background.
12:35PM EDT - New Google tool to make it easy to switch from iPhone to Pixel
12:35PM EDT - Now back to hardware
12:35PM EDT - Pixel has 2 screen sizes: 5" and 5.5"
12:36PM EDT - 3 colors: Black, Blue, Silver
12:36PM EDT - Pixel is first phone to be Daydream VR ready
12:37PM EDT - Verizon is exclusive carrier partner in US
12:37PM EDT - Also available unlocked
12:38PM EDT - Video time
12:39PM EDT - No mention of HTC. Google phone "inside and out"
12:39PM EDT - Video done. Moving on to VR.
12:39PM EDT - VR a transformative technology
12:41PM EDT - Discussing Google's Daydream platform
12:41PM EDT - Daydream View: Google's take on VR headsets
12:41PM EDT - Wanted to make something that is comfortable and easy to use
12:42PM EDT - soft, flexible, breatheable
12:42PM EDT - made from soft micro-fabrics
12:42PM EDT - It's soft and cozy :)
12:42PM EDT - 30% lighter than other headsets
12:42PM EDT - fits over glasses
12:43PM EDT - Which reminds me, I should be wearing mine
12:43PM EDT - Headset includes auto-alignment system and communicates with phone wirelessly
12:44PM EDT - Comes with a small wireless controller. Gyro inside
12:44PM EDT - Controller can be stored inside headset when done using it
12:45PM EDT - Presenter just dropped the controller on the floor. It survived
12:45PM EDT - 3 colors: Slate (gray), Snow (silver), Crimson
12:46PM EDT - Harry Potter VR content: Fantastic Beasts
12:48PM EDT - I've got my glasses on now. Headache averted
12:48PM EDT - Still discussing VR content
12:48PM EDT - VR journalism from New York Times
12:48PM EDT - More than 50 partners already onboard Daydream
12:49PM EDT - Google Play Movies, Photos, Street View, and YouTube will be Daydream compatible
12:50PM EDT - Street View in VR should be useful. An interesting way to explore new places.
12:51PM EDT - Already 100k+ immersive videos on YouTube?
12:51PM EDT - A lot of possibilities for VR content on YouTube
12:52PM EDT - Headset and controller available in November for $79
12:52PM EDT - plus a Pixel phone of course :)
12:52PM EDT - Now discussing connectivity
12:53PM EDT - Announcing Google WiFi
12:53PM EDT - Expandable system: network of access points
12:54PM EDT - Add access points to tailor coverage to your home
12:54PM EDT - Network assist feature automatically optimizes the network and connections
12:54PM EDT - Makes it easier to manage network
12:55PM EDT - Can control Google WiFi with app on phone
12:55PM EDT - Can disable network access on per user basis
12:56PM EDT - Announcing Chromecast Ultra
12:56PM EDT - cast content up to 4K and HDR
12:56PM EDT - 4K content coming to Google Play Movies in November
12:57PM EDT - Comes with Ethernet port
12:57PM EDT - Old school
12:58PM EDT - Moving on to Google Home
12:59PM EDT - Enjoy music, manage tasks, control devices in home with your voice
12:59PM EDT - Very neutral design
12:59PM EDT - LEDs and touch surface on top
01:00PM EDT - There's a mute button to make it stop listening
01:00PM EDT - Can swap bases to get a different visual look
01:01PM EDT - Several speakers inside base for playing music
01:01PM EDT - Use your voice to control music playback.
01:02PM EDT - Ties into YouTube Music, Pandora, Spotify, iHeart
01:03PM EDT - Can choose a default music service, so you don't have to keep telling it what source to use
01:05PM EDT - Google Home ties into Google's knowledge graph to answer questions you ask
01:05PM EDT - Also grabs snippets from the Web if it cannot find answer in knowledge graph
01:06PM EDT - Google Home names source of snippet from the Web before reading the answer. That's a nice touch
01:07PM EDT - Can ask it where to buy camping gear and it will tell you a list of stores and how far away they are
01:08PM EDT - Can follow up that query with directions
01:09PM EDT - Seems to work well with natural language queries (at least the examples provided)
01:09PM EDT - Can add items to shopping list and later access it with your phone
01:11PM EDT - Can use voice to control devices in the home.
01:11PM EDT - Can control TVs via Chromecast
01:12PM EDT - Google Home + Chromecast = Siri voice control on AppleTV
01:13PM EDT - Netflix support coming soon
01:13PM EDT - Works with Google Photos to display photos via Chromcast
01:14PM EDT - Google Home works as the voice control interface
01:14PM EDT - Google Home can also control external speakers via Chromecast Audio
01:15PM EDT - Can play music over multiple speakers within a group. Spread music throughout home
01:15PM EDT - Google Home: A WiFi speaker with Google Assistant built in
01:16PM EDT - Costs $129. Available for preorder today. Shipping Nov. 4
01:16PM EDT - 3 colors (fabric): Mango, Marine, Violet
01:17PM EDT - 3 metal base colors: Carbon, Snow, Copper
01:17PM EDT - Video time again
01:18PM EDT - It feels like I'm typing a lot
01:20PM EDT - Now talking about the openness of Google Assistant
01:21PM EDT - New developer options for tying into Google Assistant
01:22PM EDT - New conversation building tools coming in December
01:22PM EDT - Actions on Google
01:23PM EDT - embedded Google Assistant SDK
01:23PM EDT - will launch next year
01:23PM EDT - GA on Raspberry Pi
01:24PM EDT - Should enable third-party hardware with GA
01:24PM EDT - Wrapping up
01:25PM EDT - Thanks for reading along everyone
01:25PM EDT - I'm going to give my fingers a rest now
01:26PM EDT - And that's a wrap. Now for some hands-on
85 Comments
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soliloquist - Tuesday, October 4, 2016 - link
Liked when the guy dropped the remote... "those little things. And there well made too." Also the voice recognition demo was great when the assistant wrote "went" instead of "want" when he was asking his wife if she wanted to see the Luminaries. I sure the presenter cringed during that.The camera looks nice but the price is pretty steep. I did like the Nexus approach better, but it remains to be seen if they can play in this luxury market. The unlimited cloud storage seems like a nice value-add, except that is just more data for them to mine. Also the new Chromecast Ultra seems nice, the other stuff doesn't really interest me too much.
jackstar7 - Tuesday, October 4, 2016 - link
When the Pixel hits Google Fi, I plan to take a long look at the 5" version.jackstar7 - Tuesday, October 4, 2016 - link
Okay, just saw them up for pre-order. That is not cheap, but is interesting. I'm actually intrigued by the battery on the 5.5. Could be compelling move from the 5X. Then I could hand off my 5X to someone else ready to jump to Fi.Meteor2 - Tuesday, October 4, 2016 - link
Feels like Google+. Too little too late. This isn't enough to become a player alongside Samsung and Apple. The hardware is in no way comparable to the iPhone.Drumsticks - Tuesday, October 4, 2016 - link
Price aside, why not? There's at least one independent reviewer placing the camera higher than the iPhone. Snapdragon 821 is certainly slower single threaded, but multi threaded is similar and the best you can get on Android. The Battery is pretty hefty on the 5.5" and respectable enough on the 5". The displays have what's necessary to be class leading. What exactly with the hardware is totally outclassed?Meteor2 - Tuesday, October 4, 2016 - link
On the iPhone, by the quality and the aesthetic. I'd never buy an iPhone, but they are extremely well designed and engineered.It either had to be the same price and far better (unlikely, it feels like we're at 'peak phone', at least until someone builds a flat phone with no bezel), or as as good as, and cheaper.
tuxRoller - Tuesday, October 4, 2016 - link
Wait. What? Why "the same price and far better"?Perhaps it's because I don't know what you mean by"better".
Meteor2 - Tuesday, October 4, 2016 - link
Because otherwise why would you *not* buy an iPhone 7 or a Note 7? They're excellent phones with massive user-bases. People who are brand new to the expensive phone market are unlikely to gamble on a newcomer, especially when Apple and Samsung are so fashionable.Google+ came far too late in the day and offered nothing over Facebook; look what happened.
tuxRoller - Tuesday, October 4, 2016 - link
The iPhone might be a better phone, but people don't typically cross shop.I don't see how the galaxy phones are better (positives: ois, ip67, sdcard slot; negatives: software, made of glass, updates lag and uncertain, no seamless upgrades), or why one would prefer a galaxy if they were equal.
That's not the point, though. I'm questioning why a Google phone would have to be "the same price and far better" in order to justify the purchase.
Impulses - Wednesday, October 5, 2016 - link
To be fair, Samsung also has water resistance and Qi charging in their favor... Software is a big enough factor for me that I'd take a Pixel or even an HTC 10 over a Galaxy S7 tho, despite how much I'd like to keep using the wireless chargers I'm currently using with my N5.Depending on taste you might also prefer the capacitive buttons and slightly larger screens of the Samsung/HTC alternatives... I've kinda gotten used to on screen buttons myself and prefer that rear fingerprint reader.
I think that kinda subjective thing goes a long way even tho it may seem like a small factor to the spec driven enthusiast.