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The Galaxy S8 vs. the competition: Both beauty and beast
Samsung's had a rough year, but it's hoping that its new flagship phones can turn things around. In fact, the company's wants you to see the Galaxy S8 as a new type of handset: bigger and bolder in shape, with personal assistant Bixby and a desktop mode to sweeten the pot. But it's entering a market already full of swank devices like the Google Pixel (with its amazing camera) and the iPhone 7. While you'll have to wait for our full review to see how the S8 fares in the wild, we've lined up its specs against some of the competition to see if it's bringing the right tools to the field.
Engadget giveaway: Win a Pixel smartphone courtesy of TurboTax!
It's tax time again, where many fight sloth and memory lapses until mid-April, when procrastinating is no longer an option. Whether you get them sorted early or wait until the last minute, Intuit's TurboTax is always there to make the process fast, easy and convenient. Using the mobile app, you can take a photo of your W-2 and it will automatically fill in your info. Since the web and mobile experiences are synced, you can even start the process on your phone and finish on your laptop, right where you left off. TurboTax also offers its service for free if you're doing a basic return and its SmartLook feature offers one-way video assistance if you get stuck. To help brighten up this financially burdensome time of year, TurboTax has provided a Google Pixel smartphone for one lucky reader this week! All you need to do is head to the Rafflecopter widget for up to three chances at winning. So, good luck and get to those taxes, the process could be a lot easier than you think. Winner: Congratulations to Rob S. of Boston, MA!
Google opens up its Assistant actions to developers
When Google first unveiled its Assistant earlier this year, the service seemed to have quite a lot of potential. Unfortunately, in our testing of the company's new Home speaker and Pixel smartphones, we found the digital helper rather limited. Now that Google has opened up Assistant's developer platform, though, the service could finally become as powerful as promised.
New in our buyer's guide: the Pixel and Pixel XL, and more!
Nope, we're not done adding phones to our buyer's guide. Hot on the heels of inducting the new iPhones (and before that, the Galaxy S7 and HTC 10), we're tossing in both of the new Google phones, the Pixel and Pixel XL. While we're at it, we decided the PlayStation VR deserved a spot in our gaming section right alongside other premium virtual reality headsets like the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive. At the opposite end of the price spectrum, the $50 Amazon Echo Dot is a great value at that price. Lastly, GoPro -- a staple company in this list -- earns a spot for its newest flagship action camera, the Hero5 Black. Find all that in more in our buyer's guide, and stay tuned for our next round of additions, likely sometime after CES.
Google Live cases show trending topics on your Pixels' screens
Google has launched two new Live case lines for its Pixel phones that come with their own live wallpapers, and one of them's a lot more relaxing than the other. The Google Earth Live cases feature beaches, ice formations and other beautiful photos of our planet taken from the company's satellite imagery. While each case matches a specific Google Earth photo, their live wallpaper changes everyday using a rotation of curated images from the program. You'll also find a shortcut button on the home screen that you can tap to explore the specific location currently shown on your screen.
The bottom line: Our quick verdict on Google's Pixel and Pixel XL
What happens when Google designs its own phones, as Apple does with the iPhone? You get some of the best handsets money can buy, that's what. The 5-inch Pixel and 5.5-inch Pixel XL are well-built, with fast performance, excellent cameras and great screens (especially on the larger model). No product is perfect, though, and indeed, we've identified a few areas where Google can improve with the inevitable second generation. In particular, we were disappointed to see that these phones are less water resistant (and arguably less stylish) than other handsets you'd find in this price range. Speaking of the sort, these things are expensive, with starting prices of $649 and $769, respectively. That's on par with other flagships, but for the money, we don't want to see too many "cons" in those review cards you see below. Thankfully, the pros here vastly outweigh the few shortcomings, and both Pixel phones both earn our strong recommendation.
Google's Assistant just got even smarter thanks to IFTTT
Between a chat app, two new smartphones and a new in-home avatar, Google's new Assistant is really getting around. While that slow march toward ubiquity continues, it keeps getting smarter, too -- Android Police points out you can now hook up Google Assistant to dozens of new IFTTT recipes, perfect for when you get tired of playing that emoji movies game. Just know this: you can only set up Assistant-enabled IFTTT recipes if you're using a Pixel phone or the (as yet unreleased) Google Home.
Google Pixel cameras are experiencing excessive lens flare
The new Google Pixel and Pixel XL have plenty of features that can stand up to the competition, but there's one that Google apparently didn't intend on including: excessive lens flare on that highly rated camera. Redditors and members of google's own Pixel User Community have been reporting cases of "rather extreme lens flaring" in "the overwhelming majority" of handsets.
Google Pixel XL's modular components can be easily replaced
iFixit gave Google's Pixel XL a middling repairability score of 6 out of 10 partly because its display was poorly assembled. Still, the team found a lot of modular components that can be easily replaced when they cracked Mountain View's new flagship open. They also noted that HTC acted as the perfect silent partner, barely leaving a mark on the device despite manufacturing it for the tech giant. The only indication that HTC was involved is a logo on the XL's battery, which you can peel off -- it's right in the middle of a tab you need to pull if you want to pop the phone's battery out.
Welcome to Google's NYC home
Google has made minimal forays into real-world retail shops thus far. There's a good reason for that: The company has long been more focused on software than hardware. That's slowly changing, but Google went all-in on its own hardware brand when it announced the new Pixel smartphones, Google Home, Daydream VR headset and Google WiFi router earlier this month. For most consumers, buying hardware sight-unseen is still a tough proposition, so Google is finally making it easier for consumers to check out all its new gadgets -- in New York City, at least. The company's pop-up retail location opened its doors this morning, and while it wasn't exactly an iPhone-level stampede, there were a couple dozen people waiting to get in when it opened. A steady stream of passers-by came through in the hour I spent at the store.
Verizon now says the Pixel will get Android updates immediately
Since it was announced that Verizon was the only US carrier selling Google's new Pixel smartphone directly, there's been some confusion about what that'll mean for Android updates. Originally, it sounded like the Verizon version of the Pixel wouldn't get Android updates at the same time as the unlocked versions, which meant Verizon customers could end up waiting for the carrier to approve the updates -- something that has historically slowed things down significantly. (To refresh your memory, just look at how badly things with when Verizon sold the Galaxy Nexus way back in 2011 and 2012.)
A look back at Google's Android flagships: the Nexus family
Android purists have always had the same response to new smartphone announcements from the likes of HTC, Samsung or LG. "I'll just wait for the next Nexus." And why not? For years, Google's Nexus line served both as its official flagship products and as public reference devices for the latest in Android phones and tablets. Now, Google has replaced the brand with a new top dog: the Pixel. At first blush, it's everything users loved about the Nexus line and more -- but before we close the casket on Google's first series of smartphones, let's look back and talk about what made the Nexus brand so special.
The Pixel XL vs. the competition: The bigger flagships face off
Once more, Google is giving us two flagship phone sizes to choose from. But this time, the company's releasing them under its own brand, Pixel. There are great features like Google Assistant and a new camera to check out, but how does the new XL's hardware compare to its competition? We've sized up the specs of the larger Pixel versus premiere handsets like the iPhone 7 Plus, Moto Z and even the recalled Galaxy Note 7 (we hope you've exchanged yours by now) for a better look.
The Google Pixel vs. the competition: Ready to rumble
We may be saying goodbye to the Nexus name, but we're not saying goodbye to the things we've come to expect from Google's premiere phones. The new Pixel still offers everything you'd expect in a flagship, including a highly-rated camera, a fingerprint sensor and the traditional 3.5mm headphone jack. But, with so many current phones offering similar chipsets, features like Google Assistant could make all the difference. We'll take a closer look at some of the bells and whistles in our eventual review, but for now there are specs to chew over. Check out the table below to see how the Pixel measures up on paper to some of its leading competition.
Google's Pixel phones arrive with full-res photo and video storage
In addition to unveiling its new Pixel phones at its big keynote today, Google revealed that its new handsets will come with unlimited cloud storage for full-resolution pictures and videos. That's a big deal if you plan to take advantage of the devices' 4K shooting capabilities and shoot stills at full 12.3-megapixel resolution. It's worth noting that the company already offers something similar with Google Photos, but the current arrangement still doesn't necessarily guarantee images will be saved at their fullest resolution.
Google's 'Assistant' is at the core of its new hardware
Google CEO Sundar Pichai kicked off today's keynote by emphasizing the company's shift in focus from "mobile first" to "AI first," saying it wants to create a personal Google for each user. The company demonstrated the fruit of its efforts earlier this year by giving us a taste of its AI "Assistant" in its Allo messaging app. But that wasn't enough, according to Google. Pichai said for Assistant to be truly helpful, it needs to be available universally, and so the company today showed how it plans to bring the helper to a wide range of products, including phones and items for your living room.
Pixel leaks keep flowing on the eve of Google's big event
Everybody keeps spilling the beans on Google's upcoming Pixel phones. After a UK retailer and a Canadian carrier posted about them early, it's now Verizon's turn. Gizmodo has spotted listings of the upcoming devices on the carrier's Enterprise website, where you can find both the Pixel and the XL under its smartphone section. They also come with a short description of the devices' features, including a mysterious one called "Google Magic." We'll probably find out what that is at Google's big event. Serial leaker Evan Blass (aka evleaks) has also tweeted out an image of the devices for Verizon, and it looks like they will be available in silver/white and blue.
UK retailer leaks Google's Pixel phones in detail
Here are Google's Pixel phones. Again! In some unfortunate error, UK phone seller Carphone Warehouse has full listings for two phones, cementing what we've already heard or seen, as well as demonstrating how Google hopes to pitch the two devices to smartphone shoppers.
Google's likely Pixel phone event is happening October 4th
Hot on the heels of rumors and whispers aplenty, Google is sending out invites to an October 4th event that's expected to reveal, in full, new flagship Android phones, likely tagged with its Pixel branding. We're sure the company has more than a new phone or two. Unfortunately those aforementioned rumors also suggest they may not be as handily priced as their Nexus forefathers. (Maybe if you can hack a Nexus, you can buy us all one.) We'll be there to tell you all the important stuff next month. That said, the teaser video (below) doesn't show us much of anything. Maybe it's a new vertical search box? Be still, my beating heart.
