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Google needs a sustainable phone moonshot
"Developing sustainable solutions to mass production and consumption is one of the biggest challenges we face today as an industry," Rick Osterloh, Google's senior vice president for devices and services said onstage yesterday. "It impacts all of us and it will for generations to come." Sustainability was a major focus of the Pixel 4 event. The company said it would spend another $150 million on renewable energy projects, for instance, that will generate the same amount of electricity that is currently required to build Made by Google products. Ivy Ross, the head of Google's hardware design team, revealed that all of its 2019 Nest products will include some amount of recycled material, too. The new Nest Mini speaker, for example, has a fabric top made entirely from old plastic bottles.
Logitech unveils its first mouse and keyboard built for Chrome OS (updated)
Now that the Pixelbook Go is here, you might want a mouse and keyboard to go with it. Logitech, unsurprisingly, is happy to oblige -- the company has unveiled its first Made for Google devices, the M355 Portable Wireless Mouse (not shown to scale) and K580 Slim Multi-Device Wireless Keyboard, Chrome OS Edition. The K580 is the highlight, packing both a row of Chrome OS shortcut keys as well as a dedicated Google Assistant key for your voice queries. You'll also find a built-in cradle to rest your Pixel phone (or any phone, really) while you're getting work done, and a button lets you switch between three two different devices if you like to bring your keyboard around. A maximum three-year (!) battery life guarantees that you won't be swapping cells very often.
Google's Daydream VR experiment is over
Google is bringing the Daydream VR experiment to a close. The Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL smartphones it announced today don't support the platform, and it won't sell Daydream View headsets anymore. The Daydream app and store will still work for people with other Pixel devices, however.
Here's everything Google announced at the Pixel 4 event
Despite all of the leaks ahead of Google's Pixel 4 hardware event today, the company still had plenty to share. Of course, we got our first official look at the Pixelbook Go and Pixel 4/4XL, but we also got to see the new Nest Mini, Nest WiFi and Pixel Buds. And Google had plenty of new features -- like ultrasound sensing and an improved Recorder app -- to wow the crowd.
Google is adding new Nest routines to further automate your home
While a lot of today was about new hardware, Nest also made time to talk about how its devices will work within the Works with Google Assistant platform the company announced in August. In a blog post published after today's Made by Google event, Nest detailed three new ways you'll be able to use the company's smart home devices within the updated framework.
Pixel 4 won't come with free full-resolution photo storage
Ever since Google unveiled the first Pixel, people who bought one of the company's phones could expect free full-resolution photo and video storage, at least for a few years. You won't have that luxury with the Pixel 4, it seems. Google made no mention of full-quality storage at its October 15th event, and a visit to the Pixel 4's product page includes a disclaimer indicating that free storage is limited to "high quality" photos and videos that could be "compressed or resized." You're likely in the same boat as every other Google Photos user, then.
A closer look at the new Google Pixel Buds
We weren't really expecting Google to debut the long-awaited follow-up to its Pixel Buds here at its hardware event today, but the company surprised us. It unveiled the new headphones (with no "2" suffix, according to product marketing manager Anissa Mak -- the device is just called the all-new Google Pixel Buds. I tried out a nonworking pair here at the event just to see how they fit, and frankly they're not bad.
Pixel 4 XL vs. the competition: The six-inch flagships
Every major flagship always has to come in two sizes now, so it's no surprise that we're looking at yet another XL Pixel model. This handset differs from its smaller sibling in size, but has the same camera setup. However, the big phone field gets more intense every year, especially since Apple went all-in with its "Max" models. For the skinny on all the relevant specs, check out the table below. For our final verdict, keep an eye out for Engadget's full review of the Pixel 4 XL later this month.
Google Pixel 4 and 4 XL hands-on: More cameras, more ambition
Google's Pixel 4 and 4 XL have been leaked so often, and so thoroughly, that it's hard to imagine it contains any surprises at all. Thankfully, that's not completely true. Yes, early reports — including dispatches from Google itself — have exposed just about every component the folks in Mountain View used here. What most of them couldn't fully describe was how different it feels from any of Google's other phones. That's partially because of their tweaked designs, but also because Google is trying to define the Pixels by more than just clean software and great cameras.
Pixel 4 vs. the competition: The camera battle intensifies
It's been yet another Pixel phone launch preceded by a ton of leaks, but we're still glad to see the official unveiling of Google's latest flagship. This 5.7-inch device may only have two rear cameras, but the software's been refined even further to include better Night Sight and HDR+. That's to be expected in the wake of more intense competition on the camera front from Samsung and Apple. To see exactly how this specs battle is shaking out, check out the table below, and stay tuned for our full review of the Pixel 4 later this month.
The Pixel 4's Recorder app can capture and transcribe simultaneously
Google's Pixel 4 smartphone will come with a nifty new Recorder app that is sure to earn fans among journalists and students. In one of the more show-stealing parts of the company's fall hardware event, Google's Sabrina Ellis revealed she had been using the app throughout her presentation to record her part of the keynote.
Google Nest WiFi hands-on: Range extenders have never sounded so good
It's been three years since Google launched its original WiFi router. Back then, it was one of a few mesh WiFi systems available for home use, promising to blanket your house with sweet, sweet internet coverage. Today, though, there are mesh routers from Netgear, LinkSys and Eero, to name a few. The devices themselves have slowly become prettier, too, looking more like classy ornaments than robotic spiders with tentacular antennae. Although it never looked as monstrous as typical routers did, the Google WiFi system was starting to feel dated. Good news, then, that the company announced a new version today called Nest WiFi. Instead of having interchangeable routers and repeaters like before, this new mesh system has a base router and companion extenders called Points.
Google's Nest devices can tell if you're near with 'ultrasound sensing'
Google knows people don't like having cameras in their homes, but it still wants to offer useful features that depend on devices knowing if you're there. After all, the whole idea behind ambient computing -- a concept Google is pushing across its various hardware departments -- is predicated on devices all around sensing and adapting to you. Since the Nest Hub Max is the only Google smart home device to pack a camera, the company had to find a way for its other products to know when you're around. With ultrasound sensing, a new feature it announced today, Google may have figured out an effective workaround.
Google Nest Mini hands-on: Software tricks make up for its tiny size
Small smart speakers, like the Google Home Mini and Amazon's Echo Dot, aren't usually designed to deliver great sound. They're typically an inexpensive way to get a digital assistant in your home, so audio quality is often neglected. With the new Nest Mini, though, Google actually made sound a priority, using its software expertise to compensate for hardware limits. After all, there's only so much you can do with a $49 puck-sized speaker.
Pixelbook Go hands-on: Google’s affordable premium Chromebook
Google's Pixel laptops used to be synonymous with "expensive." With prices upwards of $1,000, the company's Chromebook Pixel and Pixelbook were costly products meant only for the most ardent Chrome OS fans. Paradoxically, they were launched at a time when most people associated Chromebooks with cheap, secondary laptops -- you'd have had a hard time finding a third-party option that cost more than $350. But now that premium Chromebooks are popping up and Chrome OS is starting to make its way into workplaces, it seems people are ready for a Pixelbook for the masses. The Pixelbook Go, which the company unveiled today, could be just that. It may be more expensive than the competition, but it's not just another exorbitant shell for Chrome OS.
Pixel 4 will be available through every major US carrier (updated)
You no longer have to subscribe to Verizon (Engadget's parent company) if you want to buy a Pixel phone directly from a US carrier. Google has announced that the Pixel 4 series will be available through all major US networks, and then some. In addition to Big Red and Google Fi, you can also expect AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, US Cellular, C Spire, Cellcom, Spectrum Mobile, Visible and Xfinity Mobile to carry the Android flagships.
Google will offer whole-home Nest Aware subscription plans
Google's Nest Aware subscription plans let users record what's happening and get alerts from their Nest Cams and Nest Hello doorbells. Until now, you've had to add a subscription for each additional camera. Today, Google announced that it's simplifying things a bit. Beginning early next year, it will introduce whole-home subscriptions.
Google's Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL pack 2X telephoto cameras
We ranked the Pixel 3 XL as the number one smartphone out there for camera tech, and with the launch of the Pixel 4, Google aims to keep that lead. Both the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL now pack multiple cameras, with 12.2-megapixel f/1.7 main, 16-megapixel f/2.4 telephoto and 8-megapixel selfie cameras. That puts them nearly on par with the iPhone 11 and Huawei's P30 Pro -- apart from the unfortunate lack of an ultra wide-angle lens. As for video, the cameras can handle 4K at up to 30 fps, and 1080p at 120 fps.
Google Assistant has a new look on the Pixel 4
Google has given Assistant an overhaul, giving it a fresh look for Pixel 4 and making the voice assistant more useful, with a better understanding of context for the information or actions you ask it about. At the Made by Google event, the company showcased some of what the new Assistant has in store, including a zippy flow from Maggie Rogers' Twitter account to her upcoming shows, sharing that info with a friend and looking for tickets using the Continued Conversation feature.
Google shows Motion Sense gestures in action on the Pixel 4
Yep, Google's new Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL phones will have radar built-in. At a glitzy launch event in New York City, the company reiterated that both handsets will be the first to ship with its new motion-sensing Soli chip. These will enable the "fastest secure face unlock" in the industry, the company claimed, and a number of aptly-named Motion Sense gestures. The phone will, for instance, power down when you walk away and switch on as you saunter back over. You'll also be able to change music tracks, silence calls and greet Pokémon on your home screen with a quick wave.
