Google delivered on the promises made by rumors leading up to today’s big event, and it delivered an action packed press conference that was overflowing with major announcements. We all knew Google had plans to step up its hardware efforts, and we all knew that the next-generation Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones would spearhead those efforts. We also knew that plenty more new hardware would be introduced during the show today — but we’re not sure anyone truly grasped the full scope of what Google had planned.
In this post, we’ll recap the event and go through all of the most important announcements Google made during its big event on Tuesday.
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Google Assistant
It’s beyond clear that Google thinks AI is the future of computing. Google CEO Sundar Pichai said that the company began by building “a Google for everyone,” and now the company’s goal is to build each user his or her own Google. Like Siri and Google Now, Google Assistant pulls personal data in from a wide range of sources in order to offer personalized experiences that help people in every aspect of their lives.
Google Assistant uses machine learning to “turbocharge” the smart features Google Now has offered in the past, resulting in an even more proactive and personalized experience for users. Main features include a voice-powered assistant with much more natural speech, photo recognition, dramatically improved machine translation that is closer to human translation, and much more.
Google said that all of its new apps and hardware are in part about putting Google Assistant in the hands of users. Also of note, Google Assistant will be available to third-party developers so they can integrate their apps and services.
Google Pixel
Come on, at least try to act surprised…
Learn more about the Pixel here, and the Pixel XL here.
Daydream View
Meet Google’s first virtual reality headset, which offers a wide range of features and a design that appears to be an improvement over some rival offerings. It’s powered by your Daydream-enabled Android phone, of course, like a Pixel or Pixel XL. There’s also a wireless remote accessory that helps you control the VR experience without having to touch the headset.
Daydream View will cost $79 when it launches in November, and it includes the wireless controller. Check out more details right here.
Google Wi-Fi
This is a brand new expandable Wi-Fi router system similar to the new crop of routers we’ve seen pop up all over the place lately. It will launch in November priced at $129 for one unit or $299 for a three-pack. Learn more here.
Chromecast Ultra
Meet the new and improved Chromecast streaming media dongle, which features more powerful hardware and now supports 4K content. It’ll launch next month for $69 and you can learn more in this post.
Google Home
This is the Amazon Echo rival we saw previewed during this past summer’s Google I/O event, and now we have launch details. The Google Home personal speaker will be released on November 4th for $129, and it includes a free 6-month trial of YouTube Red. Preorders begin today on Google’s online store or through Google’s retail partners. Check out this post to learn more.
