Google‘s launch event this morning announced several new additions to their family of products centered around the theme of shifting from mobile-first to AI-first.
Google Home Mini was the first to be introduced and for a small device, it packed an impressive number of functions. An accompaniment to the Google Home, the mini will allow the smart speaker to be accessible in more rooms around the house. The Google Home Max is a larger version of the original Google Home that features better sound quality. The mini and max will retail for $49 and $399 respectively.
The Pixelbook is a high-end Chromebook that will be the first laptop to have Assistant built in. It comes with a touch screen and can be converted to a tablet so Google worked with Wacom to create the Pixelbook Pen, a pressure-sensitive pen for writing and drawing. The Pixelbook will cost $999 and the Pixelbook Pen will go for $99.
Pixel 2 and the larger Pixel 2XL were unveiled to have edge-to-edge screens and no headphone jack. Google removed the home button and to activate Assistant, users will squeeze the phone. The device will ship with the new Android Oreo operating system. Google showed off the phone’s camera with improved quality and had some fun with AR stickers.
Google’s PixelBud are the wireless headphones of the future, featuring real time audio translation in 40 languages and comes with 24 hours of listening time. Another optional device for the Pixel 2 is the Clips camera that uses AI learning to capture moments without someone behind the lens.
Today’s launch event showcased Google’s efforts in machine learning that lead the innovations for smarter devices.
