Google October 4th 2017 Event: Everything you need to know

Google made quite a few announcements including the Pixel 2 and 2 XL, Google Home Mini and the new Google Pixelbook.

Google CEO, Sundar Pichai started off the event by talking about’s shift from a mobile first to an AI first world. He talked about how Google is using AI/machine learning to predict parking difficulty in major cities like San Francisco in Google Maps.

Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL

 

After a number of leaks, the Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL have officially been announced. The phones have similar specs to each other and are made from aluminium.

The standard Pixel 2 has a 5-inch Full HD AMOLED display while the Pixel 2 XL has a 6-inch display with an 18:9 aspect ratio. The phones are Daydream-ready and come with Android 8.0 Oreo.

The Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL have the highest rated smartphone camera by DxoMark at a score of 98. The camera is 12.2-megapixels and has been designed to make pictures pop. There’s also OIS (Optical Image Stabilization) and EIS (Electronic Image Stabilization).

The phones’ camera comes with a Portrait mode which only uses on camera and even works on the front-facing camera. Inside, you’ll find the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor with 4GB of RAM.

Both models are IP67 and get all-day battery life, as wells as an always-on display. The always-on display will be able to recognized songs all on the device. There’s no 3.5mm headphone jack but the phones still have USB Type-C and front-facing stereo speakers.

The Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL have squeezable sides called Active Edge. This works in a similar way to the feature found on the HTC U11. By default, the Active Edge will launch the Google Assistant.

Exclusive to the Pixel phones are new AR Stickers, which can interact. Google has partnered with Netflix to create AR Stickers of the kids from Stranger Things and there will be AR Stickers for SNL, Star Wars and more.

The Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL are the first phone with Google Lens.

The Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL will be available for pre-order today in Canada, Australia, Germany, India, UK and US. Google will be including a free Google Home Mini with every Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL purchase for a limited time in Canada, US, Australia, UK and Germany.

The Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL are available for pre-order, the Canadian pricing is as follows:

• Pixel 2 – 64GB – $899 CAD
• Pixel 2 – 128GB – $1,029 CAD
• Pixel 2 XL – 64GB – $1,159 CAD
• Pixel 2 XL – 128GB – $1,289 CAD

As of right now, the standard Pixel 2 ships by October 17th and all the Pixel 2 XL models ship in 5-6 weeks.

The Pixel 2 comes in Just Black, Kinda Blue (only in 64GB), Clearly White and the Pixel XL 2 comes in Just Black, Black & White.

Google Pixel Buds

Google also announced Pixel Buds, which is their first pair of Bluetooth earbuds. All the controls are built into the right earbud. You’ll also be able to access the Google Assistant with the Pixel Buds.

During the event, Google showed off the Pixel Buds for real-time translation using Google Translate. The Pixel Buds will come in three colours, Kinda Blue, Clearly White and Just Black for $219 CAD ($159 USD) and come in November.

Google Home Mini

The Google Home Mini has no hard edges and much more rounded. The device is made from fabric, of which Google made from scratch. There are also LED lights and can be controlled via touch.

The Home Mini can produce 360-degree of sound, and can easily cast to Chromecast devices.

The Home Mini comes in three colours, Coral, Chalk and Charcoal. It’s available for pre-order today for $79 CAD ($49 USD) and ships on October 19th in Canada, US, UK, Australia, France, Germany and Japan.

In addition to the Google Home Mini, Google announced something called Voice Match, which essentially makes a profile of your voice, so it can easily recognize it.

Earlier this year, Google announced hands-free calling for Google Home, you’ll now be able to call using your own number. Google is also releasing the Google Home in Japan, later this week.

Google also announced routines, that will allow you to perform more than one action at a time. So you could say, “Ok Google, good night”, then it will turn off the lights, adjust your thermostat, arm your security system and set your alarm.

A new feature called Broadcast will let you send announcements to all your Google Home devices.

Google Home Max

The Home Mini wasn’t the only Google Home that Google announced. They also announced the Google Home Max, which is designed for amazing audio.

Like other Google Home products, the Home Max has the Google Assistant is built-in. It also has something called Smart Sound, it can automatically and dynamically tune the speaker depending on where and when the Home Max is placed in your home.

The Home Max has support for Google Cast, Bluetooth and 3.5mm input. The Home Max is coming in December for $399 USD and come in two colours, Chalk and Charcoal. The device will be first launching in the US and coming to more countries in 2018. It will be available for pre-order on November 13th.

Google Pixelbook

The Google Pixelbook is designed to be a premium experience. It is 10mm thin and 1kg light and has a 4-in-1 design. The device can be folded into tablet form, tent or standard laptop form.

It has a 12.3″ touchscreen and a backlit keyboard. The Pixelbook can be optioned with an Intel Core i5 or i7 processor, and up to 512GB of internal storage.

The Pixelbook is the first laptop with the Google Assistant built-in. You’ll also be able to use the Pixelbook Pen with the laptop, Google has worked with Wacom to create the stylus, it has 10ms of latency and 2,000 pressure points.

The Pixelbook also supports Google Play, so you’ll be able to use your favourite Android apps. Snapchat will also be coming to the Pixelbook.

The Pixelbook is available in three configurations and starts at $1,299 CAD ($999 USD), pre-orders start today and it will be available in Canada, US, UK, starting October 31st.

The Canadian pricing for the Pixelbook is as follows:

• Intel Core i5, 8GB of RAM, 128GB SSD – $1,299 CAD
• Intel Core i5, 8GB of RAM, 256GB SSD – $1,599 CAD
• Intel Core i7, 16GB of RAM, 512GB SSD – $2,099 CAD*

*The i7 Pixelbook is now available for pre-order just yet, it’s listed as coming soon on the Google Store.

Google Daydream View (2017)

Google has slightly redesigned the Daydream View, it’s now made to accommodate the Pixel 2 XL’s 6-inch display and there’a  heatsink built-in and an adjustable head strap. They come in new colours, Charcoal (black), Fog (grey) and Coral.

The new Daydream View will go for $139 CAD ($99 USD) and is available for pre-order now and should ship on October 19th.

Google Clips

The company also announced Google Clips, which is a hands-free camera to help you “snap, save and share” your life’s moments. It will retail for $249 USD.

Source: Google, (2), (3), (4)