Our Google overlords are set to announce what is rumored to be a lot of new hardware, so read on below for all the news as it happens.  Make sure you keep visiting this page and article as we will be updating it as the announcements of each product are made.

Sundar Pichai has taken the stage, and starts with recognizing those impacted by the events in Houston, Florida, and Las Vegas.  He also reiterated Google’s on-going commitment to moving from “mobile first” to “AI first” business strategy.  Some examples of using machine learning to make a difference in peoples lives, citing Google Maps and Google Translate use cases.  There are 4 components that he uses for an AI first improved user experience – a pic of that slide is below with the 4 items:

The new machine vision process Google calls Google Lens was just mentioned!  Thanks Sundar!  He mentioned that he’s excited about the work the hardware team has done, and he’s brining Rick Osterloh up to talk about it.  Sounds like Google Home is up first.

Pixel 2/Pixel 2 XL News:

• Pixel 2

  • 5″ FHD (1080p) OLED display
  • Dual front facing speakers
  • All aluminum body, with glass visor
  • Fast fingerprint scanner (with promises of “the fastest”)
  • Always on display and music identification features
  • No headphone jack, supports Bluetooth 5.0
  • “Active Edge” will launch Google Assistant with a squeeze
  • IP67 water and dust resistance
  • 3 colors – Kinda blue (VZW exclusive), Just black, Clearly white
  • Pre-orders start today, should arrive around 10/18
  • Pricing from $649 (64GB) and $749 (128GB) storage

• Pixel 2 XL

  • 6″ POLED display, will full vision style “all screen”
  • 18:9 aspect ratio, with QHD resolution, 538ppi
  • Supports a wide color gamut for better color accuracy
  • Camera will have f/1.8 aperture, both OIS and EIS, and support portrait mode on both the front facing and rear facing camera
  • Always on display and music identification features
  • “Active Edge” will launch Google Assistant with a squeeze
  • IP67 water and dust resistance rating
  • 2 colors – Just black and Black and White
  • Pre-orders start today, should arrive around 10/18 (Just black), Black and White options already sold out, back ordered for 6-7 weeks
  • Pricing from $849 (64GB) and $949 (128GB)

Google Home Mini News:

• Will play 360 degree sound, and you can interact with it via the tap surface on the top of the device, where the dot display will show as well
• Will connect to any Chromecast (exciting!)
• New “Broadcast” feature that will send the same audio message to all Google Assistant and Home devices – fun for parents, less so for kids
• There will be 3 colors – Coral, Chalk, and Charcoal
• Priced at $49 in the US, pre-orders will start today, and available in stores on 10/19

Pixelbook News:

• 10mm thick, weighs about 1kg
• 4 in 1 configuration
• 12.3″ high resolution display, backlit keys, smart trackpad
• Instant tethering option when no WiFi is available (via Pixel devices)
• Optional Pixel Pen features 10ms latency, with machine learning
• 3 different storage options, available at Best Busy as well
• Pre-order today, will be available in stores on 10/31
• Pixelbook pricing starts at $999
• Pixel Pen starts at $99

 

Other Google News:

• Google Home Max

• • 20x more powerful than Google Home for audio
  • Vertical and horizontal orientation
  • SmartSound feature – adaptive environmental sound
  • Supports Cast and aux inputs
  • Diplo tested and approved!
  • Priced at $399, will ship in December

• Google Lens

This feature will be available to all Pixel devices “coming soon” but will allow you to point your phone camera at an object, and get Google Assistant help with information, facts, and allow you to take other actions.  The example that was used was to point it at a painting, get the artist, and then get more info on other paintings by the same artist. Really cool stuff with Augmented Reality impact, but this looks like a beta and may not be available for some time.  More details to come.

• Wireless Pixelbuds

• Wireless neck buds with Google Assistant and Translate built in
• Google advertises “premium sound”
• Pre-order today, available starting in November
• Pricing at $159

• Google Clips

• Smart camera, with Google Assistant baked in
• Designed for kids and pets
• Will recognize faces and objects using machine learning
• Automatic and unlimited backup to Google Photos
• Should be available in November
• Pricing from $249 (waitlist only at the moment)

Wow!  Thanks for reading if you got this far….we’ll update this piece over the next few days as any more details come about.  A podcast is coming shortly where Sean P. and I will discuss all of the events today.  And we’ll have a review of the phone(s) and the new Google Home Mini at least in the coming weeks.  Stay tuned!