Google I/O was this week, Google’s annual developer conference. Interestingly, it was new hardware that took up most of the stage time, but that does make sense once you dig in.
Pixel Watch made its official debut after lots of whispers and leaks, especially after Google bought Fitbit for $2.1B last year. Although third-party smartwatch producers already use Google’s Wear OS (like Samsung and its Galaxy Watch), the operating system has lacked features like biometric tracking tools, which are Fitbit's bread and butter. Now the new Pixel Watch features a deep integration with Fitbit software, packaged on a sleek circular screen that’s nearly bezel-less.
Another biggie: the Pixel Buds Pro are Google’s first earbuds that have active noise cancellation (ANC), and when paired with a compatible Pixel phone, they’ll support spatial audio too. A Silent Seal adapts to your ears to maximize the ANC or relieve pressure for comfort. The buds even have bone-conduction capabilities to help pick up your voice for clearer calls, and a feature called Volume EQ that helps maintain a balanced sound profile when you change the volume.
As for the phones, the Pixel 6a is similar to the Pixel 6 that came before it except smaller at only 6.1 inches. And that’s a good a thing because with Google’s newer Tensor chip, the phone delivers most of the same features as the more expensive Pixels, which is a "big deal for a phone at this price,” Google’s SVP of Devices and Services said.
Google gave us a peek at the Pixel 7 but didn't give much information on it yet.
In some ways, we’re most excited about Google's tease of its next-generation AR glasses. The video shows a demo of real-time language translation on the lenses, “sort of like subtitles for the world.”
It’s been a decade since Google Glass debuted at I/O 2012…will Product Hunt kitty make an upgrade?
- Apply to the beta program here!
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- Aeqium’s new tool, Offers, crafts eye-catching, interactive offer letters to help candidates understand their total compensation.
- Tweetic.io lets you convert tweets to static HTML.