Google I/O: Cheaper Pixel 3a, Android Q, smartphone addiction tools, Nest Hub Max - Phys.org
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Google I/O: Cheaper Pixel 3a, Android Q,
smartphone addiction tools, Nest Hub Max
9 May 2019, by Edward C. Baig, Usa Today
Here are some of the highlights of most interest to
consumers.
Cheaper Pixels
Just seven months ago, Google released a pair of
highly thought of smartphones, the Pixel 3 and
Pixel 3XL. At I/O, Google introduced two new
handsets, not successors to the 3 and 3XL, which
remain in Google's portfolio, but rather far less
expensive variations that manage to retain many of
the same appealing features.
These are the Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL, and they
Credit: CC0 Public Domain fetch $399 or $479, respectively. Consider the Pixel
3 starts at $799, though you can find it cheaper with
trade-ins. The new phones start shipping
immediately.
Even after all these years, the first thing that likely
comes to mind when you think Google is search. The latest handsets will be available in three colors
Google has long been about way more than that, (Just Black, Clearly White and Purple-ish), from all
of course, and the annual Google I/O developer of Google's carrier partners, including Verizon, T-
conference, now underway in Mountain View, Mobile, Sprint, Google FI Spectrum (Charter) and C
California, is where the Alphabet-subsidiary Spire. (The phone will be supported on AT&T's
previews new hardware, software and other network as well).
products.
And yes, they boast such impressive camera
Google didn't ignore search during I/O and features as Night Sight, which as the name
showcased 3-D and augmented reality effects to suggests is all about capturing images in dim light
make search that much more meaningful; it without a flash. (The feature worked well in a brief
brought a virtual shark onto the I/O stage during pre-launch test). It also has Portrait mode on the
one demo. front and rear cameras; pics are backed up free on
Google Photos.
What's more, using the Google Lens tool, the
company showed how you could point a camera at Google says the battery on the new phones will
a sign in a foreign language to not only translate deliver up to seven hours of use on a 15-minute
that sign but to read aloud its contents. charge and last 30 hours on a full charge with a
battery system that is said to learn your favorite
And it announced the next generation of the apps and prioritize power for the ones you use
Google Assistant (coming later in the year) that most frequently.
Google says is 10 times faster than today's
Assistant. Security comes through the Titan M chip. You can
squeeze the side of the phone to summon the
Google Assistant.
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And the phone also sports the Call Screen feature At I/O, Google is expanding on such tools and is
introduced on the 3 and 3XL that is meant to bringing Family Link and Digital Wellbeing together.
frustrate telemarketers. When a call comes in from
a number you don't recognize, you can tap a For starters, Google is adding Family Link to every
screen call button that gives an automated Android Q device, once the consumer version of
response to the caller that tells them "you are using the software starts to arrive during the summer.
a screening service from Google." You'll find it with Digital Wellbeing inside the
settings.
Also coming is what appears to be an extremely
promising AR-based feature within Google Maps Family Link lets you set digital ground rules for your
that lets you see your surroundings and not just a kid, such as daily screen time limits, and a device
point on a map. bedtime. Parents can also remotely lock the child
device and approve app downloads and purchases.
The new Pixels even include a feature the Pixel 3
and 3XL dispensed with, a 3.5mm jack that will let New features let you set time limits on individual
you plug in corded headphones. apps. And if your kid behaves, you can reward the
child with bonus time.
Google also is promising that the far faster, next-
generation Google Assistant will be coming to Google is also introducing a new Focus Mode
Pixels later in the year. feature to pause distracting apps at a single tap.
The feature will come later to Android Pie as well
Of course, there were some sacrifices to get the 3a as Q.
and 3a XL down to a cheaper price: The body of
the latest phones are made of a lightweight durable And also as part of Android Q, Google is adding
polycarbonate unibody design versus the Pixel 3's site timers to the Chrome browser.
premium metal frame and glass back. The new
phones aren't water resistant either, and there's no Such issues hit home. Google is releasing the
wireless charging. results of a YouGov survey from March, which
indicate that about one in three adults in the U.S.
Addressing Digital Wellbeing inside Android Q have made or attempted to make changes in how
they use technology in order to address the
Android Q is the next generation of Google's mobile negative effects they've experienced, while 39%
operating system, and it is expected this summer are concerned but haven't taken action.
(though you can try it in beta if you have one of 21
compatible devices). Google is designing the new Meanwhile, 60% believe Digital Wellbeing is more
OS for the fast-emerging 5G networks as well as important now than a year ago. And 88% of people
foldable phones. And to be more secure. report experiencing distracting experiences with
technology, including "flipping through apps when
It has also added a "dark mode" that, in addition to I'm bored or killing time" and "losing track of time
the aesthetic, is going to save juice on your phone, when I'm on my phone."
Google says.
Google also plans to add "coaching tips" that nudge
During the last couple of years, Google has you to stick with the go-lighter-on-technology goals
introduced tools to help you tame your kid's you set up. After all, another survey result points
smartphone addiction—and your own. You could out that 70% of respondents believe that "behavior
manage Junior's usage on some devices through change is hard."
what is called Family Link. And with Android Pie,
Google focused on a slate of so-called Digital Google, which names its operating system after
Wellbeing tools, for all of us who can't seem to stop delectable treats—Q follows P which stood for
glancing at the screens. Pie—hasn't yet said what the Q will stand for. Let the
2/4guessing game begin. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Nest Hub Max
Google already has had designs on taking over
your kitchen (and other parts of the house) with the
Google Home Hub that later became the Nest Hub.
Now that Google is all in on the Nest brand, it will
be bringing out a more complete new $229 version
of the product this summer called the Nest Hub
Max.
With its 10-inch HD screen, Nest Hub Max is part
streaming TV (via a YouTube TV subscription), part
Google Assistant-driven smart speaker, part
Google Photos digital picture frame, part smart
home controller and part Nest Cam security
camera.
And you can control it with gestures.
It also features Google Duo video calling, with a
wide-angle camera that keeps you in frame as you
move—yes, technically following you around. In that
sense, it brings to mind Facebook's Portal, which
given the social network's poor reputation on
privacy, has raised a number of concerns.
Google has had to answer many of the same
questions on privacy, and one intriguing but
potentially scary feature inside Nest Hub Max is
called Face Match, in which the Nest can recognize
your mug as opposed to other family members.
(The Google Assistant can also recognize different
voices). This feature makes it possible for different
members of a household to receive, say, video
honey-do messages made specific for them.
Google says the machine learning processed face
model is encrypted and stored on the device,
meaning the camera data never leaves the Hub.
It also has a green light on the front of Hub Max
that lets you know when the camera is streaming,
and Google insists nothing is streamed or recorded
unless you explicitly enable it. And there's a
hardware switch on the back to physically disable
the microphone and camera.
(c)2019 USA Today
3/4APA citation: Google I/O: Cheaper Pixel 3a, Android Q, smartphone addiction tools, Nest Hub Max
(2019, May 9) retrieved 19 May 2019 from https://phys.org/news/2019-05-google-io-cheaper-
pixel-3a.html
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