Google keynote: all of the news from the Pixel 2 event – The Verge

3 best and worst features of the Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL

2017-10-07T10:00:05-04:00

Google on Wednesday took the wraps off its new Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL phones, the sequels to the first-ever Google-designed Android handsets. Both devices look sharp, minimal, and sport what the company says is one of the best mobile cameras on the market, with original Pixel buyers able to testify the device line's prowess in the picture-taking department.

But perhaps you're still on the fence. Maybe you own an Apple product, and you're simply fed up with iOS, or have no intention of buying the iPhone 8 or shelling out for the iPhone X. Or perhaps you've been looking for a cleaner, simpler, and bloatware-free Android phone, but not sure yo …

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Bluetooth won’t replace the headphone jack — walled gardens will

2017-10-05T12:23:19-04:00

Yesterday, Google announced the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, two phones I've been excited about for a while now. They have big screens, a delightfully playful design sensibility, and what promises to be a fascinating upgrade to the previous Pixel's best-in-class camera.

They also don't have headphone jacks.

Predictably, my Twitter replies exploded. Last year I wrote a piece calling the removal of headphone jacks from phones "user-hostile and stupid" in the lead-up to the iPhone 7 launch. Google and Samsung certainly weren't shy in pointing out that their phones retained the 3.5mm connector, and now it's gone from the Pixel 2. If Google and Appl …

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Pixelbook vs. MacBook vs. Surface Laptop: how do the $1,000 laptops stack up?

2017-10-05T10:00:04-04:00

Google's Pixelbook is the revived image of a high-end Chromebook, a top-shelf version of a Google laptop running Chrome OS that's meant to stand shoulder to shoulder with devices like Apple's MacBook or Microsoft's Surface Laptop.

The Pixelbook starts at $999, which isn't exactly cheap by Chromebook standards, especially when considering that the price doesn't include the $99 Pixelbook Pen stylus. But if you can work with Chrome OS - something that gets easier and easier with each passing day as Google's operating system gets more and more capable - it might just be worth the price.

It's too early to say whether or not the Pixelbook will r …

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The Pixel’s missing headphone jack proves Apple was right

2017-10-05T08:01:01-04:00

When it launched the iPhone 7 a year ago, Apple confidently declared the headphone jack obsolete technology that we could learn to live without. I disagreed with the necessity of its removal then, and I disagree with it now, but with Google joining the ranks of jack-less phone makers, I think it's time to accept the inevitability of the 3.5mm port's demise. According to the two towering US giants of mobile tech, the future is wireless (or, in emergencies, dongle-shaped) and even though that will make our lives less convenient and our tech less compatible, we should all just come along for the ride.

I'm not okay with this, but it isn't my ch …

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How Google’s Pixel Buds compare to Apple’s AirPods

2017-10-05T07:20:46-04:00

Yesterday, Google announced the second round of its very own Pixel phones, but it also expanded its small universe of "Made by Google" hardware. One of the new products under that umbrella, and a first for Google, are the Pixel Buds. They're around-the-neck wireless earbuds (or "neckbuds") that, in some ways, resemble Apple's AirPods.

Much like Apple, Google has done away with the headphone jack on its new phones, so selling a pair of its own wireless headphones makes sense. They're even priced exactly the same as AirPods, at $159. However, there are plenty of differences between the Pixel Buds and AirPods that are worth elucidating at the …

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Google is already running out of Pixel 2 stock

2017-10-04T17:07:40-04:00

It's been only three hours since Google's Pixel 2 event wrapped up - but if you're planning to buy one and haven't gotten around to it yet, you're already late enough to be on the waiting list.

Many models of the Pixel 2 and every model of the Pixel 2 XL have already seen their delivery dates slip past the phone's October 19th launch date. Here's the current situation in the Google Store:

Pixel 2:

Black 64GB: In stock.
Black 128GB: In stock.
White 64GB: 5-6 weeks.
White 128GB: 2-3 weeks
Blue 64GB: 6-7 weeks

Pixel 2 XL:

Black 64GB: 2-3 weeks
Black 128GB: 2-3 weeks
White 64GB: out of stock, waitlist
White 128GB: out of stock, waitlist.

The situatio …

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Google’s Pixel 2 phones are the first to use built-in eSIM technology

2017-10-04T15:05:35-04:00

You'll be able to use Google's newest smartphones, the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, without needing to pop in a SIM card, the company announced today. As long as you're a Project Fi subscriber, Google will use the devices' built-in eSIMs to authenticate your cellular account. Prior to today, no smartphone has ever used the eSIM standard. The relatively new technology has typically been reserved for LTE-equipped tablets, smartwatches, and other cellular wearables.

"This means you no longer need to go to a store to get a SIM card for wireless service, wait a few days for your card to arrive in the mail, or fumble around with a bent paper clip to c …

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Google will email customers when Pixels are back in stock

2017-10-04T13:49:54-04:00

Correction October 5th, 2:15PM ET: It turns out, Google hasn't changed the ordering process this year - the company will still email customers when stock returns and then sell them on a first-come, first-serve basis; you won't be able to hold a place in line. That's too bad, since the Pixel 2 is already out of stock in some configurations. The original story is below.

It ought to be at least a little bit easier to get a Pixel this year. Google says it's updating its online store so that if the Pixels are out of stock, you'll be able to reserve one and hold a place in line.

In the past, you had to put your name on a waiting list and then wa …

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Google guarantees three years of Android software updates for the Pixel 2

2017-10-04T13:46:33-04:00

Google's tech specs page for the Pixel 2 seems to indicate that buyers of the company's latest smartphones can expect to receive Android software updates for three years from the time of release. Previous Nexus devices and the original Pixels were guaranteed updates for at least two years.

This extension went completely unmentioned during today's keynote, so I'm really hoping it's not a mistake. It's written in the footnotes of the Pixel listing at Google's own store, albeit with somewhat confusing wording. Both software updates and security updates are mentioned as offered for three years:

³Pixel's software and security updates for three …

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Google launches a ‘Made for Google’ certified accessories program

2017-10-04T13:45:48-04:00

Google just announced onstage during its Pixel event that it's launching a "Made for Google" certification program for third-party accessories. The news, which was reported earlier this week by 9to5Google, means that the company will adopt a similar approach to how Apple handles recommending things you might want to plug into (or slap onto) your phone.

Made for Google will include everything from phone cases, to USB-C earbuds, power adapters, and more, many of which are already available in the Google store alongside the company's new hardware. The new program shouldn't be confused with Made by Google, which is what the company uses when re …

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