Google Nexus event: live updates and news from the Nexus 5X and 6P announcement – The Verge

The 9 most important things from Google’s Nexus event

2015-09-29T14:43:53-04:00

There weren't many surprises in Google's event today - everything from detailed phone specs to news of a Spotify Chromecast deal leaked in the past few weeks. But the company announced a hard date for its Android Marshmallow release, and it offered some much-needed hardware refreshes, including two new Nexus phones, an updated Chromecast, and an all-new Chromecast for streaming music. There wasn't a lot of experimentation here - with a few exceptions, like a new fingerprint sensor for the Nexus line - but that also means we got a lot of welcome news about Google's more practical products.

The Nexus 6P: Google's 'most premium phone'

As …

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Hands-on with Google’s new Nexus 6P smartphone

2015-09-29T14:09:20-04:00

Last year's Nexus 6 smartphone from Google and Motorola lived up to its name: With its 6-inch display, it outsized almost all other phablets in fashion at the time, including the new iPhone 6 Plus and the Samsung Galaxy Note 4.

Read next: The Nexus 6P review.

This year's model bears a similar-sounding name, but it's a very different phone. The just-announced Nexus 6P, made in partnership with Chinese phone maker Huawei this time, has a different display size, a bigger battery, and a camera that puts it up there with other flagship models. The answer to the oft-asked question - why is it that Google makes Nexus phones, again? - suddenly bec …

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Hands-on: the Pixel C is a great Android tablet that costs a great deal of money

2015-09-29T14:01:45-04:00

The big surprise at today's Google announcement was the Pixel C, an Android tablet developed by the team behind the Pixel Chromebooks. The Chromebook Pixels have powerhouses of speed and wonders of design - and they definitely had the prices to match those outsized ambitions. The same thing applies to the Pixel C. It starts at $499, but you're also going to want to pony up for the keyboard, which costs $149. That's pretty-good laptop territory, so does the Pixel C actually compete with a pretty-good laptop?

Well, sort of. It's technically impressive. The hardware is brushed metal and the whole thing feels solid, if a little thick. Google ha …

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Here’s how Google’s new Nexus phones compare to the competition

2015-09-29T13:49:42-04:00

Google revealed a pair of new Nexus smartphones today: the mid-range Nexus 5X and the high-spec Nexus 6P. It's the first time the company has brought out two Nexus handsets in one year, and, as ever, it's positioning the devices as the archetypal Android smartphones, with both running the latest version of its mobile OS, Android Marshmallow. Big features for Marshmallow include longer battery life thanks to Doze (which basically tells apps to go to sleep when the phone hasn't been used in a while), and Now on Tap, which lets users tap and hold the home button to bring up contextual information via Google Now based on whatever is currently on …

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The Nexus 5X might be the smaller, pure Android phone we’ve been waiting for

2015-09-29T13:44:50-04:00

There's probably no other Android phone in recent memory that elicits as much affection as 2013's Nexus 5. The wide phone found a place in many people's hearts thanks to a rock-bottom price paired with good performance and a plastic design that grew on you. Of course, the fact that it ran an unadulterated version of Android that was true to Google's own vision for the OS didn't hurt.

Read next: The Google Nexus 5X review.

Now, after a year where the only Nexus option was the Shamu-sized Nexus 6, Google has gone back to LG to make another bargain Nexus, the 5X. Thanks to the leaks, we already knew most of the key details about the specs of …

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Android Marshmallow’s best security measure is a simple date

2015-09-29T13:23:05-04:00

Android security has always faced a daunting challenge - scrambling to get users, manufacturers, and carriers in sync - but the new Marshmallow operating system has a small feature that could make a big difference in that fight. You'll find it in the Settings menu, a header titled "Android security patch level," followed by a date. As of that day, your device is protected with all known Android patches.

Read next: The Android 6.0 Marshmallow review.

Championed by Adrian Ludwig, Google's head of Android security, the date represents a public bet on the industry's ability to keep Android devices updated. "It should make it really simple for …

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Google adds universal voice search to the Chromecast app

2015-09-29T13:17:15-04:00

Google just announced two new versions of its popular streaming stick, Chromecast, but it also showed off a few impressive new features coming to the Chromecast app. And the biggest by far is universal voice search.

When the update rolls out to Android and iOS devices, you'll no longer have to go hunting through all your other apps to find the things you want to watch. Instead of digging through the Netflix, Google Play, or Hulu apps to see who has the newest episode of, say, Rick & Morty, you can just open the Chromecast app and speak (or type) your search there. The app will tell you which services have the show you're looking for, and wi …

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Google unveils Android-based Pixel C tablet

2015-09-29T13:11:50-04:00

Google's high-end Pixel range just expanded. At today's Nexus Event, Sundar Pichai announced the new Pixel C, a 10.2-inch tablet with USB-C that starts at $499. And instead of running Chrome OS, this Pixel runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow.

Read next: The Android 6.0 Marshmallow review.

Like so many of today's reveals, much about the Pixel C recently leaked. However, that doesn't make it any less interesting. The new Pixel eschews the Chromebook form factor that Google used in the original Chromebook in 2013 and the more recent refresh. Instead, as a large tablet, it has a lot more in common with the Surface and iPad Pro. (Microsoft clearly was …

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Google Chromecast now supports Spotify

2015-09-29T13:06:39-04:00

During its Nexus event today, Google announced that its Chromecast has finally been updated with support for Spotify, confirming a report by 9to5Google from last week. The streaming service with over 75 million users has been one of the few music holdouts that didn't work with Google's Chromecast, instead focusing on its Spotify Connect to play music in your home.

If you pick up Google's new Chromecast Audio, it will let you take your music from Spotify (Premium members only) and send it to any speaker or amplifier with a 3.5mm audio port. The $35 dongle will be receiving multi-room support later this year as well (each speaker or amplifier …

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Chromecast adds support for Showtime today, Sling TV in the next few weeks

2015-09-29T13:04:54-04:00

Chromecast users, now over 20 million strong, you can soon use that little dongle to watch The Affair. At its major fall event, the company announced that Showtime will be adding Chromecast support starting today. Going further, services like Sling TV, NBA, and NHL will all support casting soon as well - "in the next few weeks" in the case of Sling.

Google today also announced a revamped, more colorful Chromecast (that now thankfully supports 5GHz Wi-Fi) in addition to a dedicated Chromecast audio dongle, both of which cost $35 apiece.

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