Google Announces Much Impoved Storefront For Devices, Launches Refreshed Chromebook Pixel

Google's Play store has never been much of a looker, and in fact, I'd still call it outright "boring". That's especially the case with the devices section -- it's always struck me as being uninspired, and it did little to persuade a purchase. Well, with Google's product choices growing, the company pulled the trigger on the overdue makeover.

Google didn't just revamp the devices section at the Play Store, however; it spun it off into an entirely new site, simply called store.google.com. Here, you can peruse a heap of products related to Android, whether it be phones, tablets, TV & video, Chromebooks, Android Wear, Nest, or accessories.

Overall, the site is modern and enjoyable to peruse, with its light colors and big bright images. There's even a section dedicated to teaching you a bit about Android, if you are unfamiliar with the platform.

Coinciding with this new site is the launch of a revamped Chromebook Pixel. At quick glance, it looks identical to the old one (something that many would consider to be a good thing), but its specs have been beefed up (as you'd expect after a two-year gap).

Making a return here is the 12.85-inch screen, boasting a brightness of 400 nit and resolution fo 2560x1770. As before, this screen offers multi-touch capabilities. What's new and major is that you can now get the Pixel with either 8GB or 16GB of memory, depending on whether you go with the Intel Core i5 or Core i7 model.

Perhaps most notable is the introduction of dual USB 3.0 Type-C connectors, proving up to 5Gbps of bandwidth. You can use these to expand the number if USB devices you can plug in, or even use one for 4K output. In addition to these Type-C connectors, there's also two regular USB 3.0 ports, an SD card reader, and headphone / mic combo port.

The new Chromebook Pixel starts at $999, and is available immediately.