Items tagged with pixel
Four months after announcing a $1.1 billion agreement to acquire most of HTC's phone division, and specifically the company's Pixel division, Google today announced that it has officially finalized the deal. The team that is now a part of Google is the same one that Google work with in developing its newest flagship phones, the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, as well as its previous generation Pixel handsets. "I’m delighted that we’ve officially closed our deal with HTC, and are welcoming an incredibly talented team to work on even better and more innovative products in the years to come. These new colleagues bring decades of experience achieving a series of 'firsts' particularly in the smartphone...
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One of the distinguishing features of Google's Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL flagship Android Oreo smartphones compared to their predecessors is the inclusion of Portrait Mode. Portrait Mode allows the main cameras on the Pixel 2 family to produce a synthetic shallow depth effect in photos with a single camera lens, whereas most competitors use a dual-camera setup to achieve the same results. "For shallow depth-of-field, synthetic defocusing is not the same as real optical defocusing, but the visual effect is similar enough to achieve the same goal, of directing your attention towards the main subject," wrote Google engineers Marc Levoy and Yael Pritch in a research blog back in October. While Portrait...
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Estimating your available battery life on your Pixel smartphone is getting a lot smarter. A New York-based Google product manager just revealed that the company has made changes to the way that that Pixel devices determine how much battery life is remaining once you unplug from the wall. According to Google, Pixel smartphones previously used rigid assumptions to calculate how much battery life was remaining at any given time. "If you’ve used about 10% per hour over the past few hours, we would guess you will keep using 10% per hour," wrote Michelle. "As you might expect, this wasn’t always very accurate." Google has now switched to an on-device model that will continually monitor...
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Google has been designing and building premium Android smartphones for many years, co-branding with various hardware partners since back in the days of the company's Nexus devices. More recently with its first generation Pixel series, the Mountain View team has taken more prominent ownership of the brand, with devices specifically underscored as "Made By Google." And indeed the design signatures of the first generation Pixel and Pixel XL were distinctly different from any other handset on the market, as are the latest Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL that Google is launching today, along with a redesigned Daydream View VR headset. Designed by Google but manufactured by HTC (Pixel 2) and LG (Pixel...
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One the primary benefits to owning a Google-branded phone is that new versions of Android are made available immediately, as opposed to waiting for a third-party manufacturer to customize and qualify the code. Unfortunately for some owners of Google's first generation Pixel phones, this perk turned into sideways with the release of Android 8.0 Oreo, which seems to have busted the ability to receive text messages. This has been an issue for affected users for nearly a month, dating back to September 20 when a frustrated Pixel XL owner on Verizon complained of the "absurd issue." The user went on to explain the troubleshooting steps he had taken, including the uninstallation of all apps that were...
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Are you a little too anxious for the upcoming launch of Google's highly anticipated Pixel 2? If so, or you simply love the idea of getting an early look at how Google setup Oreo on its new flagship smartphones, we think we have a new weekend project for you. But don't fret, this one couldn't get much easier. As long as you own an Android phone, at least. In fact we set it up ourselves in just a few minutes. Google's upcoming Pixel 2 XL Android Flagship Smartphone In advance of next week's Pixel 2 launch, an APK of the same launcher used for both the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL has hit the Web. Now, we normally don't recommend you download APKs from just anywhere, and even if you download from...
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News broke Wednesday morning that HTC had suspended trading ahead of a major business announcement, and now we're learning the details of this blockbuster move. While Google is definitely the other party in this new venture, it's not exactly the arrangement that was rumored earlier this month. Google announced that it will give HTC a $1.1 billion cash infusion in exchange for some key members of the company's smartphone team. According to Google, many of these HTC employees have already gotten a taste of the “Googler” life as they have been involved in the development of its flagship Pixel family of smartphones. If you recall, HTC manufactured both the Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones that debuted...
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We've seen plenty of leaks regarding the Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL over the past few months, but this might be the most fruitful of them all. We have what are claimed to be images of both new flagship Android Oreo devices. According to Droid-Life, the Pixel 2 XL (not Pixel XL 2 as it has previously been referenced), will be available in two different color options. The first is black, while the second is primarily white, with a black glass panel on the upper backplate. Overall, the design of the smartphone adheres very closely to what we saw with the Pixel and Pixel XL. This time around, however, the device is being made by LG. As with previous leaks, it's clear that the Pixel 2 XL will only...
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Hurricane Harvey decimated the Houston, Texas area with many people losing everything they own. It is still a true disaster area and many people are still wading through flooded areas. Google wants to do its part to help those hurricane victims using its Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones to communicate regularly with loved ones and emergency assistance if needed. Google has announced that it will be offering free repairs of Pixel and Pixel XL devices that were damaged by flood waters for owners in the Houston area. Google is working with uBreakiFix to repair the devices; this is the same company that Google has been working with to offer same day repairs across the U.S. and Canada. Both the Pixel...
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Android 7.x Nougat was first made available nearly a year ago; August 22nd 2016 to be exact. Since that time, we’ve seen a slew of new smartphone ranging from budget devices to mid-range models, to chest-thumbing flagships like the Galaxy S8 and LG G6. However, despite the fact that Android is the most popular operating system on the planet, the number of devices running the most recent publicly available version is relatively small. Google recently updated its developer portal, which indicates that Android Nougat is installed on just 13.5 percent of all devices. At this point, the most popular version of Android among all devices is Marshmallow, which is holding firm with 32.3 percent. Lollipop...
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Patience is not only a virtue, it is also a good tool for saving money. Consider this—if you waited all this time to finally decide to buy a Pixel or Pixel XL handset from Google, you will be rewarded for your patience with up to a $200 discount from the original price. Not bad, right? Google will even toss in a free Daydream View VR headset. Both the discount and free VR headset offer is part of Google's Back to School promotion.The biggest discount ($200) applies to the Pixel XL. Originally priced at $769, it can now be bought from Google starting at $569 for the 32GB model, and $669 for the 128GB SKU. If desired, you can tack on a 2-year device protection plan for another $99. It comes in...
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It's starting to look like Google's upcoming Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones could become some of the most alluring Android phones the company - or any company, for that matter - have released in a long time. A couple of weeks ago, we pored over the details of what was believed to be an accurate render, and today, we see another collection of renders from a party that seems to agree on most of the devices' visual cues. Credit: MySmartPrice In the aforementioned post, the design seen was believed to be the XL model, but based on these new renders, it would have actually been the non-XL. The differences are subtle: on the XL, the rear glass isn't as tall, and the camera lens is found to the...
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A current smartphone trend has seen vendors put fingerprint readers on the backs of our devices, which also might beg the question, "what else could we put back there?" According to a newly granted Google patent, a touchpad could be in the cards for the Android creator's future branded Pixel smartphone devices. If that sounds a bit bizarre, bear in mind that many patents may appear odd at first glance, but often are the sparks of true innovation. Google foresees the use of a touchpad on the back of a smartphone to grant the user additional interaction possibilities. As seen in the example image from the patent below, the touchpad would settle below the camera, and could be of equal size. It'll...
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There is only so much top-level talent to go around in Silicon Valley. That is part of the reason why engineers and technology bigwigs make obscene amounts of money. It is also why poaching employees from competitors is so common. This happened yet again with Google convincing Manu Gulati, a veteran chip architect who had been in charge of Apple's chip development efforts for nearly a decade. to jump ship.According to Gulati's updated LinkedIn profile page, he now carries the title of Lead SoC Architect at Google. It is the latest title in what is an impressive resume that includes being a member of the technical staff at AMD, followed by serving as an engineering manager and later a senior engineering...
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The Google Pixel and Pixel XL were launched to great fanfare late last year. The flagship Android Nougat smartphones were praised for their build quality, crisp displays, and excellent rear cameras (despite the lack of image stabilization). However, all good things must come to an end in Android land when it comes to software support. Back in June, Google provided the following guidance for updates relating to its first-party Nexus hardware: Nexus devices get security updates for at least 3 years from when the device first became available on the Google Store, or at least 18 months from when the Google Store last sold the device, whichever is longer. After that, we can't guarantee additional...
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If you’re having microphone issues with your Google Pixel or Pixel XL smartphone, you are not alone. A quick trip over to the official Pixel support forum shows over 800 replies in a thread dedicated to the problem. “After a few hours of use and set up the microphone stopped working entirely, except when recording video upon which it'll record audio fine as if nothing were wrong,” wrote Joseph, the thread originator. “I factory reset the phone and the issue still persists everywhere but the camera app.” Numerous other users have chimed in with their own microphone issues that either mirror Joseph’s experience, differ ever so slightly, or are even worse. The reason for the varying degrees of severity...
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Google launched its own-branded Pixel and Pixel XL Android 7.0 Nougat flagships this past fall to generally favorable reviews. More recently, however, Google has sought input from users on how to make future Pixel devices even better. This week, Google SVP of Hardware Rick Osterloh confirmed that the second-generation Pixel flagships will arrive this year, likely carrying the flag for "Android O". “There is an annual rhythm in the industry. So, you can count on us to follow it,” said Osterloh. Even though he didn’t give a specific date, he added, “You can count on a successor this year, even if you don’t hear a date from me now.” For reference, the Nexus 6P and Nexus 5X were announced on September...
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Anyone who desperately wants to get their hands on a Chromebook Pixel better hurry up and buy one from whatever inventory is left out in the wild. There are no more Chromebook Pixels to be found on Google's website, and whether or not there will be new versions sometime in the future is very much up in the air. For the moment, Google has no plans to announce.The Chromebook Pixel was the first product to bear the Pixel branding when it was introduced several years ago. Fast forward to today and the Pixel brand is now used for Google's newest smartphones (Pixel and Pixel XL). Google has run into some supply issues with its flagship handsets, but for the most part the phones are selling well.Google...
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Google’s first generation Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones were generally well received by the media and the enthusiast community. Powered by the best hardware available at its launch in Fall 2016, the Pixel smartphones offered excellent screens, good performance, great build quality and a clean Android 7.0 Nougat experience. But no smartphone is perfect, and Google clearly understands this. So, Krishna Kumar, Product Lead for the Pixel family, took to the Pixel User Community to get some feedback on the current lineup of devices and what it could do to improve upon them in the future. “Developing a design is an exhilarating and at the same time a terrifying (Oh God, did we make the right choice???)...
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It appears that the initial euphoria stemming from the launch of Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones may be starting to wane for some owners. There have been growing complaints of hardware problems with the smartphones, with the latest being attributed to complete system freezes that leave the devices unusable. In some instances, the device freezing lasts for just a few seconds, which can be a minor annoyance. However, some report that their devices are locking up for as long as several minutes. A common thread among many of the members that have posted in Google’s product support forum is that they have the Life 360 app (which keeps you in close contact with friends and family) installed. In fact,...
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Google did a good designing (and HTC building) its Pixel and Pixel XL handsets. Perhaps too good of a job. That's evidenced by how difficult it has been obtaining one of Google's hot new flagship smartphones based on its equally new Android 7.1 Nougat operating system. The larger Pixel XL has been especially difficult to grab hold of, though as of this writing, both models are in stock from the Google Store. That is, if you're okay with 32GB of onboard storage.The Pixel and Pixel XL come with two onboard storage options: 32GB and 128GB. Unfortunately, the significantly more capacious 128GB option is listed as "Out of stock" for both phones, while the 32GB models are readily available. There's...
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Many Pixel owners woke up this week to find that their Google account had not only been suspended, but their mail, photos, documents, and anything else linked to their Google identity had been lost. Google is punishing Pixel owners who took advantage of a tax loophole in order to purchase their phones at a reduced out-of-pocket price. The affected customers bought their phones via the company’s Project Fi MVNO service. They then shipped the phones directly to a reseller in New Hampshire, who split the profit with the customers. New Hampshire is one of four states with no sales tax. Resale of the devices goes against Google’s policy which states that customers, “may only purchase Devices for your...
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