5 Biggest Devices Google Announce on October 4
Alphabet Inc. company Google’s October 4th event to be held in San Francisco is already generating a lot of interest. With just couple of days to go, a lot of renders leaked earlier has fuelled speculation about the Mountain View company’s announcements on that day.
While Google hasn’t said exactly what’s in store for the event, it is expected to unveil Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones, a new Chromecast that supports 4K, the Daydream VR headset, Google Home, a rival to Amazon’s popular Echo device and other hardware.
Let’s take a look at what we can expect to see at the Google’s October 4th event.
Pixel Smartphones
The Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones (codenamed Sailfish and Marlin) that have previously been given the “Nexus” label are expected to make their debut. The Pixel will be the 5″ HTC-made Sailfish device, while Pixel XL will be the 5.5″ HTC-made Marlin.
Sailfish and Marlin would both feature quad-core Qualcomm processors, 4GB of RAM, 1080p screen, 32GB of storage space and 12-megapixel cameras. The only difference between these two smartphones is Marlin’s larger screen and a beefier battery. These new devices will also have some features built over vanilla Android, claim rumours. The Pixel smartphones will also run a Google-customized version of Android 7.0 Nougat. Google plans to market the Pixel and Pixel XL as the first smartphones built by the search giant to take more control of its flagship smartphone line-up.
Daydream VR
First introduced at Google I/O last spring, Daydream VR is an Oculus-like headset that pairs with a smartphone and small controller, as stated by Google’s website. “Daydream is a platform for high quality, mobile virtual reality,” the site says. “Coming in Fall 2016, Daydream provides rich, responsive, and immersive experiences with hardware and software built for VR.”
Daydream is much more sophisticated than the Google’s makeshift Cardboard peripheral. Manufacturers are said to have been developing phones compatible with the new Daydream platform. However, there are no details as to which phones it will support. Further questions such as who Google is working with to make VR headsets or when those devices would launch may probably be answered during Tuesday’s event.
The Google Home device is Google’s answer to Amazon Echo. While Google Home was first announced at the Google I/O Conference last May, this coming Tuesday’s event could be the place where the search giant may disclose more details about the device.
Home is the company’s first hardware product to include the Google Assistant, intelligent software that can answer users’ questions, perform basic functions like playing music, setting your Nest thermostat or telling you the weather forecast, keep track of their calendar, and so on. It will have a microphone and a Bluetooth speaker.
4K Chromecast
Google’s streaming dongle has proven to be one of its most successful hardware products. According to a report from IH, during the first quarter of this year, the company shipped 3.2 million Chromecast units.
Now, the company may be planning to improve the Chromecast. This new device will reportedly be called the Chromecast Ultra, as it should be able to stream 4K video (hence the “ultra” in the name) and may even have HDR support. The device is rumoured to cost $69, or more than twice the cost of the original non-4K $35 Chromecast.
A New Wi-Fi Router
Google is rumoured to announce an own-brand Wi-Fi extendable router at an event on October 4th, according to Android Police’s sources. The device will be called Google Wi-Fi and will cost $129. Google Wi-Fi router will offer longer range connectivity than most off the shelf routers. It will also apparently offer some smart features similar to Google’s previous router, the OnHub, which boasts integration with Phillips smart lights, IFTTT support, all-in-one security updates and more.