Technology

Google Pixel 3 event: Live blog, all announcements

Published

6 years ago

October 9, 2018

Dave Smith

Oct. 9, 2018, 3:34 PM
1,730

Google I/O 2018 sundar pichai Google CEO Sundar Pichai.Stephen Lam/Reuters

NEW YORK CITY — Google just unveiled a slew of new hardware products on Tuesday morning, including its latest smartphone, the Pixel 3.

Despite numerous leaks in the weeks and months leading up to the announcement, Google still managed to pull out a few surprises. In addition to the new Pixel 3 phones, we also saw ChromeOS-powered tablet called the “Pixel Slate,” and a new Google Home with a screen called the “Home Hub,” among other things.

Business Insider attended Google’s big event in New York City. Here’s how it all went down:

12:13 PM: That’s it for Google’s big event! Check out all of the announcements below.

Avery Hartmans/Business Insider

12:10 PM: The new 5.5-inch Google Pixel 3 starts at $799, the 6.3-inch Pixel 3 XL starts at $899, and the Pixel Stand costs $79. It will all become available through Verizon on October 12, and also become available through Google’s Store and Project Fi on October 17.

Antonio Villas Boas/Business Insider

12:06 PM: Google introduces a wireless charger called Pixel Stand, which changes the UI when you dock your phone. It can be a visual alarm clock in the morning, or show you the weather at a glance. When your phone isn’t busy with other tasks, the stand can turns it into a digital photo frame, like the Google Home Hub, that displays photos from Google Photos.

Avery Hartmans/Business Insider

12:05 PM: A new Call Screen feature for the Pixel 3 automatically screens your calls for you, asks who’s calling, and why. The conversation is transcribed on your screen in real-time, so you never have to talk to another telemarketer again.

Google

12:04 PM: Google’s Pixel 3 also has other new camera features, including being able to adjust blur after the fact, or event the focus of the photo.

Google

12:00 PM: In the Pixel 3, Google’s futuristic Lens feature is now integrated directly with Google’s camera. So you can point your camera at a yard sale poster, and immediately get the phone number and address, or point your camera at someone wearing a cool pair of sunglasses and shop for a similar-looking pair.

Google

Google’s new Pixel 3 also introduces “wide selfies,” which let you capture more of your selfies simply by zooming out.

Avery Hartmans/Business Insider

There’s also a new feature called Night Sight, which takes incredible photos in low-light situations, It compares a photo from a Pixel 3 to a photo taken with Apple’s new iPhone XS, and the photo from the Pixel 3 is much brighter and clearer. The audience has a good laugh and starts clapping.

Avery Hartmans/Business Insider

There’s a new feature called “Super Res Zoom,” which lets you take better photos while zoomed in. It uses the same technology used to image the surface of Mars, according to Google.

Google

11:54 AM: We’re hearing about how Google’s Pixel 3 phone is even faster and smarter than before — and how a new feature called “Top Shot,” helps you get the very best moment, even if you clicked the shutter at a less-than-ideal time.

Avery Hartmans/Business Insider

11:53 AM: Google has already given the Pixel 3 to some of the world’s top photographers, including Annie Liebovitz.

Avery Hartmans/Business Insider

11:52 AM: A look at the new colors of the Pixel 3.

Avery Hartmans/Business Insider

11:50 AM: Finally, we’re learning about the Pixel 3. It carries the same two-tone design of the Pixel 2, but now allows for both matte and glossy finishes on the same phone. The phone comes in “just black,” “clearly white,” and “not pink.”

Avery Hartmans/Business Insider

11:47 AM: The Pixel Slate also supports the Pixelbook Pen, so you can draw and annotate directly on the screen.

Antonio Villas Boas/Business Insider

11:45 AM: Google made a new keyboard for the Pixel Slate, which has a full trackpad and backlit keys. The way it works is really cool: Just plug it into the Pixel Slate and start typing; no need to worry about power or wires. It just works.

Antonio Villas Boas/Business Insider

11:44 AM: Google’s Pixel Slate is also secure — in addition to its security software, it even has a fingerprint sensor built into the power button.

Antonio Villas Boas/Business Insider

11:48 AM: Check out the pricing information for the Pixel Slate, which will be available in the US and Canada “later this year.”

Antonio Villas Boas/Business Insider

11:41 AM: The Pixel Slate features 8-megapixel cameras on the front and back, which support portrait mode, and a redesigned interface that predicts what it thinks you’ll need.

Antonio Villas Boas/Business Insider

11:39 AM: Google’s Pixel Slate has a “brilliant display” with 293 pixels per inch — “the highest pixel density in the category,” according to Wuellner — and dual front-facing speakers. In fact, buying a new Pixel Slate comes with 3 free months of YouTube TV.

Antonio Villas Boas/Business Insider

11:17 AM: Osterloh invites Trond Wuellner on stage to talk about Google’s new Pixel Slate tablet, which offers “powerful productivity in a fresh mobile form.”

Antonio Villas Boas/Business Insider

11:36 AM: Rick Osterloh comes back on stage to talk about how Google Chrome isn’t optimized for most PCs, and how ChromeOS represents “the best of Google”: search, apps, services, and AI, that’s lightweight and gets better over time.

Antonio Villas Boas/Business Insider

You can pre-order the Google Home Hub today for $149, and it will be available on October 22.

Antonio Villas Boas/Business Insider

Google Home Hub is also your digital photo frame, and has deep integration with Google Photos. Google automatically eliminates blurry photos and duplicate photos to ensure you’re only looking at your best pictures.

Antonio Villas Boas/Business Insider

11:32 AM: Google Home Hub will be able to connect to millions of different smart-home devices.

Antonio Villas Boas/Business Insider

11:31 AM: Google Home Hub is deeply integrated with Nest devices, so if someone rings your doorbell, your Hub can automatically show you who’s at the front door.

Antonio Villas Boas/Business Insider

11:29 AM: Google’s Diya Jolly comes back on stage to talk about how you can setup, manage, and control your smart-home devices with Google Home Hub. Instead of using different apps to control your smart lights, doorlocks, or doorbells, you can see a dashboard of all of your smart devices at once.

Antonio Villas Boas/Business Insider

11:27 AM: Spates talks about how you can use it in the kitchen, to summon YouTube videos or music hands-free.

Antonio Villas Boas/Business Insider

11:26 AM: Google’s Mark Spates takes the stage to perform a demonstration with Google Home Hub.

Antonio Villas Boas/Business Insider

11:25 AM: Google Home Hub is also a communal device: It can recognize which voice is speaking to it, and can provide a personalized experience for every person in your home.

Antonio Villas Boas/Business Insider

11:22 AM: Google’s Diya Jolly takes the stage to talk Google Home Hub. “With Google Home Hub, we’ve reimagined Google’s most helpful services, like Maps and Photos, so they’re easily controllable with your voice and provide glance-able help.”

Avery Hartmans/Business Insider

11:20 AM: Osterloh talks about how Nest, the company it purchased in 2014 (and reabsorbed in 2018), helped the company come up with the Google Home Hub. “The smart home of 2018 is too complex, with different smart hubs and interfaces,” Osterloh says. “With Nest, we’re pursuing our shared vision of a thoughtful home, that’s simple enough for anyone to set up and use.”

11:17 AM: Osterloh talks about aesthetics, and how the new Google devices are meant to be fun, colorful, and playful. Google plays a short video that explains how Google approaches its hardware designs. “Our job is to find out what it feels like to hold Google in your hand.”

Avery Hartmans/Business Insider

After Osterloh unveils the new Pixel 3, Pixel Slate, and Google Home Hub, all of the new devices suddenly surface from small tables around the room, giving journalists an opportunity to take pictures.

Avery Hartmans/Business Insider

11:15 AM: Osterloh introduces the Pixel 3 smartphone, in a new pink color. He also unveils a new tablet called Pixel Slate, and a smart display “for life at home” so you can see the information you need, called Google Home Hub.

Avery Hartmans/Business Insider

11:13 AM: Osterloh talks about Google Home, and how well it does in understanding different voices and filtering out background noise. He also talks about Google’s Pixelbook laptop, and the Pixel 2 smartphone. Clearly, he’s hinting at updates to all of these devices.

Antonio Villas Boas/Business Insider

11:10 AM: Osterloh talks about how Google’s combination of hardware, software, and artificial intelligence is the key to giving people a more personal, helpful experience.

Antonio Villas Boas/Business Insider

Google Pixel 3 eventGoogle

11:07 AM: Osterloh talks about Google’s “Smart Compose” feature for Gmail, which is making people’s lives easier by helping you get things done quicker. He also mentions Google’s upcoming “Duplex” technology, which was unveiled in May, that can call businesses on your behalf to make appointments.

Avery Hartmans/Business Insider

11:06 AM: Osterloh talks about Google’s translation feature as an example of how technology is helping remove barriers between people to make life easier, and better.

Google Pixel 3 eventGoogle

11:05 AM: We’re coming up on Google’s 20th anniversary, and Osterloh talks about how Google has been constantly working to help make people’s lives easier.

Avery Hartmans/Business Insider

11:04 AM: After a cute video showing all of the Pixel 3 leaks, Google’s Rick Osterloh takes the stage to explain how Google’s new products are centered around the idea of “help.”

Google

10:40 AM: We’re in!

Avery Hartmans/Business Insider

10:32 AM: The badges being worn by Google employees and journalists are featured in a handful of colors, including black, blue, pink, and “mint,” which is like a light turquoise. It could be a hint at the Pixel 3 colors.

Avery Hartmans/Business Insider

10:28 AM: Another shot of the outside wall.

Antonio Villas Boas/Business Insider

10:15 AM: Everyone’s waiting outside. People are taking selfies in front of the entrance.

Avery Hartmans/Business Insider

The Televisor

Google Pixel 3 event: Live blog, all announcements

12:13 PM: That’s it for Google’s big event! Check out all of the announcements below.

12:10 PM: The new 5.5-inch Google Pixel 3 starts at $799, the 6.3-inch Pixel 3 XL starts at $899, and the Pixel Stand costs $79. It will all become available through Verizon on October 12, and also become available through Google’s Store and Project Fi on October 17.

12:05 PM: A new Call Screen feature for the Pixel 3 automatically screens your calls for you, asks who’s calling, and why. The conversation is transcribed on your screen in real-time, so you never have to talk to another telemarketer again.

12:04 PM: Google’s Pixel 3 also has other new camera features, including being able to adjust blur after the fact, or event the focus of the photo.

Google’s new Pixel 3 also introduces “wide selfies,” which let you capture more of your selfies simply by zooming out.

There’s also a new feature called Night Sight, which takes incredible photos in low-light situations, It compares a photo from a Pixel 3 to a photo taken with Apple’s new iPhone XS, and the photo from the Pixel 3 is much brighter and clearer. The audience has a good laugh and starts clapping.

There’s a new feature called “Super Res Zoom,” which lets you take better photos while zoomed in. It uses the same technology used to image the surface of Mars, according to Google.

11:54 AM: We’re hearing about how Google’s Pixel 3 phone is even faster and smarter than before — and how a new feature called “Top Shot,” helps you get the very best moment, even if you clicked the shutter at a less-than-ideal time.

11:53 AM: Google has already given the Pixel 3 to some of the world’s top photographers, including Annie Liebovitz.

11:52 AM: A look at the new colors of the Pixel 3.

11:50 AM: Finally, we’re learning about the Pixel 3. It carries the same two-tone design of the Pixel 2, but now allows for both matte and glossy finishes on the same phone. The phone comes in “just black,” “clearly white,” and “not pink.”

11:47 AM: The Pixel Slate also supports the Pixelbook Pen, so you can draw and annotate directly on the screen.

11:45 AM: Google made a new keyboard for the Pixel Slate, which has a full trackpad and backlit keys. The way it works is really cool: Just plug it into the Pixel Slate and start typing; no need to worry about power or wires. It just works.

11:44 AM: Google’s Pixel Slate is also secure — in addition to its security software, it even has a fingerprint sensor built into the power button.

11:48 AM: Check out the pricing information for the Pixel Slate, which will be available in the US and Canada “later this year.”

11:41 AM: The Pixel Slate features 8-megapixel cameras on the front and back, which support portrait mode, and a redesigned interface that predicts what it thinks you’ll need.

11:39 AM: Google’s Pixel Slate has a “brilliant display” with 293 pixels per inch — “the highest pixel density in the category,” according to Wuellner — and dual front-facing speakers. In fact, buying a new Pixel Slate comes with 3 free months of YouTube TV.

11:17 AM: Osterloh invites Trond Wuellner on stage to talk about Google’s new Pixel Slate tablet, which offers “powerful productivity in a fresh mobile form.”

11:36 AM: Rick Osterloh comes back on stage to talk about how Google Chrome isn’t optimized for most PCs, and how ChromeOS represents “the best of Google”: search, apps, services, and AI, that’s lightweight and gets better over time.

You can pre-order the Google Home Hub today for $149, and it will be available on October 22.

Google Home Hub is also your digital photo frame, and has deep integration with Google Photos. Google automatically eliminates blurry photos and duplicate photos to ensure you’re only looking at your best pictures.

11:32 AM: Google Home Hub will be able to connect to millions of different smart-home devices.

11:31 AM: Google Home Hub is deeply integrated with Nest devices, so if someone rings your doorbell, your Hub can automatically show you who’s at the front door.

11:29 AM: Google’s Diya Jolly comes back on stage to talk about how you can setup, manage, and control your smart-home devices with Google Home Hub. Instead of using different apps to control your smart lights, doorlocks, or doorbells, you can see a dashboard of all of your smart devices at once.

11:27 AM: Spates talks about how you can use it in the kitchen, to summon YouTube videos or music hands-free.

11:26 AM: Google’s Mark Spates takes the stage to perform a demonstration with Google Home Hub.

11:25 AM: Google Home Hub is also a communal device: It can recognize which voice is speaking to it, and can provide a personalized experience for every person in your home.

11:22 AM: Google’s Diya Jolly takes the stage to talk Google Home Hub. “With Google Home Hub, we’ve reimagined Google’s most helpful services, like Maps and Photos, so they’re easily controllable with your voice and provide glance-able help.”

11:17 AM: Osterloh talks about aesthetics, and how the new Google devices are meant to be fun, colorful, and playful. Google plays a short video that explains how Google approaches its hardware designs. “Our job is to find out what it feels like to hold Google in your hand.”

After Osterloh unveils the new Pixel 3, Pixel Slate, and Google Home Hub, all of the new devices suddenly surface from small tables around the room, giving journalists an opportunity to take pictures.

11:15 AM: Osterloh introduces the Pixel 3 smartphone, in a new pink color. He also unveils a new tablet called Pixel Slate, and a smart display “for life at home” so you can see the information you need, called Google Home Hub.

11:13 AM: Osterloh talks about Google Home, and how well it does in understanding different voices and filtering out background noise. He also talks about Google’s Pixelbook laptop, and the Pixel 2 smartphone. Clearly, he’s hinting at updates to all of these devices.

11:10 AM: Osterloh talks about how Google’s combination of hardware, software, and artificial intelligence is the key to giving people a more personal, helpful experience.

11:06 AM: Osterloh talks about Google’s translation feature as an example of how technology is helping remove barriers between people to make life easier, and better.

11:05 AM: We’re coming up on Google’s 20th anniversary, and Osterloh talks about how Google has been constantly working to help make people’s lives easier.

11:04 AM: After a cute video showing all of the Pixel 3 leaks, Google’s Rick Osterloh takes the stage to explain how Google’s new products are centered around the idea of “help.”

10:40 AM: We’re in!

10:32 AM: The badges being worn by Google employees and journalists are featured in a handful of colors, including black, blue, pink, and “mint,” which is like a light turquoise. It could be a hint at the Pixel 3 colors.

10:28 AM: Another shot of the outside wall.

10:15 AM: Everyone’s waiting outside. People are taking selfies in front of the entrance.

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