Google has launched the latest version of its flagship Pixel phone – and plenty more besides.
The two new phones includes vastly upgraded specs, new selfie features, and a completely re-designed look. As well as the two phones – the smaller and bigger version – there was a new version of the Google Home voice assistant that has a screen, as well as a new tablet.
Most of the new devices had already been leaked ahead of the official unveiling, but Google still managed a few surprises, especially with its exceptional camera.
A full round-up of the event can be found below.
As we wait for everything to get started, perhaps it's worth taking a trip down memory lane to where it all began: the original Pixel. I reviewed it in glowing terms all the way back in 2016, and I think the phone has kept up the promises it showed at that time.
This new Pixel comes almost exactly ten years since Google's first phone – the HTC-built G1. Remember that beauty? If nothing else it's a great reminder of how far the phones have come. And perhaps how fun it would still be to have a slidey screen.
With the launch of Indy Minds, we're offering editors' letters, which offer a little peek behind the scenes here. And I've written today's, which covers the Google launch as well as our preparations and thoughts. You can take a look at here if you like.
Google has lots going on today, not all of it quite as fun or as exciting as the Pixel. For instance, it just disclosed there was a major hack of Google+, and that it's shutting down. Here's why that's important, even if you don't consider yourself a Google+ user (which, well, who among us does).
Google is ready for today's event, sharing a gif on Twitter just to prove it.
Disclaimer: Don't click play if you suffer from epilepsy.
OK, it looks like it's about to begin over in New York.
If you want to watch the livestream, you can find it on YouTube – which is owned by Google of course.
We're starting off with a bit of an unusual video about all of the leaks there have been relating to the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL. And there have been a lot.
The soundtrack is 'Help' by The Beatles – a hint for things to come perhaps? Google Assistant anyone?
Rick Osterloh comes on stage to tell us that 2018 marks the 20th anniversary of Google. It's fair to say the company has achieved a lot in that time, but Osterloh doesn't have time to tell us about all of that. He's here to talk about the Pixel.
"Many of you in this room say last year's Pixel 2 still takes the best photos even after a year with so many amazing phones," he says, before moving on to the AI technology that makes this possible.
Osterloh is now talking about "digital wellbeing" – a consistent theme in tech conferences this year.
It's a tricky balance for most of these companies, as it goes completely against their core business model.
I wrote about Google's efforts here:
The latest version of Android will make you use your phone less
The latest version of Android will make you use your smartphone lessFrom out of a pedestal in the middle of the room, appear three devices: The Pixel 3, Pixel Slate and Google Home Hub.
Eager reporters are crowding around to get a picture, as Osterloh races through the announcements.
The Pixel Slate apparently brings "the power and productivity of a desktop to a tablet," according to Osterloh. Google definitely isn't the first to make that claim.
The Google Home Hub, as you might imagine, is for the home. "The smart home in 2018 is too complex," he says. I dunno if a brand new device is the way to make things any clearer.
Diya Jolly, Google's vice president of product management, comes on stage to talk about the smart home, revealing that queries to Google Home has gone up 400 per cent in the past year.
"Now imagine not just hearing a response, but being able to see a response. That is the power of Google Home Hub," she says, referencing the screen that accompanies the "hub," as she refers to it.
It's a bit like the Portal device that Facebook unveiled this week, however there is one key difference.
"We consciously did not put a camera on the Hub so that is comfortable to use in private spaces like the bedroom," she says.
Not including a camera is probably a smart move, given all the recent data scandals. It was a bold move by Facebook to feature one on the Portal, considering the social network giant is consistently ranked as the least trusted tech giant.
Here's what Google Home Hub will be going up against:
Facebook Portal device can follow you around the room with its camera
The release of the smart home hardware comes just months after multiple privacy scandals for the company
The Google Home Hub costs $149 and is available for pre-order from today. This is $50 cheaper than the cheapest Portal device, but still more expensive than Amazon's Echo smart speakers.
Trond Wuellner, director of product management, is now on stage to tell us about Pixel Slate.
The Pixel Slate features dual "front-firing" speakers, which is Google's new way of saying front-facing, apparently. Not just innovative engineering but innovative language too.
There's lots of "digital wellbeing" here. It's been a major part of every announcement. The Hub, for instance, can be put into a special downtime mode so that it won't bother you; the Slate will start to go to sleep at night time. Like Anthony said about the Hub's lack of cameras, it's hard to read Google and Apple's focus on this stuff as anything but a shot at people like Facebook, even if they aren't doing it consciously.
Here's what the Pixel Slate looks like:
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