Google-branded earbuds are coming. The company announced at its annual hardware event today that it'll be releasing truly wireless earbuds this fall called the Pixel Buds. The circular Pixel Buds feature gesture controls, including swipes or touches to switch songs, answer phone calls, or adjust volume levels. Touching the right earbud will activate the built-in Google Assistant, which can be used to get directions, set reminders, or access music and messages. They should last for five hours on a single charge.
Just like the Pixel phones, the earbuds come in three colors: black, white, and blue. They'll cost $159. Google's online store says the blue and black versions will ship in six to seven weeks but lists the white as "out of stock."
The earbuds' matching charging case can power them multiple times with its 620mAh battery. It should provide up to 24 hours of listening time and charges through a USB-C port. Similarly to Apple's AirPods, anyone using a phone running Android Marshmallow or higher can pair their earbuds by just opening the case through a feature called "Fast Pair."
While the earbuds will work with any Bluetooth-enabled device, Pixel owners do get a little extra special treatment: the company says users will be able to activate Google Translate to get real-time translations of conversations. People can talk into the earbuds, and the phone's speaker will translate into a desired language, or vice versa. It works with 40 languages. Multiple crowdfunding projects have attempted to create a similar feature, but none have worked well. Maybe Google Translate will be good enough to pull it off. This is definitely a feature we'll want to test.
Only Bose has previously built Google Assistant into headphones. The QC 35 II fit over the ear and include a button that's dedicated to Google Assistant, although it can be programed to adjust noise-cancellation settings. Bose's headphones cost $349.95 and don't include the Google Translate feature.
Assistant. Some code for the latest version of the Google Assistant Android app referenced a product called "Bisto" and described the device. It said: "Your headphones have the Google Assistant. Ask it questions. Tell it to do things. It’s your own personal Google, always ready to help.” Now that both Google and Bose have launched Assistant products, I'm sure we'll be seeing lots more in the coming months.
While the earbuds will work with any Bluetooth-enabled device, Pixel owners do get a little extra special treatment: the company says users will be able to activate Google Translate to get real-time translations of conversations. People can talk into the earbuds, and the phone's speaker will translate into a desired language, or vice versa. It works with 40 languages. Multiple crowdfunding projects have attempted to create a similar feature, but none have worked well. Maybe Google Translate will be good enough to pull it off. This is definitely a feature we'll want to test.
Only Bose has previously built Google Assistant into headphones. The QC 35 II fit over the ear and include a button that's dedicated to Google Assistant, although it can be programed to adjust noise-cancellation settings. Bose's headphones cost $349.95 and don't include the Google Translate feature.
Assistant. Some code for the latest version of the Google Assistant Android app referenced a product called "Bisto" and described the device. It said: "Your headphones have the Google Assistant. Ask it questions. Tell it to do things. It’s your own personal Google, always ready to help.” Now that both Google and Bose have launched Assistant products, I'm sure we'll be seeing lots more in the coming months.
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