At its annual event held yesterday (October 4th, 2017), Google launched an array of other products besides the flagships: Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL. Among those products, Google Pixel Buds are also one. What exactly has Google put forward as Pixel Buds? Here’s more below:
These trademarked set of wireless headphones from Google are connected by a rope-like cord that goes around your head or neck and can be used for more than just listening. These ear-buds can be monitored using a touch-sensitive control on the right bud that allows users to tap to play/pause music, swipe forward and back to change volume and also offers a connection to Google Assistant on long press.
Now why connect to Google Assistant, you ask? This connection will offer users a communication channel through which the Google Assistant can read out notifications and messages to you. Moreover, this will also allow users to activate their own personal Google on-the-go by communicating their needs to the Google Assistant. The connection is also pretty simple. All the user needs to do is open the case and a Pixel Smartphone or any other Android phone with version 7.0 Nougat software and Google Assistant will connect them automatically.
Also, these Pixel Buds are worn in a unique way. As these are ear-buds, not in-ear headphones, they don’t fit into your ear canal and instead nestle into your outer ear and stay anchored in place by a small loop formed by the cord. In the event yesterday, Product Manager: Adam Champy explained how Google did not like the way in-ear headphones force users to handle the sizing of the buds. He further went on to add how users are asked to either take the headphone apart or put something in their ears that didn’t fit. Coming back to what he had to say about the Pixel Buds: “The loop here fits into a non-sensitive part of the ear and the whole system is stable enough to go running with.”
The most intriguing feature of the Pixel Buds is the integrated Google Translate feature. This feature was demoed on stage yesterday at the launch event where two Pixel Bud wearers: a native English speaker and a native Swedish speaker held a conversation with one another in their native language by translating communications in real time. There was barely any lag time between the speaker saying the words, the Buds’ hearing them and translating them into the appropriate language. Using the existing Google Translate data and infrastructure, the Pixel Buds are able to comprehend conversations in over 40 different languages.
Now speaking in terms of battery power and charging, the Buds come with a 120mAh battery and the cloth-covered charging case is of 620mAh. Google says that they should last about five hours on a charge. The company claims that the case will beam up to 24 hours of listening time on the Buds. Available in Just Black, Clearly White and Kinda Blue color variants, these Pixel Buds are available now for pre-orders in the USA priced at $159.
This is Google’s attempt at letting people get more done and stay connected without having the need to look at their Android smartphones. Also, needless to say, multilingual! What is your say about Pixel Buds? Do let us know in the comments below. We will keep you posted on these once they are available in the country. Stay tuned!
