Google LLC announced a wide array of new and updated devices at its Made by Google event this morning in New York City, including the Pixel Buds, Pixelbook Go, Stadia video game cloud launch, Nest Mini speaker, Nest Wifi and Pixel 4 smartphone.

“We think technology can be even more useful when computing is anywhere you need it, always available to help you,” said Rick Osterloh (pictured), senior vice president of devices and services at Google. “Your devices fade into the background, working together with AI and software to assist you throughout your day. We call this ambient computing. ”

Every product showcased by Google at the event contains some sort of “smart” quality, be in extra machine learning or on-board processing to provide artificial intelligence support.

“Pixel 4, Pixel Buds, Pixelbook Go, Nest Mini and Nest Wifi are part of our vision to create a consistent, helpful Google for you,” Osterloh said.

Pixel 4 smartphone

Coming as no surprise after rampant leaks in recent weeks, the upcoming smartphones from Google will be the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL, which will support new radar-based Motion Sense technology, updated Google Assistant technology and a high-res camera suite.

The Pixel 4 is the first smartphone to incorporate a radar sensor to provide superior motion sense. According to Google, that means the phone will have the fastest face unlock on any smartphone. It uses motion sensors to know when you intend to use the phone for face unlock.

Motion sense can also power down the phone when you move away and warm it up when you approach. With gesture sense, it’s possible to light up the screen (for example, react to an alert), silence the phone, answer calls and any number of other air gestures for interacting with the phone.

It can even make the phone “more polite,” for example an alarm will get quieter when you reach for it, but it doesn’t turn off until you swipe the alarm away.

Google Assistant is now deeply integrated into Pixel 4, providing voice control and multitasking. With a quick squeeze of the sides of the phone, the Assistant starts listening and uses on-device language processing. The new Assistant uses a hybrid model, allowing it to respond immediately to many everyday questions without the need for connectivity.

The phone includes a Titan M security chip to protect personal data and the software now has additional privacy features allowing users to erase sensitive information when the need arises.

There’s also no more losing track of recordings with this phone, since it includes a new audio app running in the background that can do automatic local transcription. That means that across recordings, it will become possible to use a text search to rediscover past conversations. All of these recorder functions also happen on-device without the need for a connection.

The organic light-emitting diode display is a 5.7-inch screen with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor and a Pixel Neural Core. The shell supports stereo speakers, three microphones and noise suppression capability. For wireless, the phone can connect to Wi-Fi at 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz, use Google Cast, Bluetooth 5.0 and Near Field Communication. Augmented and virtual reality enthusiasts will like to hear that the phone also supports the most current version of ARCore.

Pixel 4 includes four new computational photo capabilities including Live HDR+, using machine learning to give a real-time idea of what the final photo will look like, with dual exposure controls, between brightness and shadows; an improved Portrait Mode, capable of even finer details than before; White Balance, using learning-based white balancing for truer colors in tricky lighting; and improved Night Sight makes it possible to do fully-automatic long exposure.

The phone will launch with three colors: Just Black, Clearly White and Oh So Orange (limited edition). It’s now available through every major U.S. wireless carrier. Price starts at $799 with pre-order beginning today and the phone is expected to ship Oct. 24.

Pixel Buds earbuds

Google’s upcoming wireless earbuds, called “Pixel Buds,” will look like tiny dots in people’s ears. This is not just to make it aesthetically pleasing to wear tiny machines in customers’ ears, but also to allow them to be as comfortable and light as possible.

The earbuds contain two processors and are capable of not just audio playback and sound staging but also local voice processing. As a result, users have access to Google Assistant even when the phone cannot hear them.

#PixelBuds give you instant access to the Google Assistant. Just say "Hey Google," to get directions, send a text or email, and even translate foreign languages. See more of what #PixelBuds can do → https://t.co/zSRSApHGCp#madebygoogle pic.twitter.com/Qb5EZ1dx6x

— Google (@Google) October 15, 2019

Using long-range Bluetooth technology, the earbuds will stay connected to a phone indoors as far away as three rooms or outdoors as distant as a football field.

Battery life for the earbuds is expected to be approximately five hours of playtime that can be extended to 24 hours using a wireless charging case while out in the field.

The buds use a hybrid design to provide “rich bass and clear highs,” but also allow in just enough external sound with a spatial vent so they don’t completely isolate the user. The buds are also smart enough to “listen” to external noise and adjust playback volume appropriately.

As for voice and conversation, “beamforming” microphones on the buds allow it to pick up the user’s voice when speaking and bone conduction detecting microphones allow for voice pickup even in loud environments.

The Pixel Buds will ship Spring 2020 with a price tag of $179.

Google Stadia and Cloud Game Controller

Google Stadia is the tech giant’s cloud streaming game service that will deliver high-quality gaming to any screen without the need for an expensive, bulky gaming console. Instead, customers need only purchase a Google cloud gaming controller and away they go.

The launch of the gaming service is planned for Nov. 19.

Stadia will be playable on television screens via Google Chromecast as well as Pixel phones.

Pixelbook Go

The newest flagship Chromebook will be called the “Pixelbook Go.” Small design, similar to many other Chromebooks, has a sleek top and a ribbed bottom for a better grip.

The current design is available in matte black but not pink yet. The entire device is 13 millimeters high, weight two pounds and has a 12-hour battery life. It also has ultraquiet hush keys to help keep the noise down when getting work done or watching cat videos.

The base-model Pixelbook supports a 13.3-inch liquid-crystal touchscreen display with full HD, an Intel Core m3 processor, 8 gigabytes of RAM, 64GB of storage. Other models include increasing RAM up to 16GB and storage up to 256GB as well as processors up to an Intel Core i7. As expected, the device will run on ChromeOS, Google’s flagship Chromebook operating system.

It’s available starting at $649 on preorder (with models that go all the way up to $1,399), and the pink one will be available to preorder soon.

Nest Mini speaker

The next-gen Nest Mini speaker is also now available for preorder and its covering is made from recycled plastic bottles. It looks a lot similar to Google Home Mini but slightly modified.

The Nest Mini gets double the bass response and clearer and more natural sounds than the previous model. It also has a third microphone so that it can hear better in noisy households.

A dedicated machine learning chip with one TeraOPS of compute has also been added to the hardware. That means the Nest Mini can learn faster and is capable of doing language processing and learning onboard without the need to use its wireless connection.

The software for this device includes a Home Alert System that can tell you who is at the front door. It also enables Google Duo to act as a home phone and it’s possible to “call-in” to Nest Mini and other home devices from a smartphone.

The new Nest Mini is available for pre-order today for $49 and will ship Oct. 22.

Nest Wifi home router and wireless

Google Nest is getting a new mesh Wi-Fi router called Nest Wifi. The device will act as a home networking system as well as provide a smart speaker and hub for interacting with Nest devices in the home, with connectivity to Google Home.

The system consists of two primary devices: a router that plugs into the home’s modem and another piece called a “point” that provides the wireless and doubles as a smart speaker.

This system delivers twice the speed and 25 percent better coverage than its predecessor Google Wifi. With this design, it should cover 85 percent of homes in the U.S.

It’s designed with a simple setup in mind. Using the Google Home app, it’s possible to get going in minutes, share the password, prioritize devices and execute other tasks.

Nest Wifi ships Nov. 4. It comes in two versions, a two-pack for $269 and a three-pack for $349, available for pre-order now.

 Photo: Google