Page 6 - DIGICEL

A24 TECHNOLOGY
Thursday 5 OcTOber 2017
Google unveils new phones, speakers to counter Amazon, Apple

By MICHAEL LIEDTKE wireless headphones, cumulated through its
AP Technology Writer called Pixel Buds. dominant search engine to
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — In addition to relaying au- make its assistant far more
Google on Wednesday un- dio from the phone, the intelligent than either Al-
veiled new phones, smart headphones can also exa or Siri, giving it an edge
speakers and other devic- translate spoken language over its rivals over time.
es infused with artificial in- in real time, working with CANDID CAMERA
telligence in its bid to claim translation software built In a surprise move, Google
the high ground against ri- into the new Pixels. The fea- is introducing a hands-free
vals Amazon and Apple. ture also will be coming to camera that will automati-
NEW PHONES last year’s Pixel models in cally take photos and vid-
The second generation of an update. eo for people looking to
Google’s Pixel phones un- SMART SPEAKERS catch candid moments
veiled Wednesday feature The Google Home Mini of their family, friends and
larger, brighter screens unveiled Wednesday is a pet.
that take up more of the button-sized speaker cov- Google’s Mario Queiroz speaks about the Google Pixel 2 XL The small, square device,
phone’s front, changes ered in fabric. It includes phones at a Google event at the SFJAZZ Center in San Fran- called Google Clips, can
that Apple is also making the same features featured cisco, Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2017. be attached to a station-
with its iPhone X scheduled in a cylindrical speaker that Associated Press ary object so it can cap-
to be released next month. Google rolled out last year superior acoustics for play- Pod. Both speakers are due ture images of everything
Both the 6-inch Pixel XL and in response to Amazon’s ing music, mimicking Ap- to hit stores in December. within its range of view.
the 5-inch Pixel will also do Echo . ple’s HomePod. AI TAKES CENTER STAGE It will rely on artificial intel-
away with the headphone The Mini will cost almost Like Apple with the Home- Google’s voice-activated ligence to learn what and
jack, something Apple did $50, roughly the small Pod, Google is promising digital assistant will serve as who is important to its users
with the iPhone 7 last year. price as Amazon’s smaller that its Max speaker will the brains for all the speak- so it knows the best times
Google also souped up the speaker, the Echo Dot. The learn your musical tastes so ers, just as Amazon’s Alexa to snap a photo or record
already highly rated cam- standard Google Home it can become a digital DJ and Apple’s Siri run their video.
era on the Pixel, boasting speaker costs almost $130. that automatically selects competing devices. Google is promising that
that it will take even better Last week, Amazon an- tunes that you’ll enjoy. All three technology com- privacy controls built into
photos than the iPhone. nounced the next genera- But the Max speaker will panies are trying to es- Clips will give the camera’s
The smaller Pixel will sell for tion of its Echo speaker, work with a wider range of tablish their assistants as users complete control
almost $650, $50 less than coming out in time for the music-streaming services prescient concierges over which images they
the iPhone 8. The Pixel XL holiday shopping season, than the HomePod, which that understand people’s want to transfer to another
will sell for almost $850, or will cost just $100, a price is designed to be a com- needs and desires to help device or share with some-
$50 more than the iPhone 8 that Google decided not panion to Apple Music. them better manage their one else.
Plus. Prices for the iPhone X to match. Google is selling the Home homes and lives. Clips will sell for almost $250
start at $1,000. The Google Home Max is Max for almost $400, about Google is counting on the and will be available in
Google also announced a rectangular speaker with $50 more than the Home- knowledge that it has ac- stores in December.q
Microsoft dives deeper into

‘mixed reality’ with VR devices

ing system. are focused on bringing strategy by working with PC
Samsung’s HMD Odyssey a slightly different format makers to design and sell
will cost $500 and begin called “augmented real- headsets that work with the
shipping early next month. ity” to smartphones run- upcoming Windows 10 up-
The Gear VR sells for $40 to ning on their software. date. The Redmond, Wash-
$130. Augmented reality, or AR, ington, company’s em-
PC makers Dell, HP, Acer projects digital images phasis on its PC operating
and Lenovo also will be into real-life scenes usually system isn’t surprising, given
making VR headsets de- viewed through a camera that its own attempts to
signed to work with Win- lens. expand into smartphones
dows 10 machines. The VR, on the other hand, have flopped so far.
prices for those headsets completely immerses peo- Facebook, another com-
start at about $400. ple into fake worlds, and pany without its own smart-
Microsoft also disclosed it’s usually requires wearing a phone operating system,
buying a startup called Alt- headset that blocks out ev- also is betting on VR that
Microsoft Technical Fellow Alex Kipman demonstrates an HMD
Odyssey virtual reality headset during a media conference, spaceVR to develop tech- erything else. works on standalones
Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2017, in San Francisco. nology for holding business Microsoft Corp. is trying to headsets build by its Ocu-
Associated Press meetings in VR. develop technology that lus subsidiary. The Oculus
By MICHAEL LIEDTKE day include a Samsung The PC-driven headsets straddles both VR and AR, headset also requires a
AP Technology Writer headset called the HMD that Microsoft is embracing prompting the company connection to a high-pow-
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Odyssey. The headset re- illuminate the dividing lines to label its approach as ered PC. Oculus is expect-
Microsoft is counting on vir- quires a connection to among some of the world’s “mixed reality.” It began ed to reveal the latest up-
tual reality headsets made a PC running on a Win- most powerful technology its push into the area two dates to its VR products at
by other companies to help dows 10 update being companies as they all try to years ago with an expen- a conference next week.
establish personal comput- released Oct. 17. That’s hook consumers and busi- sive headset called the Google, meanwhile, is ex-
ers running on its Windows unlike Samsung’s less ex- nesses on products and HoloLens that so far has pected to unveil the next
10 operating system as the pensive Gear VR headset, applications that blend the primarily been used inside generation of its Daydream
best way to explore artifi- which is designed to run on real world with digital ver- companies. VR headsets for Android-
cial worlds. smartphones powered by sions of it. Now, Microsoft is trying to powered phones at a
The devices unveiled Tues- Google’s Android operat- Both Apple and Google broaden its mixed-reality showcase Wednesday.q