Google has introduced an expanded range of hardware products and has shown the competition that it wants to compete with Apple, CNN reported.
At its first conference in years, Google announced the launch of three new smartphones, its first smartwatch, and said it had plans to launch a tablet next year.
The company also announced updates to several of its most popular tools, including Maps, Google Translate, and Search.
Three new Pixel smartphones
Google surprised fans with its range of smartphones by showing two leading devices – Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro. Although the company did not share many details, the two smartphones are expected to be released this fall.
Google has introduced the Pixel 6a smartphone, a more affordable version of the Pixel 6 phone released earlier this year. Pixel 6a is powered by an internal chip and will be available in three colors – green, white, and black.
Pixel Watch
For the first time, Google plans to produce a new smartwatch of its own.
Pixel Watch, which will use Google’s WearOS operating system, will be compatible with services such as Google Assistant, Google Maps, and Google Wallet.
The integration with Fitbit, which Google acquired in 2019, will add several features for tracking activities and fitness.
Pixel Buds Pro
Google also announced a new version of the Bluetooth headset called Pixel Buds Pro.
Available in four colors – orange, green, white, and black – the new headphones offer features such as active noise reduction and surround audio. Pixel Buds Pro will cost $ 199 and will be available on July 21.
Google Maps
Google Maps users will soon be able to get a real 3D view of certain cities and popular landmarks, restaurants, and businesses.
The improvement will allow consumers to see what the area looks like at different times of the day, how busy it is, and local traffic conditions.
The new look will be available in Los Angeles, London, New York, San Francisco, and Tokyo later this year on all mobile devices running Google’s Android operating system.
Google Translate
Google is adding 24 languages to its translation tool. With this move, the company is focusing on languages in Africa and India and languages that are not normally served by technology.
These include Quechua, which is spoken in the Andes, especially Peru, Lingala, which is spoken in the Congo, Assamese, which is spoken in northeastern India, and Tigress, which is spoken in Ethiopia and Eritrea.
New scale for skin tones
Many beauty and technology companies classify skin tones based on the Fitzpatrick Scale. Developed in the 1970s by a Harvard dermatologist, it is used to classify how different skin colors respond to UV light (and thus predict a person’s risk of sunburn and skin cancer).
Although it includes only six skin tones, the scale has been used by technology companies for years to learn about everything from emoji colors to how portable heart rate monitors work on different skin tones.
The company said it will start using the Monk skin tone scale, which was developed by Professor Ellis Monk of Harvard and includes 10 different shades. Through it, Google will test how well AI models (such as those that recognize faces in photos) work on people with different skin tones.
Virtual credit cards
Google is launching virtual credit cards to protect users’ financial information while shopping online.
Virtual cards will be introduced this summer – initially only for US users with Visa, American Express, and Capital One credit cards. Google plans to add support for Mastercard later this year.
