Tag: Pixel Watch

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Mobile Syrup

Google Pixel 7 reveal scheduled for October 6th

Out of the blue today, Google announced that it’s hosting a ‘Made by Google’ event on October 6th, where it will reveal the Pixel 7 lineup, the Pixel Watch, alongside additions to the Nest smart home portfolio.

The event is set to take place at 10am on October 6th, and the new releases from the keynote will be available to purchase the same day at the Google webstore. The keynote will be a hybrid event, with an online stream available for anyone to watch, alongside a small, invite-only in-person presence at the event.

Google first shared a sneak peek of the Pixel 7 lineup and the Pixel Watch at its I/O event back in May. From what we know so far, the Pixel 7 line will feature an aluminum finish on its rear visor, with Android 13 pre-installed. The Pixel 7 Pro will launch in ‘Obsidian,’ ‘Snow’ and ‘Hazel’ colours, whereas the Pixel 7 will come in ‘Obsidian,’ ‘Snow’ and ‘Lemongrass,’ with both devices running on Google’s next-gen Tensor chip.

The Pixel Watch, on the other hand, will mark Google’s entry into the smartwatch/fitness tracker market. It reportedly features a bold circular dome design, with a recycled stainless steel body and customizable bands that attach and detach seamlessly.

The Watch will run WearOS, and will feature all of the staple smartwatch features we’re used to, including heart rate, sleep, and fitness tracking.

We will likely know more about the upcoming devices as we approach the event and leaks from all corners of the world start pouring in.

Learn more about the upcoming ‘Made by Google’ event here.

Image credit: Google

Source: Google

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Mobile Syrup

Cellular Pixel Watch could cost $399: report

Google’s much-anticipated Pixel Watch is expected to launch later this year alongside the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro. There are plenty of rumours circulating about the Pixel Watch features, but now 9to5Google has detailed the price.

Citing a “source familiar with the matter,” 9to5 reports the LTE-capable Pixel Watch will cost $399 USD (about $518.76 CAD). The publication didn’t share a price for the Wi-Fi-only model of the Pixel Watch, but it would likely be lower than the cost of the cellular variant.

To put that in perspective, it’s the same as the U.S. cost for the base model Apple Watch Series 7 (the Series 7 starts at $529 in Canada). On the Android side, the main comparison would likely be to Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 5, which starts at $419.99 CAD for the LTE model. The Watch 5 Pro starts at $559.99 CAD.

Moreover, Google-owned Fitbit just launched its latest smartwatch, the Fitbit Sense 2, priced at $399 CAD, which doesn’t include LTE. 9to5 suggests Google intends for Fitbit’s devices to occupy the affordable range, so it seems the Wi-Fi-only Pixel Watch will sit somewhere between the price of the Sense 2 and the LTE Pixel Watch.

So far, we know the Pixel Watch will sport a circular design with a spinning ‘crown,’ will come in ‘Silver,’ ‘Black,’ and ‘Gold,’ and feature Fitbit integration. Moreover, 9to5 said the Pixel Watch would run on Samsung’s older Exynos 9110 and feature a coprocessor, 1.5GB of RAM and 32GB of storage.

The Pixel Watch battery clocks in at just shy of 300mAh, which is expected to last about a day. Finally, it looks like the Pixel Watch will use a magnetic charger with a USB-C connecter on the other end, and the bottom of the watch includes a sensor array very similar to what you’d find on the Fitbit Charge 5.

Image credit: Google

Source: 9to5Google

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Mobile Syrup

‘Fitbit by Google’ branding launches alongside Fitbit Sense 2 and Versa 4

Fitbit has pulled the curtain back on its new lineup of smartwatches and fitness trackers. Though, with the announcement of the Sense 2 and Versa 4 comes what appears to be its new ‘Fitbit by Google’ branding.

It now appears as though the company is leveraging Google’s ownership of Fitbit. The Fitbit website now displays the “by Google” branding label. However, it’s curiously not as prominent as one may expect. The Fitbit logo and name are positioned as the focal point, while “by Google” is off to the right side next to the user’s cart.

The timing comes as Fitbit revealed its new Sense 2 and Versa 4 smartwatches. Promotional pieces for both devices also include the new Google-inclusive branding. Though, once again, there is a bit of separation between the two.

This follows Google’s acquisition of Fitbit back in January 2021. The tech goliath purchased the fitness and wearable tech company for a sizeable $2.1 USD (roughly $2.6 billion CAD) sum. Since that time, Google has been slowly but surely integrating itself into the Fitbit ecosystem.

This will all come to a head this fall as Google aims to launch its Pixel Watch. Announced at I/O 2022, Google confirmed that its Pixel Watch will run on WearOS and features “deep integration” with Fitbit. Heart rate monitoring, sleep, and fitness tracking are among the know integrations.

Additionally, the Fitbit site now displays the Google Pixel Watch with the tagline, “Help by Google. Health by Fitbit.”

While a release of pricing is yet to be confirmed, this is the first Google-branded device with Fitbit integration. The marriage of the two brands is being intensified through such initiatives.

Image credit: Fitbit

Source: 9to5Google

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Mobile Syrup

Pixel Watch to have 24-hour battery life, according to Fitbit app teardown

Back in May, Google announced the Pixel Watch at its I/O developer conference, confirming long-running rumours that the company was working on a smartwatch. We don’t know much about the watch yet, but details continue to emerge — the latest suggests potential Pixel Watch customers should expect the battery to last about one day.

9to5Google performed a teardown of the latest Fitbit app, version 3.65, and uncovered text within the app for battery-related notifications for the Pixel Watch (as a reminder, Google owns Fitbit, and the Pixel Watch is set to feature Fitbit integration). The first bit of text is for a notification that will remind Pixel Watch users to charge up before bed:

“Get a notification before your bedtime goal if your Pixel Watch battery is too low to track a night’s sleep.”

9to5 notes that the above notification will show up shortly before users’ bedtime goal, giving them time to charge up before bed. However, the publication found another battery-related notification with some more interesting details:

“Time to charge your watch

“You’ll need at least 30% charge to track a full night’s sleep”

Now, here’s where things get a little speculative. 9to5 suggests — given it’s recommended people get eight hours of sleep each night — that could mean the Pixel Watch will burn through 30 percent of its battery in about eight hours. If you expand that to 24 hours, that’d be about 90 percent of the Pixel Watch battery, suggesting the Pixel Watch will offer about 24-hour battery life.

24-hour battery could put the Pixel Watch behind competitors

Now, a few important caveats. First, and most important, is that this information comes from an app teardown. 9to5 cracked open the Fitbit app and found these text snippets for notifications related to the Pixel Watch. But since the Pixel Watch isn’t out yet and likely won’t arrive until October or November, there’s still time for Google to refine its software. In other words, these details could change, or may not accurately reflect the final product. So, take this information with a healthy dose of skepticism.

However, as Android Police points out, the 24-hour number does match previous reports about the Pixel Watch’s battery. Other rumours suggest the Pixel Watch will sport a 300mAh battery, which will last all day — Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 4 sports a 247mAh or 361mAh battery, depending on the watch size. That adds some credibility to the teardown information.

It’s also worth noting that sleep tracking features often use heart rate monitoring, which can have an increased impact on the battery. That could mean the 30 percent in eight hours measure is with the heart rate monitor, and potentially you could squeeze more longevity by disabling heart rate monitoring. But we won’t know that for sure until the Pixel Watch is in reviewers’ hands.

Ultimately, it sounds like the Pixel Watch could have subpar battery life. It’s a bit of a bummer, considering what other watches have on offer. Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 4 lasts 40 hours, while the recently unveiled Galaxy Watch 5 should go even longer thanks to its bigger battery. Fitbit’s own smartwatches last pretty long — the Sense that I wear consistently gets me through two days before I need to charge it. Hopefully the Pixel Watch proves these details wrong when it launches in the fall, but keep your hype in check just in case.

Header image credit: Google

Source: 9to5Google Via: Android Police

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Mobile Syrup

Pixel Watch rumoured to feature roughly a 300mAh battery

Google’s Pixel Watch might have a disappointing battery life.

According to a source who spoke with 9to5Google, the smartwatch will sport just under a 300mAh battery. The source claims that the battery will be able to last a full day with a single charge.

However, the source doesn’t offer information on whether that’s a full-day battery with the always-on display turned on or if sleep tracking is included in the all-day battery.

9to5 also says that the Pixel Watch doesn’t offer fast charging via its magnetic to USB-C cable. It’s expected that the watch might take 110 minutes to fully charge, which is pretty long to fully charge the wearable. In comparison, the Apple Watch 7 can fully charge in 75 minutes, or 80 percent in 45 minutes.

Google will launch the Pixel Watch alongside the Pixel 7 series in the fall.

Image credit: Google

Source: 9to5Google

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Mobile Syrup

Google I/O: Pixel 7/6a, Pixel Watch, Pixel Buds Pro and more [SyrupCast 259]

On this week’s SyrupCast, Patrick O’Rourke, Brad Bennett and Dean Daley talk about I/O 2022, including the Pixel Watch, the Pixel 6a, the Pixel 7, the Pixel Buds Pro, the Pixel Tablet and more.

As always, you can watch the podcast on YouTube or listen on your favourite podcast platform.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts

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The biggest announcements at Google I/O 2022

This year’s Google I/O was full of new reveals, useful features, and tools that make me ask, “what took so long?”

Here’s a recap of the five biggest announcements, in no particular order.

Pixel Watch

The Pixel Watch has to be one of the most anticipated releases surrounding a Google I/O event. Rumours have been leaking for months, and the loud cheer that erupted from the audience once the watch was revealed shows the excitement surrounding Google’s entry into the smartwatch market.

The Pixel Watch has a circular dome design and is made of recycled stainless steel. Customizable bands are also available and can be attached/detached easily. The device will be integrated with Fitbit. You can read more about the watch here.

Pixel 6a/Pixel 7

The second piece of anticipated hardware was the Pixel 6a. It features a 6.1-inch OLED display with a centred hole-punch selfie camera and a 60Hz refresh rate. The device uses the Tensor processor and Titan M2 chip and offers the same power as the Pixel 6Pro.

The Pixel 6a will cost $599 in Canada, but it’s unclear when pre-orders will open.

Image credit: Google

Google also offered a cheeky reveal of the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro. The sneak-peek only featured the back of the devices, showing an aluminum finish. More information is available here.

Language features

Google I/O featured various updates that involve language in one way or another.

Let’s start with Google Translate, which now includes 24 new languages. The updates include the Indigenous Languages of the Americas, such as Quechua, Rani and Imatra. The new additions mean Google Translate now supports 133 languages.

Image credit: Google

Auto-translated captions are also now live for YouTube videos on mobile. Viewers can view captions in 16 different languages and access transcripts as well.

Google also previewed its AR glasses, which allow users to access live translated dialogue in a language they understand. The promotional video shows simply wearing the glasses and having someone speak directly to a participant lead to translated text on the lense.

TL;DR

Google CEO Sundar Pichai said he looks for the acronym TL;DR whenever he comes across a long document or email. It stands for “Too Long, Didn’t Read” and is the basis of a new feature that makes Google Docs more efficient.

Automated summarization condenses large bodies of text and pulls out key pieces of information for the reader to review. While it’s only available for Google Docs at this time, the feature will make its way along with Workspace. Google says it will come to Google Chat in the coming months.

The Monk Skin Tone (MST) Scale

Google is using the work of sociologist and Harvard professor Dr. Ellis Monk to ensure users access images and other forms of content that represent them.

The ten skin tones that make up the scale. Image credit: Google

Dr. Monk’s scale features ten different skin tones, and Google will incorporate it with its ‘Search’ feature and Google Photos. You can read more about that here.

Image credit: Google

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Mobile Syrup

Google unveils Pixel Watch, Pixel 7 series, Pixel 6a and Buds Pro at I/O 2022

While Google’s I/O conference often places a significant emphasis on software updates and launches, this year’s keynote offered a look at more hardware than we’d typically expect.

In order of most to least exciting, let’s get into it:

Pixel Watch

After years of waiting, Google has finally unveiled the Pixel Watch.

While we expected to see the watch, it’s pretty exciting to finally get more details about the wearable. First and foremost, this device won’t launch until later this fall, alongside the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro. This means we should expect an October launch for the Pixel Watch.

The watch will run WearOS and features “deep integration” with Fitbit and its heart rate, sleep and fitness tracking tech. While Google didn’t reveal much about the wearable, it did mention that the watch will feature a voice assistant, wallet integration, and support for the Google Home app.

You can learn more about Google’s new wearable, here.

Pixel 7 and 7 Pro

While we expected to see the Pixel Watch, catching a glimpse of the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro was a surprise.

Google revealed the back of the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro devices. We don’t know much about these two smartphones, but they both will offer the next generation of the Google Tensor chip, Android 13 and more.

You can learn more about the Pixel 7 series, here. 

Pixel 6a

Google has unveiled its Pixel 6a, and while that might not be the most exciting announcement from the keynote, it’s been a full two years since we saw an a-series Pixel smartphone in Canada. The phone will retail at $599 and will be available for pre-order on July 21st and available July 28th.

The Pixel 6a features a 6.1-inch OLED display with a centred hole-punch selfie camera and 60Hz refresh rate, and two 12-megapixel sensors (wide and ultra-wide angle) on the Pixel 6-like visor. Additionally, it sports 6GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, an 8-megapixel shooter in the front and a 4,410mAh battery.

Check out more details about the Pixel 6a, here. 

Pixel Buds Pro

We expected to see the Pixel 6a at Google I/O 2022, but the Pixel Buds Pro are more of a surprise. While the earbuds leaked a month ago, we assumed it would be at least a few more months before we learned more about Google’s high-end wireless earbuds.

The Pixel Buds Pro will cost $259 in Canada. It’s currently only possible to subscribe for updates on the Buds Pro on Google’s Canadian website. We haven’t verified Canadian availability, but in the U.S., the Pixel buds will launch alongside the Pixel 6a on July 21st.

Like Apple’s AirPods, Google says the Pixel Buds Pro are designed to automatically switch between Android devices via “intelligent” audio switching. The Buds Pro are also IPX4 water-resistant.

For more on the Pixel Buds Pro, click here. 

Pixel Tablet

Google is working on tablets again. This tablet won’t launch until 2023, but we know it will run on the Google Tensor chip.

The front of the tablet in an image that flashed on-screen looks like the display of a Nest Hub. The front-facing camera is also set to be on top when you hold the tablet in landscape, which should be great when video-calling loved ones.

It also seems like the Pixel Tablet is launching in white and green colour variants, but these are probably subject to change.

You can learn more about the Pixel Tablet, here.

For all of our content from I/O 2022, follow this link.

Image Credit: Google

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Mobile Syrup

Google unveils the Pixel Watch at I/O 2022

Google finally announced the long-awaited Pixel Watch at its annual Google I/O developer conference after months of leaks and rumours surrounding the ‘Rohan‘ codenamed project.

The Pixel Watch, which marks Google’s entry into the smartwatch/fitness tracker market, has a bold circular dome design, with a recycled stainless steel body and customizable bands that attach and detach seamlessly.

The watch will run WearOS and features a “deep integration” with Fitbit and its heart rate, sleep, and fitness tracking tech. While Google didn’t reveal much about the wearable, it did mention that the watch will feature a voice assistant, wallet integration, and support for the Google Home app.

The watch will be released later this fall alongside the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro. More information about the watch will come over the next few months.

Regardless, MobileSyrup managing editor Patrick O’Rourke is relieved.

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Mobile Syrup

Here’s how to watch Google I/O 2022

Google’s annual I/O developer conference is just a few hours away, and similar to the last two years, the keynote will take place online and is available for anyone to stream.

The keynote, which starts today at 10am PT/1pm ET will deliver the major chunk of news on the first day, whereas tomorrow, May 12th will be focused primarily on the developer side of things.

This time around, we aren’t going into the event blindsided. From what we know so far, the first day of I/O will likely introduce the Android 13 Beta 2, closely followed by update announcements regarding AI, machine learning, Google Cloud and Workspace, Google Home, Chrome OS and more.

On the hardware side of things, recent leaks suggest that we’ll see the long-awaited Pixel Watch debut at the event. The smartwatch recently leaked on Reddit, with the user showing off the 20mm variant of the watch with a black soft silicone watch band.

Next up, we might see Google launch the Pixel 6a today. The device has already made its way to Canada’s Radio Equipment List, which indicates that, unlike last year’s Pixel 5a, the Pixel 6a will launch in Canada, provided it is announced at the event today. Judging by the leaks so far, we expect the device to sport a 6.2-inch OLED display, a 5,000mAh battery and a rear visor that houses the camera sensors.

Lastly, we might also see Google drop the Pixel Buds Pro. According to often-reliable leaker Jon Prosser, the earbuds will come in four colourways, namely ‘Real Red,’ ‘Carbon,’ ‘Limoncello’ and ‘Fog.’ Unfortunately, that’s all the information we have about the buds, so it’s entirely possible that they might not be launched at I/O today.

You can keep up with all the announcements by tuning into the live event for free at io.google/2022 at 10am PT/1pm ET. You can also stream the event directly through Google’s YouTube channel or via the YouTube stream embedded below:

Further, if you’d like to receive email updates about the event, you can register for a Google Developer Profile here. If not, you can follow along with MobileSyrup for the latest details from the event. Our Twitter and Instagram and Facebook will also have important announcements as they happen at I/O.