October, 2017

• 4 October

  Pixel 2 camera has optical image stabilization for videos

  

  Google‘s new Pixel 2 and 2 XL phones don’t have dual rear cameras like other flagship phones: Samsung Galaxy Note 8, LG V30, Essential Phone, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X. But, that doesn’t mean its solo rear camera isn’t packing some amazing features. The Pixel 2’s camera uses optical and electronic stabilization along with …

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• 4 October

  Confirmed: Google’s Pixel 2 phones don’t have headphone jacks

  

  I wish it weren’t true. But it is.  Google’s just-announced Pixel 2 phones don’t have a headphone jack. The 3.5mm connector is missing. It’s not on the top, where Google placed it on last year’s Pixel. And it’s not on the bottom either, where you’ll find the USB-C data/charge port all by its lonesome. The audio jack is simply gone. …

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• 4 October

  Chromecast hits 55 million units sold, says Google

  

  Google has sold 55 million Chromecast and Chromecast built-in devices. Rick Osterloh, Google’s hardware chief, made the announcement about the cheap wireless video dongle during Google’s Pixel 2 event in San Francisco on Wednesday.  The device lets users steam Netflix, YouTube, Spotify, Pandora, HBO Now and thousands of other apps and games to TVs using either a phone, tablet or …

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• 4 October

  Pixel Buds translates voice, but it’s not the first

  

  By some estimates, there are as many as 7,000 languages on the planet and many of us just speak one of them.  That’s led to a cottage industry of Hollywood dream-technology like the babel fish from “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” or the always-there computers on “Star Trek.” In the real world, we’ve fallen a bit short of that promise. …

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• 4 October

  Pixel 2: No headphone jack, no dual lens, no problem? (The 3:59, Ep. 294)

  

  Google showed off a slew of new devices at a hardware launch event Wednesday, with its Pixel 2 phone as the headliner. We discuss the new phone, as well as the Google Home Mini and Home Max smart speakers, Pixelbook laptop and a few other gadgets presented. The 3:59 gives you bite-size news and analysis about the top stories of …

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• 4 October

  Google, with new Pixel and camera, is serious about devices

  

  Last October, Rick Osterloh, the head of Google’s newly minted hardware division, stood on stage in San Francisco and made his pitch to consumers everywhere: Google is not just for Googling anymore. Instead, he said, come to Google for physical products that fit in your pocket or live in your house: a phone, a smart speaker, a Wi-Fi router. It …

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• 4 October

  Google Home Max smart home speaker aims to take on Sonos

  

  Google has announced its premium smart speaker, the $399 Google Home Max, which combines Wi-Fi streaming with the Google Assistant in a larger form factor than the company’s first model. Now playing: Watch this: Google debuts Home Max with Smart Sound 2:08 While the Google Home Mini appears to be modeled after the Echo Dot, the Max seems to be …

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• 4 October

  Western Digital 14TB hard drive sets storage record

  

  Western Digital’s Ultrastar Hs14 packs a massive 14TB capacity into a single drive — a world’s first — and you can’t have it. Not yet at least.  The new enterprise-class drive falls under the company’s HGST brand and is built for cloud and data centers. According to Western Digital, it has 40 percent more capacity and more than twice the …

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• 4 October

  ‘Stranger Things’ mobile game revels in the arcade ’80s

  

  There’s something strange happening in the town of Hawkins and it’s up to you to get to the bottom of it. Stranger Things: The Game is a new mobile adventure for iOS and Android that combines retro stylings with characters, settings and stories from the Netflix horror hit “Stranger Things.” And yes, there’s an ’80s arcade-style Eggo waffle waiting for …

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• 4 October

  Google Pixel 2 event: Livestream, start time, how to watch

  

  Livestream Update: The event has ended. Here’s everything Google announced, along with all of our followup coverage. Apple unveiled its new iPhones on Sept. 12. Last week, Amazon surprised us with five new Echo products.   Now, it’s Google‘s turn. WHEN: Today, Wednesday, Oct. 4, 9 a.m. PT; 12 noon ET; 5 p.m. UK; 3 a.m. (Thursday) Sydney — or see …

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