SAN FRANCISCO – Google said Wednesday that it is uploading a smartwatch to its Pixel hardware line as part of a “computing” vision to make its services available anywhere, anytime.
The Internet titan, owned by Alphabet, is using its annual developer conference to showcase the Pixel line, which is expanding to include a smartwatch and tablet, as well as upgraded headphones and a more affordable version of its flagship smartphone.
Backed by artificial intelligence, cloud computing and sophisticated custom mobile chips, the gadget family is designed to work seamlessly together, Google’s senior vice president of hardware and services Rick Osterlo said at a briefing.
“All of these things work in line with our vision for ambient computers,” Osterlo said. “Providing the help that people need whenever they need it.”
The Pixel Watch will be released later this year, along with a new premium Pixel 7 smartphone, with prices and other details to be announced closer to launch, Google said.
The first Pixel smartwatch, designed and built by Google, will integrate health features from Fitbit, which Alphabet bought in a $ 2.1 billion deal that ended last year and will take over the market leader Apple Watch.
“It just takes time for a company to integrate with all the technology and people that Fitbit has,” Osterlo said of the Pixel smartwatch.
There will be a version of the Pixel Watch that syncs with Android smartphones and one that has its own wireless internet connection, the internet giant said.
Google is also working on the Pixel tablet, which is expected to be released next year, believing that there is interest in big screen mobile devices, even if the whole market is weak.
“We have a lot in the Pixel pipeline and it is an investment in all kinds of technologies,” Osterlo said.
A smaller version of the Pixel 6 smartphone, released by Google late last year, will hit the shelves on July 28 for $ 449, along with the new Pixel Buds Pro for $ 199.
While smartphones powered by Google’s free Google operating software dominate the global market, the Silicon Valley company’s Pixel models have gained a small share.
“We are really investing a lot and expanding the mobile part of our vision,” Osterlo said.
“It’s like an iceberg and you haven’t seen much of what’s going on below, but now you can really see all this stuff coming to the surface.
Software intelligence
Alphabet chief Sundar Pichai gave a look at the augmented reality glasses that Google is working on, providing little detail but demonstrating how they can translate real-time conversations by showing transcripts to users.
“All this work is in the service of a perpetual mission to organize global information and make it universally accessible and useful,” Pichai said of what Google shared during a 2-hour live public presentation at a concert venue near Silicon. the company headquarters in the valley.
Google’s hardware communications have been backed by a number of improvements to the software that power the main search service, artificial intelligence capabilities, and Android mobile devices.
Improvements include the ability of artificial intelligence to communicate with people more naturally and to “read” pages of documents or messages and provide people with insightful, concise summaries of their content.
The search enhancement allows images taken from smartphone cameras and queries made by users to be combined to allow, for example, someone to ask Google to scan a market shelf to find the highest rated brand of nut-free chocolate, they showed demonstrations.
And a new Google Wallet, to be launched in the coming weeks, is designed to one day replace real banknotes, all the way to storing digital versions of driver’s licenses.
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