The Drum Awards for Marketing - Extended Deadline

-d -h -min -sec

Google Artificial Intelligence Alexa

#MadeByGoogle Event: Pixel smartphone; Google Assistant; AI advances; DayDream VR and Google Home

Author

By John McCarthy, Opinion Editor

October 4, 2016 | 5 min read

Google has unveiled a series of product launches at its #MadeByGoogle event, kicking off the event by poking fun at the industry with an exclusive skit featuring the cast of HBO’s Silicon Valley.

Google Pixel

Google Pixel

Sundar Pichai, Google chief executive came to the stage to kick off the event which had over quarter of a million viewers worldwide tuned in over YouTube Live. AI and the Google Assistant became the immediate focus to help “people get things done in the real world”, with the company wanting to "build a personal Google for each user". He also underlined the conveniences on offer from artificial intelligence (AI) powered Google Assistant can provide.

Pichai said: “It’s clear we’re moving from a mobile first to an AI-first world, the assistant will be universal, available when the users need it. And our goal is to build a personal Google for each user.”

Next came Deepmind and its machine learning capabilities with a reference to Google’s victory over Go Champion Lee Sedol. On the image recognition advancements made by Google, an example of a train was given, showing how much the technology had improved in a short time.

Deepmind

Google also used the session to promote the progression of its machine translation system, which is reportedly “approaching human level translation”, with Chinese to English languages tests having been conducted in recent weeks.

“Today is about getting our assistant into the hands of our users,” he said, bringing up the newly launched messenger app Google Allo, which is integrated with the universal assistant.

Rick Osterloh, head of hardware, took to the stage to discuss the new platform for the Google Assistant to “showcase the very best of Google” with the reveal of the Google Pixel smartphone – the first such device produced exclusively by the company.

Pixel comes with a built-in Google Assistant in a not-to-subtle nod to Apple’s Siri. There was an emphasis on photography, storage, communications and virtual reality in its creation.

Pixel 2

Next was a brief run through of the Google Assistant on Pixel, demonstrating its ability to buy gig tickets, make dinner reservations and send a text. Named Pixel, the company claimed the device boasts the best possible camera on any smartphone – an ambitious claim to fame.

DXoMark

The phone comes in two sizes, 5” and 5.5”, and in three colours, black, silver and blue. Below are the hardware specs.

Pixel Specs

Google has partnered with US telecoms provider Verizon Wireless to bring the phone to the US at an upfront price of $649 or $27 per month, and is now available to pre-order in the US, Australia, Canada, Germany and the UK. It is reportedly the only DayDreamVR-ready smartphone (see below).

This was launched next, with Clay Bavor, head of VR at Google, claiming the DayDream headset represents a "different take” on virtual reality headsets, as it is designed to pair with the Pixel (and other) smartphones.

DayDream

He added: "We looked to fabrics, not gadgets, for inspiration, in fact, we worked with clothing designers to get the fabrics just right”. He said it weighs 30 per cent less than “comparable devices”, and that it comes with a bluetooth controller at a price of $79.

Adrienne McCallister , head of VR partnerships, took to the stage to tout content including an interactive experience with Warner Bros‘ Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them – a game, created by Eve Online developers called Gunjack and Valkyrie, a dogfight simulation.

The launch of Google Wi-Fi followed, with Google claiming it was designed to "support the new ways we use Wi-Fi”. The modular system uses mesh networking to enhance the connection throughout the home, and will be available for pre-orders from November, priced at $129. Chromecast Ultra followed with the device boasting 4K, HDR, and Dolby Vision support.

Google Wi-Fi

Next came Google's rival to Amazon’s Echo speaker and home control unit, with the device giving the Google Assistant a voice was the Google Home speaker.

Google Home

The device boasts several integrations with top streaming companies – although Apple Music was notably missing. It was touted as an aid to help with everyday tasks. Third-party apps were announced too, similar to Alexa ‘skills’, with presenters suggesting the ability to control TVs, speakers, read emails and ask day-to-day questions through the assistant as key functions.

Google Home

Also unveiled was an initial partnership with Netflix that lets users jump straight into their shows without lifting a hand. The same goes for images on Google Photos. It will cost $129, bundled with a free six-month trial of YouTube Red.

It is available for pre-order only in the US at the moment and comes with customisable bases.

Watch the full event below.

Google Artificial Intelligence Alexa

More from Google

View all

Trending

Industry insights

View all
Add your own content +