My Heart Remains in One Piece Following the New Google Release

admin - October 6, 2016June 20, 2022

We live in an age where Google has just as much access to us as we do to it, for most of us Google has been there to support us through the milestones of our life, from searching for lyrics trying to finding that one banger that literally captures your whole life, to that one time you regrettably searched your symptoms and realised you have cancer, a blood disease, may have been exposed to anthrax and only have 1 hour to live. 

All jokes aside, Google really has become an embedded part of our lives, what once was just a search engine that quickly resolved fights, has now become a $200 billion conglomerate, comprising of Google Maps, Youtube, Android, Google AdWords, Galaxy, Nexus and heaps of other Softwares/companies. 

In the past 24 hours, Google has made an announcement regarding the latest products that we can be expecting from them in the very near future. Some are expensive, some are unnecessary and some aren’t available in Australia, but overall the updates seem pretty awesome if you have a big budget and live in the US. 

Phone By Google

The headline product being released is the “phone by google” – Pixel. The Pixel name "has always represented the best in hardware and software, designed and built by Google,together," as stated by, Google's recently hired hardware chief, Rick Osterloh.

Pixel, a phone manufactured by HTC,  will be the first smartphone to have Google Assist built in. Assistant will have the ability to bring up photos from a particular place or time and can play music from your preferred music app upon verbal request. Assistant will be accessible when you say you're deemed “hot word,” much the same as Apple’s “hey Siri.” One of the things I personally find pretty cool about Assistant is its ability to book restaurants for the user, if you were to ask Assistant to google a restaurant, you could then ask her to make a reservation for that restaurant at your specified time. As an added extra, Google is allowing endless cloud storage for full-resolution images and videos taken with the pixel.

The new Pixel smartphone is available in Australia now through plans with Telstra starting at $85 a month…. (totalling to just over $2000 :/) or can be purchased outright through outlets such as JB HI-Fi for $1400.

Daydream VR

The Pixel is made for virtual reality and will be the first Daydream-compatible phone. Daydream is a virtual reality software and another of Google's latest releases, it offers you the opportunity to travel through time and space, and across seas to new locations. Additionally, users will have access to their own personal cinema using well-known streaming/video apps such as YouTube and Netflix.

Chromecast Ultra 

In the latest update, Chromecast has had a revamp and is now been given the hero-istic name Chromecast Ultra. Contrary to its name, the Chromecast Ultra is not a necessary update for anyone. The updated dongle now supports HDR and 4K content and it's reportedly 1.8 times faster than its predecessor. 

It is speculated that this gadget will cost roughly $99.00 and be available towards the end of the year.

Google Home 

Google home is Google’s response to Amazon’s Echo. Google Home is a speaker that incorporates the previously mentioned AI software, Assistant. Google home will be able to answerall questions you may have, from search questions to navigational commands. 

If you were are an avid Google enthusiast you can essentially control your whole house using Google Home, which partners with all google products, Nest, SmartThings, Phillips Hue and IFTTT. In theory, this is a pretty cool device and if it works to its full potential I will be pretty excited, however, Google is not releasing this product in Australia, and does not currently have a release date for Aus in the near future.

After Thoughts…
The Google announcement has shown us some pretty cool stuff and I cannot wait to get my hands on a Pixel. For a lot of people, this will be an exciting time to update their existing plans or buy their first Chromecast, however for me personally, I await the day Google freely releases their products in Australia.