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Google Technology

Google Announces Its First Smartwatch, a New Budget Phone (cnbc.com) 29

Posted by msmash from the new-gadgets dept.
Google announced several new gadgets during its I/O developer conference on Wednesday, including its long-awaited Pixel Watch, a new budget Pixel 6a phone and headphones. It also teased its flagship Pixel 7 phone, which is coming this fall. From a report: The Google Pixel Watch offers features similar to the Apple Watch's and sports a refined and sleek look that could appeal to customers who use Android instead of the iPhone, which it doesn't work with. It will integrate Fitbit's technology, allowing it to pull on years of research and development from the fitness startup it acquired last year. The Fitbit tech will let users track their sleep, heart rate and workouts. The watch runs Google's Wear OS software that lets users do things such as check messages and download music. Users can also get directions with Google Maps or connect it with their smart home devices, so they can, for example, change their thermostat temperature or make sure the lights are turned off.

Google will release its latest budget Pixel phone this summer. The Pixel 6a has mostly the same design as the Pixel 6, but will be slightly smaller and cost $449. Google promised an all-day battery that can last up to 72 hours when in the Extreme Battery Saver mode, which it said is a first for Pixel phones. It also uses Google Tensor, so the budget phone will have the same power as the more expensive Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro. [...] Google teased the new Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro flagship phones. They'll use the next generation of the Google Tensor chip and will ship with Android 13. The company didn't provide pricing, but the Pixel 6 had been targeted at the midrange market with a $599 starting price, while the 6 Pro started at $899.
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Google Announces Its First Smartwatch, a New Budget Phone More

Google Announces Its First Smartwatch, a New Budget Phone

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  • "Budget"? (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 11, 2022 @04:01PM (#62523946)

    Google will release its latest budget Pixel phone this summer. The Pixel 6a has mostly the same design as the Pixel 6, but will be slightly smaller and cost $449

    At that price evidently I buy sub-budget phones.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by oblom ( 105 )

      The definition of "budget" is undergoing inflation.

      • I like how everyone in the technology industry pretends inflation isn't a thing. A $350 good budget smartphone from 2010 is $464 in 2022 dollars.

  • When it comes to consumer devices Google keeps being a copycat. Surprising, consider the brains aggregated in the company. Is the culture of Google preventing visionaries from creating groundbreaking devices?

    • Google isn't trying to drive innovation with their consumer devices, they are trying to push for a minimum standard platform to tie into their services. Ultimately google doesn't care who produces your phone or watch as long as it runs google services smoothly they are winning. The "brains" at google are focused on producing software the hardware is just a common platform for them to target while working on 'Lens' or 'Pay' or whatever else they are working on.

  • And the term "budget" has been redefined... (Score:3)

    by kenh ( 9056 ) on Wednesday May 11, 2022 @04:19PM (#62524002) Homepage Journal

    Google will release its latest budget Pixel phone this summer. The Pixel 6a has mostly the same design as the Pixel 6, but will be slightly smaller and cost $449.

    $449 is a 'budget' phone?

    • Google trying to redefine the value of budget. Fail.

    • 'It's one banana, Michael. What could it cost, $10?'

    • > $449 is a 'budget' phone?

      An older Pixel can be had on eBay for $100 and LineageOS slapped on it.

      No warranty or "new hotness" I guess.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by dasunt ( 249686 )

      I was thinking more like $100 - $200 for a budget phone.

      That's get you something like a new low end smartphone from Motorola, Nokia, even a low end Samsung.

      Google is a bit out of touch with what a budget phone is.

      • I don't think I've ever paid more than $50 for a phone. But that's because I'm mostly looking for a phone.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by tsqr ( 808554 )

        I was thinking more like $100 - $200 for a budget phone.

        That's get you something like a new low end smartphone from Motorola, Nokia, even a low end Samsung.

        Google is a bit out of touch with what a budget phone is.

        The dictionary definition of "budget" (as an adjective) is, "reasonably or cheaply priced". These are relative terms, not absolute. What a wealthy person considers cheap may be outrageously expensive to a pauper.

        A recent Wired article entitled "The Best Cheap Phones for Almost Every Budget" [wired.com] lists some phones that are as much as $500, which is 2-1/2 to 5 times higher than what you were thinking. Their "Best Under $300" is a $280 Samsung A32. Under the heading, "Another Good Budget Phone", we find the TCL 20

    • As I've said above, why does everyone in the technology industry pretend inflation isn't a thing? A $350 "good" budget smartphone from 2010 is $464 in 2022 dollars
      • Comment removed based on user account deletion

        • One actual reason: The factories which processed the food, made the electronics etc., had to shut down due to all of the COVID-19 cases. Because it's not like common sense precautions were or even are being followed. Look what happened at that Amazon facility awhile back. By the time the workers found out on their were over twenty cases it was too late. By the end of that month there were over forty more. And this is a facility which is in the U.S..

          Now look at a country like China which had worse situations

        • Still, just because the dollar price is the same, it doesn't mean you are getting the same-tier product (compared to top-of-the-line for the respective year). It's how some people think inflation isn't a thing because you can still get a new car on the road for under 10K as long as it has no power windows and no AC and pretty much nothing on the dashboard.Or that as long as a box of cereal costs a certain amount, inflation isn't a thing despite the fact the box has shrunk considerably over the years. Simila

  • Yet it runs Wear OS which DOES work with iPhone?

  • The Galaxy S9 wins hands down.
    You can pick them up in near mint condition for around $180.

    I'm sure the same applies for many of the mid to high tier phones released 4 years ago.

    So, yeah, I continue to hold onto my S9 ... because, there's really nothing been released in 4 years that can compete.

  • I remember when I bought a Nexus phone and realized how horribly fucked up most other Android phones were. Not by the phone operating system but by all the crapware and garbage modifications handset manufacturers had chosen to add on top of it.

    The same has happened with Wear OS devices. Most watches are bastardized non-vanilla experiences and that is detrimental to the experience. Maybe Google has finally figured this out and decided to sell a vanilla watch unencumbered by all the crap that someone like S

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