Ben Sage

A year ago I bought the Google Pixel C and the optional keyboard accessory, this post will run through my experience with Google’s convertible Android tablet/laptop. I first bought this tablet in order to make sure I have the best Android tablet on the market and there is no doubt it fits that certain criteria with the full aluminium build and snappy software. At the time I was also looking at getting a Chromebook not long after purchasing the Pixel C to be my main productivity device for College. I soon realised I had that the device I needed I had already bought. When I first got the Pixel C it was running stock Marshmallow which had barely any multitasking features which made it a tricky device to properly do work on but once the Nougat betas started rolling out I quickly jumped into the Android Beta Program. I did this in order to get the most out this device and ensure that with split-screen capabilities it could properly be the productivity device I was hoping before. ...

I have finally received my Google Pixel! After a couple of weeks with stock issues I have got my hands on a Very Silver Pixel with 128GB of onboard storage. In this post I will go through my initial impressions of the device after 24 hours of having it. The OS The new Pixel Launcher on the Pixel is incredibly good looking with the circle icons and refreshed navigation buttons. Gliding through Android 7.1.1 on this phone is incredibly smooth with no lag whatsoever. Split-screen has also been surprisingly useful when I want to watch a YouTube video while scrolling through my Twitter feed for example. Hardware This handset is incredibly solid with the metal being more grippy than some other aluminium phones that I have held. I am also a fan if the glass panel on the back and in some respects I prefer it to a full metal back as it just makes the phone stand out a little bit more. One of my slight concerns was the positioning of the Pixel Imprint sensor on the back but after usi...

Launch Actions Launch actions are the biggest addition to Android 7.1.1 in my opionion. The ability to get to where you want to in an app without having to find it within the app itself is really quite useful. To use this feature you just long press on an app icon and it will bring up a range of shortcuts. You can still move icons in the same way by long pressing and dragging. For now it seems like only Google apps have these shortcuts but I'm sure that developers will soon start adding support. However, since the first beta Twitter has added Launch actions to their app. Twitter Launch Actions Gender Equality Emoji There is a host of new emoji in this Nougat update. One the main additions is job based emoji now have both male and female representation. There are also loads of now job emoji such as rock star and teacher. GIF Keyboard There is now an option to send a GIF straight from your keyboard in Android 7.1.1 in supported apps such as Allo, Hangouts a...

An Amazon Echo Dot is the smaller sibling to the larger Amazon Echo and Tap but packs most of the same functionality. With support for Spotify and a variety of other apps this is a great low cost home personal assistant. Design The Echo Dot has a simplistic design that is discreet and small enough to blend into your living room. It comes in both black and white, there is also the option to buy fabric or leather covers from Amazon if you really want to make it look great in your setup. The Dot has a LED ring around in circumference that lets you know that the Alexa has heard your voice or if it is in either setup or disconnected mode. There a four buttons on top, volume up & down, mute mic and an action button for activating Alexa. It is powered via micro USB (provided in the box with a power adapter). Design = 4/5 Usability The Echo Dot is a simple voice activated speaker that you can ask many questions such as "What is the weather going to be like tod...

Apologies for this post being late... better late than never. Google Assistant A lot of talk about Google’s advancements in lots of areas of machine learning. Assistant has already been seen in Google Allo but will be rolling out to phones and Google Home. Pixel Phone Finally! The Pixel phones have been confirmed. They will be the first handsets with Google Assistant. According to Dxomark the camera gets a rating of 89 which is more than the iPhone 7’s score of 86, which is the best score for a smartphone camera. There is also have quick charging with 7 hours of power in just 15 minutes. Quite Black, Very Silver and Really Blue are the colours available at launch. Pixel will start at $649 ( £ 599). Pre-orders start today. Daydream View This is the follow up to what was already announced at Google I/O earlier in the year. The design consists of a nice fabric and soft cushioning. It also comes with a controller. The Pixel phones will be the first Daydream compatib...

Tomorrow is the day of the long awaited Google Event where we are expecting to see many products announced and showcased. Pixel Phones These handsets have being pretty much entirely leaked at this stage but tomorrow will see the confirmation of the leaks and hopefully a few surprises from Google with some additional features and exclusive software functionality for these phones Chromecast Ultra We are also expecting top see the follow up to the Chromecast 2 and Chromecast Audio. This new Chromecast will support 4k and cost $69. Google Home Tomorrow should see the release date announced for Google's Amazon Echo rival in Google Home. This device is rumoured to cost $129 which is considerably less than the Amazon Echo. We also expect to see the announcement of a 7-inch tablet, Google Daydream and the new Chrome OS/Android crossover operating system Andromeda.

The Pixel Launcher has been around for a while now and is expected to be the default on Google's upcoming phones Pixel and Pixel XL which are going to be announced at an event on 4th October 2016. My initial thought was how much bigger the icons are in this version. At first I was a bit taken back by this but after a while I began to like the larger size of the icons. The top of your home screen has to be taken up with the fixed Google G logo and date which, given the customisation Android is famous for, is a tad odd that their is no flexibility in the size or look of these 'widgets'. My favourite thing about the launcher is that the app drawer still exists in the form of swiping up from the bottom four icons. There are rumours every now-and-then that the app drawer will be disappearing from Android completely and this has already happened on the the LG G5. Overall this launcher has a lot of potential to be a great option as a launcher but I still prefer N...

According to Android Police, Google Home will be priced at $129 (UK = approx. £99) the same as the Google WiFi speaker and the Chromecast Ultra which has 4k support will cost $69 (UK = approx. £53), double that of the old the Chromecast! Google Home will undercut the Amazon Echo by $40 which for me, someone who is already in deep use of Google's services, is fantastic news. I was worried that this product was going to be pitched at a premium price point due to its modern and classy look. Very little is known about Chromecast Ultra at the moment apart from 4k support and rumoured HDR support. These two products are expected to be announced along with their price points at the Google Event on 4th October 2016. Sources: http://www.androidpolice.com/2016/09/23/exclusive-google-home-will-cost-129-chromecast-ultra-will-cost-69/

Today has finally seen the long awaited release of Google Allo, a new messaging app previously announced at Google I/O 2016. This follows the release of Google Duo earlier in the summer. The main feature that differentiates Allo from it's fast amount of competitors is the integration of Google's new Google Assistant. The Assistant answers any queries and responds to commands such as "What is the weather?" and "Find me the nearest Thai restaurant." For me this is a major factor in whether deciding whether to replace my previous apps with Allo as the Assistant allows me to integrate my Google services such as YouTube and Calendar. One of my favourite things about Google Assistant is the subscriptions in which you set different news and weather that you want Google Assistant to send you at set times everyday. This is particular useful in the mornings as you can quickly check news, weather and sports scores in one glance without having to go throug...