Ben Sage

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...

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...

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/