**** The Official Google Pixel 2/Pixel 2 XL Thread ****

grudas said:
5-6hrs seems to be the average :) Haven't had the need to charge it before the end of day yet.
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I too am getting 6 hours + of heavy usage (lots of YouTube, music streaming, etc) on my Pixel 2 XL but see the real possibility of significantly more usage time if Google is able to integrate successfully the haptic technology mentioned previously from their recent acquisition of the Cambridge-based Redux ST.

This link provides a hands-on experience with Redux's technology and its potential for multiple use cases on future Pixels, Chromebooks, self driving vehicles, etc.

http://www.businessinsider.com/haptic-feedback-technology-redux-st-google-acquired-2018-1
 
LiE said:
This is an interesting development

http://www.androidpolice.com/2018/0...sers-dont-installed-allo-chats-also-improved/



So this has the potential for you popup a notification on another persons phone with a video. Seems like a good way to troll people if they at first don't get a choice and a video appears of "something" on their phone.
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With limitations of course. For example, not for contacts with iPhones and certain Android (presumably early) phones. It suggests others to contact if you look at the Duo app.
 
LiE said:
I can see it now, people getting videos pop up of someone's "junk". Great way to troll, since the recipient has no way to stop this until they block the person.
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I do not really see why anyone would do that.

First of all, the expanded use of Duo calls is relevant only to a part of your contact list that Google is suggesting you might want to initiate a Duo video call with, even though your contact has not formally downloaded the Duo app from the Play Store.

If it was your intention to troll people on your own contact list (which I do not understand why you would want to do that), you have had plenty of opportunity to troll them before a Duo call is placed.
 
Looks like Google Play Store will start selling audiobooks soon. I assume most people listen to books being read while driving? I cannot remember the last time I listened to an audiobook as I am a keen reader but might like to try it out. Anyone a fan of audiobooks and what are you typically doing while listening? A 50% discount on the first title purchase would get me interested in trying it out:

https://www.theverge.com/2018/1/20/16912716/google-play-store-android-audiobooks
 
chanjy said:
Audiobooks have been around for a while now mate.

If you don't listen to them now why would you start just because Google start selling them?
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Because a few friends have been recommending them to me recently which coincides with the news of the imminent release in the Play Store. A 50% discount on my first purchase would be appealing too.
 
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tals said:
Devil's advocate time but is that any different to what audible offers. I don't think you can compete with audibles model. Easy subscription, no quibles refund (I've done over my 10%) .works on any device, has their own publishing team, you can go on :)
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Time for some competition. Audible was acquired by Amazon approx 10 years ago.

As I understand, Audible, like some other audiobooks, aims to get you onto a subscription model---$ 14.95 per month in the US for example. Google Play Audiobooks, like iBooks, is a non-subscription based model---pay as you go. I for one prefer that idea.

And Google audiobooks are available on Android of course, and iOS and the web and as previously mentioned, on Google Assistant and soon Android Auto. Many on this thread have purchased devices in the Google ecosystem and most recently with Google Assistant. So the idea of a native app for listening on my Pixel, my Chromebook or Google Home is quite appealing. I expect Google will introduce many other features based on its AI/machine learning smarts too.

According to Mashable, "Combining Google's machine learning with its audiobooks opens up many other interesting possibilities, particularly when you start thinking about audiobooks in the context of Google Assistant. It's not difficult to imagine, for example, eventually being able to say something like "Okay Google, skip to the part of Hamlet where he says 'to be, or not to be."

Early days.
 
Here is a comment from Medium from a person who recently switched from an iPhone to Google Pixel 2 XL. Overall his experience was very positive and this link explains his thinking. Also he could not believe how easy it was to switch ecosystems, also realizing that while on iPhone, he was very involved with Google apps anyway.

https://blog.usejournal.com/iphone7-to-pixel2-xl-8c63d5ab07f1

Comments? Anyone know someone who made this switch?
 
DagsJT said:
So Google's audio books are more expensive.....
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Hmm....I just noticed The Midnight Line (Jack Reacher series) by Lee Child in Audiobooks is £ 7.99 as an audiobook in the Google Play Store while it is listed at £ 23.99 on Audible, the Amazon owned audio book app. Similarly Fire and Fury is listed at £ 14.99 on Google Play Store Audiobooks and at £ 19.99 on Audible.

I am definitely interested in The Midnight Line.

Are you "reading" things wrong? :p
 
DagsJT said:
Buy the Kindle version of The Midnight Line for £9.49 and add Audible narration for £2.99 for a total price of £12.48. And you get a book to read with Whispersync compared to just the audiobook on Google.

Also I'm not sure you understand how Audible works. It's a subscription that you cancel at any time and each month costing you £7.99 grants you one credit. You could sign up, get one credit, buy either of those books using your credit, and cancel immediately. That book just cost you £7.99.
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So long story short. Not more expensive. Isn't competition great!
 
Broken Hope said:
Breaking news someone who only used an iPhone and no other Apple devices and who also used mostly Google services had no issues switching to Android!
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Android global market share is approx 87% of all smartphones and Apple global market share is approx 12%. There are millions of Apple iPhone users that use many Google services on Apple devices and who do not switch. For example Google search is native to Apple iPhones. Many Apple owners use Google Maps, etc. The fact that the blogger in the Medium link I provided decided to switch from iPhone 7 to Pixel 2 XL and has had a very good experience and decided the switch was simple is news worthy.

Google seems to have given lots of thought to easing the switchover for an iPhone user and in this case it worked well.
 
whiskycycle said:
Not when it's a poor equivalent... Google's version of audiobooks is utter clown shoes next to Kindle, Audible and with Whispersync. It's not even close, there is no competition.
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Time will tell. Clearly Google believes there is a big market for Google Play Store Audio books and I see their service, heavily dependent on AI/machine learning, as a work in progress that will continue to get better.

Clearly Google saw an opening in the market after ceding a 10 year head start to Amazon. And where Google goes, does Apple follow? Yes, competition is great.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...to-ready-revamped-e-books-push-against-amazon
 
Broken Hope said:
Tell me how simple it would be to switch to a Pixel if the user also had a Mac, an Apple Watch and an iPad and a bunch of iTunes content.

My point being was that the user in question wasn’t invested in the Apple ecosystem sonth switch was simple.
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Simple. But that is not the narrative Apple wants you to believe.
 
chanjy said:
Apple aren't giving any narrative about it being difficult to switch to Android.

You're making this up. You'll barely find them mentioning Android at all. They just pretend it doesn't exist.
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Err, no. Every quarter, Apple management make a point of telling the world how loyal their user base is and how few iPhone users have switched to Android.
 
whiskycycle said:
And there we have it... Took me a couple of swaps to realise! The iPad Pro is pretty much it...

OK Google's blind faith in here, and the trips into the iPhone thread, well that just smacks of snorting far too much Kool-aid and following the corporate playbook a little too closely.

We've not got the complete vertical integration, but by jingo this Pixel camera destroys the iPhones in day to day use, and the fact I'm typing this on an iPad says everything about the ecosystem. I'll not go down the audiobooks argument, as that's done, and Amazon have the better product... Google won't have the better product there, unless they keep throwing money and resource at it, like they did with Google+ <look, squirrel>
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I fully understand your opinion about the "complete vertical integration"/ecosystem and why you use your Pixel phone and your iPad in combination. I appreciate that you have found a great tablet from Google to be a true hole in their line-up. But then again, I see my Pixel 2 XL as a mini-tablet and with GA and voice recognition capabilities built in, I find little need for a tablet at this time.

But I think you are being too pessimistic in your outlook on hardware and apps like Play Store audiobooks. Google has had a few false starts on hardware for sure but seems to be making progress. It completely changed its approach to hardware. While I agree that it is "throwing money and resource at it", it seems far too early to write things off. There are going to be ups and downs whenever you take risks but the ups so far seem to outweigh the downs on hardware. The Pixel first gen and the Pixel second gen show illustrate my point. In the second gen Pixel we had the issue of the blue tint screen for example (a complete non-issue in the end for many of us) but I expect the negative publicity surrounding it outweighed what I consider to be the best features of the Pixel 2: the improvements in Google Assistant, the great camera (a single lens with AI that allows for things like the great Portrait mode) and Google Lens (which I have been using a lot recently and the improvements are apparent---it keeps getting better). And the single lens with AI means that it frees up more space on the phone for other features. So if you look past the early "mis-steps" on hardware, it is possible to see a bright future for them in hardware: Pixel phones, Google Home, Pixel Buds (yes I know my opinion is in the minority), Nest thermostats and cameras, etc.

On the hardware front I expect we may see some further improvements and some interesting new intros at I/O in May. Did you notice for example the recent hire of Phil Harrison? This link discusses why a game industry vet like Harrison might want to join Google:

https://venturebeat.com/2018/01/22/why-would-game-industry-veteran-phil-harrison-join-google/

If Google is able to make good on its mission of being an AI-first company, seeding AI into everything it does, I expect greater success than you.
 
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AndyCr15 said:
If anyone listens to TWiT podcasts, this year and last year the hosts of their separate Android show and Apple show, who jointly host Tech News Weekly are currently swapping phones. It's interesting, the Apple user seems to be enjoying the Pixel 2 XL (well, aside the accessories like Android Wear...) more than the Android user with the iPhone X, I think because iOS is a little basic. An interesting experiment anyway.
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It is. I should get back to listening to the TWIT podcasts.
 
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