by Joe Lonergan

On October 4th, Google and Android fans got what they were waiting for—the Made by Google event, also known as the Google Pixel event. We’ll highlight the key announcements for you.

Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro

Google released two new Pixel phones, the Pixel 8, and the Pixel 8 Pro.

Google said, “They’re fast and secure phones supported by Google AI and the most advanced Pixel Cameras yet. The Pixel has a 6.1-inch screen and the Pixel Pro has a 6.8-inch screen”. Both have a new Actua display and Super Actua display which have new extreme brightness, which may suit some people with low vision. According to Google, the Pixel 8 Pro will be the first hardware to run Google’s generative AI models on-device.

It has a really powerful camera with up to 50mp main wide camera with many computational Google AI features, this has to be good news for Google Lookout users considering there are promises of Image AI recognition improvements coming to the Lookout app.

Another interesting feature is the addition of a temperature sensor, which sits on the camera island of the Pixel 8 Pro and can measure the temperature of objects. Google has an application pending with the United States Food and Drug Administration so it can be approved to measure body temperature. This will be another win for people with vision impairments as we know how difficult it is to find a reliable and accessible body temperature monitor.

In Another pioneering move, Google has said their new Pixel phones will be guaranteed software updates until 2030, this will include security patches, android updates, and most new software feature drops. It will also be the first Phone to run on Android 14.

The Pixel Watch 2

Also announced was a new version of the Pixel Watch, The Pixel Watch 2.

Google purchased Fitbit in 2021 and continues to improve the pixel watch with some of its features such as improved heart rate monitoring and the addition of a pair of new sensors designed to give the device a fuller picture of its user. Also included is the addition of a body-response sensor and skin temperature sensor which is brought over from the Fitbit line and brings along new stress management features.

The Pixel Watch 2 has many accessibility features such as the TalkBack screen reader which can be turned on by triple-tapping the side button next to the crown.

For low-vision users, you can go to settings and accessibility and change font size, and turn on Magnification.

It is reported to have a 24-hour battery life, even with its always on display, we will hold judgment until we try it all day with Talkback.

It has a faster charging rate; you can get 50% in a half hour.

It has some new safety features to add to fall detection such as a safety check that checks in with friends or family members if you do not return at a nominated time, it will also send your location.

The Pixel Watch also supports making calls and allows you to check notifications and download many apps including Gmail and Audible.

Google Pixel Buds Pro

We will round off the devices released by mentioning the Pixel Buds Pro. Pixel Buds Pro are a premium set of earbuds. Apart from software upgrades, they are the same as the previous version but now come in some new colours.

The Pixel Buds Pro have technology built in to make your voice sound clearer in noisy environments thanks to beamforming mics, a voice accelerometer, and wind-blocking mesh covers, and also includes Noise cancelation.

A cool conversation mode

Pixel Buds Pro include a conversation mode with Conversation Detection, when you start speaking, music gets paused and your earbuds switch to Transparency mode.

Battery life

Pixel Pro Buds have up to 11 hours of listening time and up to 31 hours of listening time in the charging case.

So that’s the big news about the hardware upgrades, but we can not have a tech launch event at the moment without mentioning AI.

Improvements to Google Assistant

One of the biggest announcements was that Google Assistant is going to be combined with Bard, Google’s AI project, to become a more personal assistant with Bard.

With this upgrade, instead of just being limited to voice commands, Google Assistant will be able to help users complete tasks thanks to greater contextual awareness, from understanding text and images on screen to processing audio clips.

Google showed a demo of the new assistant with Bard sorting through e-mails and finding where the user’s party was, finding the location, and getting directions on Google Maps.

Better dictation

This will be a popular one. Google Assistant will be able to understand more natural conversation and will be even able to pick up on natural pauses such as “ums” without including them in the final message. This is going to be great for those who love dictation but do not like typing on touchscreens. It will also be more instant and won’t have that usual lag you get when dictating.

Another amazing feature that we think you will love is called Summaise and Read Aloud, a tool to help you browse the internet.

Google Assistant will take webpages and summarise them into key points, and then read them aloud for you. We think this is going to be amazing for people with vision impairments because Google Assistant is going to be able to recognise logos and advertisements and omit them before reading aloud, also it reads with an impressive realistic sounding voice.

Google’s Magnifier App is now available to download for Pixel phones.

Google has released its Magnifier app for Pixel phones that is designed to make small, dimly lit, or distant text easier to read. This is sure to get some users with low vision interested in the new Pixel 8 phones considering it has a really good camera to support this feature.

According to the Google Play Store description, the Magnifier app will be available on Pixel 5 phones or later but will not be available on the Pixel fold or tablet. Also, there is no indication if it will be available on other Android phones.

The magnifier app has a really simple and convenient interface with large plus and minus buttons on either side of the shutter/freeze button with some smaller buttons to control flash, choose between front and rear camera, and other personal settings such as the option to turn on high contrast.

This app will be useful for viewing small text, zooming in on far-away objects such as street signs or bus numbers, or looking at prices or menus in shops or restaurants. In fact, it is very similar to the Magnifier available to the one on IOS devices. The argument for getting a Pixel is getting stronger.

After taking a picture of text enlarged by the Magnifier app, users can find additional options in the top-right corner of the screen that allow them to copy the text or listen to it via text-to-speech.