Google announced yesterday that it will make its own earbuds to accompany its Pixel phone, and to directly counter Apple's own Air Pods. Yes, that means Pixel Buds are wireless, with no headphone jack to anchor them to the phone, just like the Air Pods. With Google and Apple on board, you might as well accept your wireless, jackless fate now. Pixel Buds are connected by a cord that can loop behind your head, though, which makes them easier to keep track of. Points for Google.
Pixel Buds are touch-controlled in the right bud, and they can be paired with Google Assistant via your smartphone (they were launched with the Pixel 2). Basically, it's like having a Google Assistant in your home, only with Pixel Buds, it can whisper softly in your ear.
And that lends itself to possibly the coolest feature of the Buds: They have the ability to translate, in real time, 40 different languages. This is some seriously sci-fi stuff. If you want to carry on a conversation with a Swedish person, for example, you could direct Google Assistant to audibly translate an English phrase into Swedish via the Pixel 2. Then, upon getting a response in Swedish, the Buds would give you the English translation directly into your ear. Google demonstrated at its event yesterday:
If the translation capability functions as advertised, it could fundamentally change how humans communicate with each other across the globe. Looks like Google's got Apple beat in the earbud field—for now.
- http://www.esquire.com/lifestyle/a12785407/google-pixel-buds-vs-apple-air-pods/
Most of us have found ourselves in the awkward situation of trying to communicate in a foreign language. Sometimes it’s funny. Sometimes it’s embarrassing. And sometimes it’s downright disastrous. But thanks to a new translation device that easily fits into your ear, the days of struggling to speak the local lingo might soon be a thing of the past.
The device is called The Pilot system and Waverly Labs is the company behind this brilliantly simple yet potentially groundbreaking idea. When it hits the shelves in September, the system will allow the wearer to understand one of several foreign languages through real-time in-ear translation. A handy app will allow you to toggle through the languages you want, and the selection includes French, Spanish, Italian, and English. It’ll retail for $129. Or you can just keep talking to people really loudly and slowly in English. Good luck with that. You can see how it works here
- https://www.boredpanda.com/real-time-translator-ear-waverly-labs/
SARAH EGWU
2022
