Pixel 4 Event Thoughts
Well, I wanted this to be more than it was. There were a few nice areas. But, mostly it was mediocre.
On the Pixel 4 side of things, I'm OK with the price. I may pick one up when it goes on sale. But, otherwise, it doesn't look all that revolutionary. The hard sell is that the only thing I'm interested in is the astro-photography. And, that would account for like 1 picture I'd take over the life of the phone. A 4 minute exposure isn't something I can regularly justify.
The other camera features would get similarly little usage and aren't selling points for me. The loss of the fingerprint sensor is also a biggie. Project Soli seems to make for faster facial unlocking. But, my Pixel 2 and 3 were fast enough that I would just touch the sensor while pulling it out of my pocket and it was unlocked before I was even looking at it.
So, as summed up, about the only thing truly going for it, is that the price hasn't gone up here.
The new Wireless Pixel Buds look cool. But, 5 hours isn't long enough. I do some times listen to music longer than that while I work. The price isn't terrible. But, again, that is all they have going for them.
The Pixel Go is too expensive and doesn't have a tablet mode. Otherwise it looks nice I guess. I could be wrong, but for me, this defeats the strong suit of ChromeOS, which is the Android support. I know Google doesn't want people to look at it that way. But that is the truth of the matter for me at least. And Android is better on touch. And touch is better without a keyboard you can't fold behind or remove.
Nest Mini is a solid upgrade. To the hardware line only though. Meaning, there isn't enough value to existing owners. I don't feel compelled to upgrade my current of devices as a result of this new one. But, it definitely adds enough to make it more compelling to those looking to get into smart speakers or to add new ones.
Nest Wifi is in the same boat. I do like it, but it isn't enough of an upgrade. And that is a shame, because all it is really missing for me is ethernet ports on the access points. I want the improved range. I want the improved speed. The two rooms where I would put access points are also two of the only bedrooms in the house without a Google Mini. But, my primary PC does not have Wifi, and my smart home gateways don't either either. In short, I need those physical ports.
Stadia, I do like conceptually. But need to see.
Honestly, I mostly walked away interested in what Google is going to do with their software. Like calling a Google Home speaker over Duo or using them as intercom systems. I'm also interested to see if Works Google Assistant ends up integrating the sort of functionality Works with Nest had. Or, if Google can eventually pull off something akin to Home Assistant.
Right now, the Google Home app is not an appropriate gateway for managing a whole home. So, they either need to find a way to let the people who are building those experiences in, or they need to step up their game.
On the Pixel 4 side of things, I'm OK with the price. I may pick one up when it goes on sale. But, otherwise, it doesn't look all that revolutionary. The hard sell is that the only thing I'm interested in is the astro-photography. And, that would account for like 1 picture I'd take over the life of the phone. A 4 minute exposure isn't something I can regularly justify.
The other camera features would get similarly little usage and aren't selling points for me. The loss of the fingerprint sensor is also a biggie. Project Soli seems to make for faster facial unlocking. But, my Pixel 2 and 3 were fast enough that I would just touch the sensor while pulling it out of my pocket and it was unlocked before I was even looking at it.
So, as summed up, about the only thing truly going for it, is that the price hasn't gone up here.
The new Wireless Pixel Buds look cool. But, 5 hours isn't long enough. I do some times listen to music longer than that while I work. The price isn't terrible. But, again, that is all they have going for them.
The Pixel Go is too expensive and doesn't have a tablet mode. Otherwise it looks nice I guess. I could be wrong, but for me, this defeats the strong suit of ChromeOS, which is the Android support. I know Google doesn't want people to look at it that way. But that is the truth of the matter for me at least. And Android is better on touch. And touch is better without a keyboard you can't fold behind or remove.
Nest Mini is a solid upgrade. To the hardware line only though. Meaning, there isn't enough value to existing owners. I don't feel compelled to upgrade my current of devices as a result of this new one. But, it definitely adds enough to make it more compelling to those looking to get into smart speakers or to add new ones.
Nest Wifi is in the same boat. I do like it, but it isn't enough of an upgrade. And that is a shame, because all it is really missing for me is ethernet ports on the access points. I want the improved range. I want the improved speed. The two rooms where I would put access points are also two of the only bedrooms in the house without a Google Mini. But, my primary PC does not have Wifi, and my smart home gateways don't either either. In short, I need those physical ports.
Stadia, I do like conceptually. But need to see.
Honestly, I mostly walked away interested in what Google is going to do with their software. Like calling a Google Home speaker over Duo or using them as intercom systems. I'm also interested to see if Works Google Assistant ends up integrating the sort of functionality Works with Nest had. Or, if Google can eventually pull off something akin to Home Assistant.
Right now, the Google Home app is not an appropriate gateway for managing a whole home. So, they either need to find a way to let the people who are building those experiences in, or they need to step up their game.
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