Andrea Willis, Google Technology Expert gives us an inside look at what to expect. The lineup includes the Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro, and the much-anticipated Pixel Watch. Additionally, we can expect new additions to the Nest smart home family.
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Mason Paine: Google technology expert Andrea Willis joins me to discuss the search giant’s latest generation of hardware products from new smartphones to smart home devices. Thanks for joining me, Andrea.
Andrea Willis: Thanks for having me.
Mason Paine: So tell me a little bit about, the Google Pixel seven and the Seven Pro. What’s the difference between the two?
Andrea Willis: Yes. So this week Google is really excited to be launching our latest and greatest phones. And the difference between the Pixel seven and the Seven Pro is just that the seven Pro is a little bit bigger. So if you want a bigger screen, maybe you wanna do some email or you watch videos on it, that’s an added benefit. But really, they’re both great phones that have exciting new features on.
Mason Paine: Now I’m actually, I have the Pixel four xl, so I’m a little bit behind, but I’m in the market for a new phone. Now is the pro the same size as the xls?
Andrea Willis: So the pro is around the same size. But what’s really exciting about the new phones are the features which both phones have. So for instance, if you are really, into photography, then there are incredible new things that you can do with the camera on both of the new phones. For instance, we have a feature where if you take a photo when it’s a little bit blurry, you can un blur it with a few taps of your finger. You can also use a feature called Super Zoom, where whether you are at a concert in the stands or you are at a game. You can actually take zoomed in closeups of the stage of the court, and feel like you’re really up close and personal. Now, one feature that is unique to the Pixel seven Pro versus the regular Pixel seven, is something that we call macro focus in the camera. So macro focus takes super zoom a step further, and lets you get to brush broke and raindrop detail on things of close. So if you happen to take a picture of a leaf on a rainy day, for instance, you would get the really beautiful up close and personal details on the camera if you had the pro, other than that’s the camera. Very much the same. And they both have those exciting features.
Mason Paine: That is pretty cool. I’m wondering, can you use like them at the same time though? So you know how, if you like zoom in really close into something, it becomes a little bit blurry and pixelated. So on the, the pro, could you use the Super Zoom and then use the blurry image thing and would it work then?
Andrea Willis: You could. Oh, you could work. It could.
Mason Paine: Oh, that’s pretty cool because that’s usually my problem. I love to zoom in because I don’t wanna move and, the picture comes out really bad. .
Andrea Willis: Yeah, so I think you would probably really, you said that you currently have a pixel, so you probably really enjoy, this update. And then we also designed it with inclusivity and accessibility in mind as. So real tone is something that we debuted on the Pixel last year and we just continue to make it better with this new phone. Real tone ensures that all skin tones are portrayed accurately on the phone, and so we’ve continued to consult image experts around the world to make it better with this new update. And then we’re also launching something called guided. So for people who may be blind or maybe low visibility, they can now take selfies with the help of guided forms, which will give you audio command for where you should move your camera to get the best angle. So we’re really excited to be launching that. Sure. And we can’t wait to see what people think of it.
Mason Paine: That sounds like a really cool feature. Where’d you guys come up with that?
Andrea Willis: You know, we’re always trying to put accessibility into our products, so, you know, this is just a way that it’s pairing and the pixel, but it’s something that we’re looking to approve upon, you know, in every product that we make.
Mason Paine: Now, one of the things I saw you guys put on the pixels was, the vpn. Why was it decided to put a VPN on the pixels at all?
Andrea Willis: Yeah, so similar to accessibility, security is something that’s always top of mind for us in our product. So VPN is going to help people be safe, you know, whatever, browser they’re using, etc. I think that’s really important to us, that people feel like their data is secure, their browsing is secure. So that’s something that was important to us to include on the phone.
Mason Paine: Now, will that feature be available in all countries?
Andrea Willis: That feature is available, everywhere. The pixel is available.
Mason Paine: Oh, that is pretty cool. That’s nice cuz sometimes there are features that aren’t given in other countries. Like it’s kinda weird, but you know, it is what it is. now something else I wanted to talk about was the watch. Could you tell me about the watch a little bit?
Andrea Willis: Yes. So this is Google’s first flagship smart watch. And what’s really exciting about it is it’s combining the helpfulness of Google’s products with Fitbit. So on your wrist you’ll be able to access everything. Google Calendar to your Gmail, Google Home if you use it, Google Assistant. But there’s also this integration with Fitbit so that you can track your health and wellness as well. So everything from your heart rate to your sleep patterns and the way that you’re moving about your day. There are 40 different movements that are tracked, whether that’s exercise or walking. So really it just makes your life easier to have all of this combined on your wrist in one easy place.
Mason Paine: Now, I’m curious, will, there’ll still be like the Fitbit or is it gonna get phased out at some point?
Andrea Willis: You know, I think we still have a suite of options depending on what people are looking for. So there’s still the Fitbit and then obviously this kind of new generation. The smart watch. so I think that people can expect to continue to have options depending on, you know, what they’re interested in using.
Mason Paine: Now when it comes to the, the Google Pixel watch, will you be able to like, answer your phone with it, you know, use Spotify? Is there any kind of big features that separates it from Fitbit?
Andrea Willis: Yes, so it’s kind of all of the Google products that people are familiar with and that they love. So yes, you can answer. Email, calendar, et cetera. so that’s really exciting. And it is separate from the Fitbit function, which is more health and wellness.
Mason Paine: Yeah, that’s, mostly what I started using Fitbit for was, you know, to, to help me with my exercising, walking, you know, making me mindful. But as you kind of grow up from it, you do start appreciating like, Hey, I would like to know when I get a text cuz you know, maybe my watch will vibrate. And it’s, it’s really nice to see that Google Pixel watch will have some of those feature.
Andrea Willis: Yes. And I think to that point, you know, we also have that design in mind. Like we know that people want to be able to track email or like you said, text. So the screen is really beautiful and clear. It’s scratch resistant, water resistant, and there’s a lot of personalization features as well. So whether there’s a third water watchband that you want, lots of options there. And you can even take the Google photos. and put one of your photos as the cloud space. So there’s a lot of customization available as well.
Mason Paine: Also, could you tell me something about the latest Google Nest?
Andrea Willis: Yes. So Google’s latest, Nest home product is the Nest doorbell. So we have a new generation of Nest doorbells, that are wired and not battery powered. So because it operates. Wifi, you never have to worry about losing power. And if for some reason you have spotty wifi, at a certain point it’ll still record up to an hour of camera for you. So whether you are inside your home or outside running errands, you can feel confident that the Nest doorbell is going to capture all the footage that you would need. And the camera’s also updated on it. So whether it’s rain or shine outside, You’re not gonna be getting grainy camera footage. You’ll be able to see clearly what’s happening outside of your home. Whether it’s a friend coming over or you know, a pet outside, you’ll be able to differentiate what’s happening.
Mason Paine: Now I have Ring and it was just because, you know, it’s what was available. And one of the problems that I have with Ring is that at night it’s kind of grainy. Is that an issue that, the Google Nest has?
Andrea Willis: So that’s part of the camera updates is trying to guard against that, you know, because we know sometimes the evening it’s grainy or if it rains outside. So yes, we have created or updated a camera in all of those nest doorbells to guard against that. So you could see clearest, depiction as possible.
Mason Paine: Oh, maybe I should get an upgrade. I don’t know. I’m thinking about it. I’m thinking about it, but it’s gonna all come down to price. How much is all this stuff gonna cost.
Andrea Willis: So the doorbell is 179. The watch is 349, and then the pixel seven starts at 599. And the Pixel Pro is 799. So you have a kind of a full range depending on, you know, what you’re looking to spend.
Mason Paine: Wow. I’m so, I’m shocked that the, the Google Pixel Pro is 7 99. Usually I’m paying like a thousand dollars for my phone.
Andrea Willis: It’s a great price point for the offering. We’re excited to, you know, make all those features available to people.
Mason Paine: That’s one of the things I like about Google is that they always think of their customers before anything else. Give you the best at the, the best bang of your buck as well.
Andrea Willis: Yes. You know, I think, Google. Is really focused on helpfulness like we talked about, whether that’s updating the product or making sure that they’re available to people. So we’re really glad to hear that you’ve had a good experience.
Mason Paine: Outta curiosity, what’s, something that you’re looking forward to seeing?
Andrea Willis: You know, I’m very excited about, I think the watch and the phone. I love to take photos, so I’m really excited to test out all the features. And then the watch too, because like you said, Currently have my fitbit but it’ll be so nice to just integrate it with everything else. and for everyone else who’s kind of interested in getting these things as well, you can pre-order them now and they’ll be available October 13th.
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