Google's 2017 Product Line Up: What's Beyond The Pixel 2 And Pixel Buds?

Along with the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, Google released a myriad of other devices. We have already covered the two flagship phones along with the Pixel Buds. Here are the rest.

2017 Google Line Up

Google's 2017 Product Line Up

Google PixelBook

Google PixelBook - A follow up to the Chromebook Pixel, the PixelBook retains most of the great things about the first one. It still has the gorgeous display at 12.3 inches with a 2400 x 1600 resolution. It retains the 3:2 aspect ratio as well. However, the bezels are huge. 

It also has a tablet mode which means the PixelBook can fold in half completely for you to utilize the touchscreen completely. This is where the Google Pixel Pen comes in with one year of battery life and a button dedicated for Google Assistant. The Pixel Pen doesn't come for free though as you need to pruchase it for USD 99.

For the start up version for USD 999, you will get a 7th Gen Intel Core i5, 8 GB of RAM with a 128 GB SSD storage. It also has a 41W battery that Google claims to have 10 hours of power in it. I/O ports include 2 USC Type-C ports capable of fast charging along with a 3.55mm headphone jack and the charging port where the 45 W charger plugs in.

To round up the specs, it has 720p front facing camera, backlit keyboard, four microphones, two speakers and Bluetooth 4.2 connectivity. Of course it is running, Chrome OS.

If you want to get better specs you can cough up more money with the USD 1,199 version sporting a bigger 256 GB SSD but with the same amount of RAM and the same CPU. The USD 1,649 version has 16 GB of RAM, a 7th Gen Core i7 processor and a 512 GB NVMe processor.

Google Home Max

Google Home Max - Ok. First, let us get the elephant in the room out of the way first. The Google Home Max is out of place in this year's Google Home line up aesthetically. It's big and heavy. However, there is a reason why. 

Google Home Max has a pair of 4.5 inch woofers with two smaller tweeters on each side. It is meant to take on speakers such as Apple's HomePod. It is a Smart Speaker which means you are meant to talk to it. There is still touch controls as well.

You can use Google Cast to stream your music and it even has a 3.55mm aux jack. There is also a USB Type-C port as well.

It also sports the trendy Machine Learning capability. It will adjust its sound and volume according to its surroundings. Adjusting the volume to optimize the sound for the room that you are in. It has rubber magnetic feet so that you can place it either vertically or horizontally. You can also pair it up with another one if you want to. It retails at USD 399.

Google Home Mini

Google Home Mini - Here is Google Home for the masses. For USD 49, it is a great speaker. It is ideal for small to medium sized rooms. The speakers can get fairly loud. Giving the "OK Google" or "Hey Google" command cue is not affected by the music whatsoever. 

There are also touch or tap controls available as well. The Home Mini charges via Micro USB due to, mainly, because it is a cheaper part. It is a great speaker for the price.

Google Clips

Google Clips - Ok, here is a fascinating and potentially controversial product. Google Clips is a camera. Pretty harmless, right? It has a shutter button which is an optional input since this camera is AI-driven. Yes. Mechanical Learning on a camera. It recognizes faces and "interesting situations" and will then capture them for you. Pretty neat, right? Right?

Well, this is a product that is aimed mostly for parents that wants to capture or watch their kids do cute and memorable stuff. However, the fact that it can decide on when and where to capture photos screams invasion of privacy to me.

Hopefully, this is will not be an issue since paying USD 249 for an invasive product is a bit fishy.

Google Daydream View

Google Daydream View - A follow for last year version, the Google Daydream View looks to improve what needs to be updated. At USD 99, you are getting a VR headset that has a fun yet sophisticated look. The controllers even has a very cute salmon pink color.

It still support any device that has the Google Daydream interface in it. You still need to place your phone in the front flap of the View. However, Google promises to improve on the previous version with better optics and build. The lenses are now custom made and has a wider range. 

So what do you guys think? Is this line up exciting?