Traveling is amazing fun until you decide to travel to a place where you do not know the local language. Your phone dies, and you are stranded in the middle of nowhere with strangers looking at you questioningly. Well, it is not that bad but carrying a little pocket dictionary in a foreign land, uttering words with the wrong pronunciation, and trying to say one thing but blurting out another is not the ideal way of spending a vacation. When you finally manage to say the right thing, how do you comprehend the instructions that a kind local just gave you?
There has been massive hype about the Google Pixel 2 that was just released but along with it came the amazing Google Pixel Buds. Since Google ditched the headphone jack just like iPhone, the Pixel Buds are the obvious replacement to those wired earphones. They function brilliantly, look pretty cool, but the best thing they offer is the ability to translate nearly 40 languages in real time.
Some reports say that you can use the Google Pixel Buds with any Android phone, but they pair the best with the newly revealed Google Pixel 2. The real-time translation feature of the earbuds is powered by Google’s AI Assistant.
Google is the first of the major tech companies to attempt a real-time translator, but it is not the first of all. Panasonic developed a megaphone that translates Japanese to many other languages. Another Japanese wearable Ili translates a limited number of languages as well. The Lingmo One2One is another earpiece that can translate up to eight languages, and there are plenty more that do the same job.
This time the Google is doing this job, and the consumers expect perfection from a feature that is the focus of the Pixel Buds’ marketing. Similar products have been around for years, but when coming from Google, they will be cheaper and accessible.
Pixel Buds do not carry the features identical to the Apple AirPods either. They are not truly wireless, but the connection cord is shorter, much like athletic earbuds. They also do not have the control tab and do not detect when a user is wearing them as the AirPods do.
Google Pixel Buds are not designed to fit into the ear canal but to sit on the top of it, held in place by the loop of a cord. You just fix the length of the cord around your ear and go around running errands. Adam Champy, the Product Manager for Google, says,
“You’re either asked to take the headphone apart, or put something in your ear that won’t fit.”
There is only one button to deal with all the problems as the website says, “Help is just a touch away.” The touch of a button enables Google’s Assistant or gives you an audio control. You can tap the bud to pause or play music, and swipe to increase or decrease the volume. The buds come in white, gray, and black colors and charge in the cloth-covered case.
The Google Pixel Buds will be released in November, and the preorders can be placed at the Google store website at $159 per pair. Plan to get these super cool personal translators? Share your views by commenting below.