Annie Leibovitz used the Pixel 4 to shoot a new collection of photos

Published October 15, 2019

Google ended today’s hardware event by going deep on the photo technology in its new Pixel 4, and brought out someone who’s actually been using the camera — legendary photographer Annie Leibovitz.

The company announced that it was working with Leibovitz back in October 2018. Today, she spoke about the experience of working with the Pixel 3 and Pixel 4 for the past year.

Leibovitz told the audience that while she’s been using camera phones for a while, she was “dying for this opportunity, to be given this opportunity by Google” to go out and use a camera phone as a professional photographer.

The discussion didn’t include too many details about the project itself — from what I gathered, it’s a collection of photos of a wide range of activists and “changemakers.” Leibovitz said each portrait is a “diptych,” combining a photo of the ostensible subject with a second photo of something that’s important to them and their work.

She admitted that in the beginning, she had “a little bit of a rough start,” but as time went on, Leibovitz said, “I just relaxed and I totally enjoyed myself.” For example, she said her final shoot was with soccer star Megan Rapinoe, and she described the experience as one where “it really felt like we were just floating … I wasn’t really thinking about the camera.”

Google’s Lily Lin ended their conversation by asking about “pro tips” for other photographers.

“It’s all inside you,” Leibovitz replied. “You just go out and you do it … I mean, we all are using this camera, and it’s a brand new language.”

Google’s Pixel 4 briefly went up for preorder on Best Buy Canada

Published October 12, 2019

The Pixel 4 is set to be unveiled at an event on Tuesday. This much we know for sure. We know a bunch more, too, (as outlined in this rumor roundup from yesterday), thanks to both official reveals and unofficial leaks. How much of this was planned is hard to say, but Google seemingly doesn’t mind building up the hype cycle.

Earlier today, Best Buy Canada made what may well be the most egregious reveal today (granted, there are three more days left to leak). The big box store posted up a preorder page for the upcoming smartphone. As expected, the listing was taken down, but not before 9to5Google managed to snap some screen shots.

From the looks of things, the rumors are pretty spot on. The device will come in both standard and XL versions, at 5.7 and 6.3 inches, respectively. Both models sport a Snapdradon 855, 6GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, along with a new Face Unlock feature. There are dual camera on each, per the listing — 12 and 16 megapixels — in the iPhone 11-esque square configuration.

There’s a single front-facing 8 megapixel camera on each, and a 2,800 and 3,700mAh battery on the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL. Other highlights including the expected addition of “Quick Gestures,” which use use a wave of the hand to interact with the device — similar to features we’ve seen on other handsets before.

Conspicuously missing from the preorder, however, is the expected “Oh So Orange” color. Could be a preorder thing or maybe Best Buy Canadian customers will have to settle for Just Black and Clearly White. Maybe the company is saving some surprises for Tuesday’s event. Maybe.

Google’s Pixel 4 smartphone will have motion control and face unlock

Published July 29, 2019

Google’s Pixel 4 is coming out later this year, and it’s getting the long-reveal treatment thanks to a decision this year from Google to go ahead and spill some of the beans early, rather than saving everything for one big, final unveiling closer to availability. A new video posted by Google today about the forthcoming Pixel 4 (which likely won’t actually be available until fall) shows off some features new to this generation: Motion control and face unlock.

The new “Motion Sense” feature in the Pixel 4 will detect waves of your hand and translate them into software control, including skipping songs, snoozing alarms and quieting incoming phone call alerts, with more planned features to come, according to Google. It’s based on Soli, a radar-based fine motion detection technology that Google first revealed at its I/O annual developer conference in 2016. Soli can detect very fine movements, including fingers pinched together to mimic a watch-winding motion, and it got approval from the FCC in January, hinting it would finally be arriving in production devices this year.

Pixel 4 is the first shipping device to include Soli, and Google says it’ll be available in “select Pixel countries” at launch (probably due to similar approvals requirements wherever it rolls out to consumers).

Google also teased “Face unlock,” something it has supported in Android previously — but Google is doing it very differently with the Pixel 4 than it has been handled on Android in the past. Once again, Soli is part of its implementation, turning on the face unlock sensors in the device as it detects your hand reaching to pick up the device. Google says this should mean that the phone will be unlocked by the time you’re ready to use it, as it does this all on the fly, and works from pretty much any authentication.

Face unlock will be supported for authorizing payments and logging into Android apps, as well, and all of the facial recognition processing done for face unlock will occur on the device — a privacy-oriented feature that’s similar to how Apple handles its own Face ID. In fact, Google also will be storing all the facial recognition data securely in its own dedicated on-device Titan M security chip, another move similar to Apple’s own approach.

Google made the Pixel 4 official and tweeted photos (or maybe photorealistic renders) of the new smartphone back in June, bucking the trend of keeping things unconfirmed until an official reveal closer to release. Based on this update, it seems likely we can expect to learn more about the new smartphone ahead of its availability, which is probably going to happen sometime around October, based on past behavior.

Google’s Pixel 4 renders surface and all anyone can do is stare at that top bezel

Published July 8, 2019

This time last month, Google took the surprise (and anticlimactic) move of tweeting out images of the Pixel 4 well ahead of its October launch. Of course, that glimpse just focused on the rear of the device. Not only was the company looking to nip leaks in the bud, they were almost certainly attempting to show off their camera array before Apple got the jump on them.

New 3D renders from OnLeaks may reveal why Google wasn’t in a rush to show off the front of the phone. The 6.25-inch phone appears to maintain the company’s staunch indifference to the war of notch attrition, forgoing the hole-punch camera from what appears to be a sizable top bezel (forehead).

Perhaps there’s something to be said for the company sitting this out while the competition battles things out with all sorts of solutions, from pop-up cameras to jamming them into displays. Besides, the Pixel XL got dinged for its giant notch, so you’re damned if you do, etc.

Well, since there seems to be some interest, 1 month after delivering your very first glimpse at the #Pixel4, here comes your very first full look at the #Pixel4XL! 360° video + gorgeous 5K renders + dimensions, on behalf of my Friends @Pricebaba again -> https://t.co/mCQCOp5Pp1 pic.twitter.com/MeAIID0FDz

— Steve H.McFly (@OnLeaks) July 8, 2019

As always, take these early renders with a grain of salt, but the source has a pretty good track record with this stuff.

Questionable aesthetics aside, the latest batch of rumors do reveal a fair number of features coming to the phone three or so months out. The handset appears to ditch the rear fingerprint sensor, leading to speculation that the tech has been ditched for face unlock or Google is doing fingerprint readings through the screen, perhaps using Qualcomm tech.

The device its said to sport two selfie cameras and perhaps some matter of gesture detection up top (that last bit seems to be largely speculation), which could account for that additional bezel real estate. On the back is a triple camera array, maintaining the company’s standard camera innovations.