Google’s Pixel 2 event brought us a host of new products such as the highly-anticipated Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL and new Home speakers. Some products did bore us a little bit, like the new Pixelbook that’s a Yoga running ChromeOS, not very exciting. But towards the end, Google unveiled their new truly wireless headphones called Pixel Buds.
Google created the Pixel Buds to directly compete with the AirPods, but here’s the thing that really makes Google’s wireless earbuds stand out: real-time translation. The company has finally done what other companies have been trying to accomplish for many years now. We’ve seen countless Kickstarters that promise us features such as real-time translating, but Google has achieved it.
The Pixel Buds come with the power to translate between 40 languages, in real-time. This is an incredible feature that is sure to bring attraction to the product. The Pixel Buds are wireless headphones that are designed for use with the Pixel 2 headsets. Once you’ve paired the earbuds with the headset, all you do is just tap the right earpiece and speak a command to the Google Assistant on the Pixel 2.
While you can say all of the normal commands such as “play music” or “place a phone call,” you can also tell it to “Help me speak Chinese.” You can then start to speak English to Google’s Assistant and will output the translated words as you speak them. When you get a reply from the other person or party, it will translate back into English and into your ear through your Pixel Buds.
Google demonstrated this in their demonstration with virtually zero lag time. We have yet to see this perform in the real world. This could be a game-breaking feature that Google has been looking for. It will allow the company to further get into the hardware and software unification business that Apple has enjoyed for many years now. Google is taking the hardware business more seriously and seems like it’s no longer just a hobby for them.
