Google's Pixel 10 Event: A Star-Studded AI Showcase with Mixed Reviews

Google, sorry, but that Pixel event was a cringefest | TechCrunch

"I P 6 8! I P 6 8!," shouted late-night host Jimmy Fallon, trying and failing to fake excitement about the new Pixel smartphones. Fallon, who likely had never heard the technical term before, didn't seem to realize that IP68 -- a rating that indicates phones can survive being submerged in water -- isn't all that interesting as a selling point, nor is this water resistance feature new to Google's Pixel line. It's been around since the 2018 Pixel 3. We're on the Pixel 10 now, for reference. In a surreal moment that illustrated the tendency to overhype anything associated with AI advances, Google decided to pull out all the stops for its Pixel 10 live event on Wednesday. Google's new phones, of course, are interesting on their own merits, as they showcase how Google is integrating AI into everyday consumer experiences like taking photos, texting friends, translating phone calls, getting help out in the real world, and more. The awkward event made Google feel out of touch, however. It also suggests that the company felt it needed buzz to cover up for a lack of tech advances, which is not the case. Whether people like it or not, Google is rushing ahead of Apple to put AI into the hands of consumers through its smartphones. Had the tech giant focused on that and shown real-world examples -- not those involving celebrity racecar drivers, basketball stars, or Peloton personalities -- it would have been better off. Instead, it went for buzz with paid celeb appearances, including event host Jimmy Fallon and others like Stephen Curry, podcaster Alex Cooper, the Jonas Brothers, and more. The result was a watered-down, cringey, and at times almost QVC-like sales event, which Reddit users immediately dubbed "unwatchable." In large part, this had to do with Fallon's performance. Trying to shift his goofy late-night persona to a corporate event, he ended up coming across as deeply uninterested in the technology, necessitating an over-the-top display of decidedly less-than-genuine enthusiasm. "This is exciting. It's like a Taylor Swift album announcement for nerds," he began, insulting the broad audience of people who would, in fact, tune in with interest to learn about the latest in smartphone and AI advances. Attempting to be a stand-in for the "mainstream consumer," whoever Google's marketers believe that to be, Fallon interjected with banal questions, like what's the meaning of "agentic" or why is everyone talking about AI in smartphones, or what's a "walled garden?" These high-level questions led only to basic explanations from Google's execs, like Rick Osterloh, Google's Senior Vice President, Platforms & Devices -- a job that Fallon joked sounded "made up." (It sounds like a pretty straightforward title to us, especially compared to much weirder tech jobs like Chief Happiness Officer or Digital Prophet.) Answers, as a result, were dumbed down for everyday users, despite the fact that they are probably very much interested in what AI models are being used, how they work, or whether their privacy is at risk when running AI on their personal devices. During the event, Fallon showed little reaction or curiosity about the interesting tidbits, like when Osterloh noted that Google's AI assistant Gemini is coming to its augmented reality glasses. Yet he pretended to be an avid user of some tech that he was clearly just shown how to use, like Circle to Search, which lets users do a Google search by tapping, circling, or highlighting anything on their screen. At another point, Fallon held up signs with quotes from supposed Reddit users about how great Pixel phones are. "This first person says, 'whenever I'm using a phone without Circle to Search, I feel like I'm in the Stone Age," said Fallon. (C'mon, Google, no one said that. Ever. And certainly not a Redditor.) Later, Fallon embraced Google Vice President of Marketing Adrienne Lofton like a BFF and feigned excitement over a table covered with smartphones, watches, and earbuds. (Osterloh had meanwhile gone for the handshake-quick-back-pat combo.) Lofton, looking hip in a denim-tuxedo jacket, couldn't make the marketing speak feel that casual, though. Instead, it suddenly felt like we were watching one of those old home-shopping TV channels, like QVC or HSN, where salespeople gush about whatever product is in front of them and you can see sales numbers increase with every compliment. Lofton: "We're taking the world's best smartphone, and we're upping our own game with the 10. It's powerful, it's fast, and feel the satin finish on the edges and the camera bar." Fallon: "Ooh, silky!" Lofton: "See what I'm saying? The design of the aesthetic is unbelievable, and it's a Pixel. So the camera is unbelievable. And the colors, we think -- look at this palette. We think these colors are sexy as hell." Later in the event, other stars popped in for their moments, both live and pre-recorded. The Jonas Brothers made a music video with a Pixel phone, which played at the event's end. Only a few of the celeb interactions felt natural. Cooper came across as herself, much like in her own interviews. The chat with photographer Andre D. Wagner was also a brief moment of authenticity, as he talked about his art and technique. It's understandable that Google would want to differentiate itself from the Apple event format to draw attention to its own hardware and software advances. But who are tech announcements for if not for the people who care about tech? If Google is trying to reach the mainstream tech enthusiast, it doesn't need to do something like this. It just has to get its phones in the hands of creators who people actually watch, like Marques Brownlee. (Which, thankfully, it did, too.)

Thank You, Jimmy Fallon, for Making the Google Pixel 10 Event Fun

You might not know that Google has its own line of Pixel smartphones, but you probably do know Jimmy Fallon. I'm so pleased to report to you all today that Jimmy Fallon, host of The Tonight Show, absolutely stole the show while hosting today's Made by Google keynote. In the first 10 minutes of the keynote, Fallon brought back excitement, poked fun at the absurdities of a tech event and ushered in an authenticity that is, frankly, usually lacking from the tech CEOs who usually kick off these kind of events. As a Swiftie, he had me almost immediately when he called today's Pixel hardware drop a "Taylor Swift album announcement for nerds." (He's right, by the way.) At today's Made by Google event, the company dropped a whole lot of new hardware, including the Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro Fold, Pixel 10 Pro XL, Pixel 2A earbuds and Pixel watch 4. Fallon wasn't the only celebrity to make a surprise appearance. The show kicked off with a star-studded "I'm passing the phone to" video that began with Alex Cooper and included Lando Norris, the Jonas Brothers and Steph Curry. Curry apparently uses Gemini AI for basketball, as does Norris, and the Jonas Brothers filmed a music video using the Pixel 10's new cameras and AI tools. But none of these guests compared to Fallon, who acted as possibly the first ever hype man for Pixel hardware, shouting the names of features as Adrienne Lofton, Google's Global Vice President of Product Marketing, introduced the new hardware. We also got a taste of Fallon's late night show in an intimate living room set with two chairs and a podcast mic, where he kicked off the event interviewing Google's Senior Vice President of Platforms and Devices Rick Osterloh about the future of Pixel phones. Google's decision to include these people is one of the smartest keynote redesigns I've seen. Having Fallon host the keynote meant we got so much less jargon. While tech enthusiasts and experts are fluent in AI buzzwords and concepts like walled gardens, Fallon gave Google the opportunity to explain why these updates matter for real-life Pixel users -- something that can sometimes get lost as product reps run through all the new upgrades in traditional keynotes. But it's more than just good-natured fun. All of the new hardware and software drops during the last few years have focused on AI. While tech companies, including Google, push us to integrate AI in our daily lives and delegate our mundane tasks and some critical thinking, it was refreshing to bring back a little humanity to this next generation of tech. Jimmy Fallon, if you or one of your employees ever end up reading this, allow me to speak on behalf of all of us tech nerds and say: Thank you.

Made by Google delivers AI pizazz and Jimmy Fallon but these two absentees had me wanting more

Jimmy Fallon is a nerd. That's the only explanation possible after I witnessed The Tonight Show star and SNL alum describe, unprompted, what the "6" and "8" in IP68 signify. It was about mid-point through the hour-plus long Made By Google presentation in Steiner Studios in Brooklyn on Wednesday (Aug 20) when Fallon explained that 6 stands for dust and 8 stands for water in reference to the Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold's first-of-its-kind IP68 rating. Granted, Fallon then took it a step too far and started describing protective capabilities that made a Google marketing rep squirm and remind the host that there "were lawyers in the audience." This was one of the high points in a rather unusual tech product launch event. It was strange for tech media like me because Google allowed us to publish our hands on impression of the new Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold, Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro, Pixel 10 Pro XL, Google Pixel Buds 2a, and Pixel Watch 4, an hour before Fallon and an assortment of Google execs, influencers, podcasts, and popstars took the stage. The low point was when Google Hardware chief Rick Osterloh promised, essentially, one more thing, and all we got was an ill-defined role for Stephen Curry as a new Performance Advisor for Google Health. Curry wasn't even there in person. Instead, we watched a video of his mildly amusing, fake job interview. I had, for a hot second, thought we might see Android XR-powered Project Moohan or some variation of Google's latest AR glasses efforts. I hoped that we might even have some hands-on with AR glasses featuring the latest version of Gemini Live. Just imagine how cool it would have been to see Jimmy Fallon wearing and using those things. He was game for anything, and I'm sure he would have loved it. The lack of the really big one more thing, and that the world was reading about all Google's hardware and AI/Gemini-software updates before Fallon and Osterloh said a single word, sucked a bit of the life out of the whole affair. Granted, I enjoyed the demos and am still blown away by the live call translations. I think Fallon was honestly tickled at hearing his own voice speak fluent Spanish on the other side of a phone call. This is a cool and powerful feature people will be talking about for a long time. Almost a decade after Google unveiled its first Pixel phone and a raft of Google Home products and features like Google WiFi, Nest devices, and Google Assistant, Google paid what I consider little attention to that side of the business. Google may be pouring money and time into Gemini - and it should - but Google Home is increasingly feeling like a poor relation. When I switched some of my old Nest devices to Google Home (Google left me no choice), they actually lost some features. Google Home isn't a particularly good smart home management hub, though I think it could get better with Gemini, and I am pleased that Google announced plans to put Gemini in charge of the home (with Gemini for Home). But Google didn't give us a single live demonstration of these capabilities, and so I remain unconvinced about how, as Google shifts Google Assistant out of the picture, Gemini will improve my smart home control ecosystem. With zero Google Home, Nest hardware updates (though Google promises they're coming soon), I worry that Google is losing interest in the smart home space. I know that's not true, but Made by Google was a moment where Google could've shown us its vision for the future of AI-managed smart homes with their hardware dotted around the house and Gemini at the center. One or two live demonstrations would've made all the difference, but we got none. Some, though, may applaud Google for its focus. By pulling the usual, by-the-numbers product reveals out of the event, Fallon and company could focus on buzzy features and not get stuck in the minutiae of components, materials, prices, and ship dates. This made the event, as was Google's intention, more like a TV show (there was even a TV show-style crowd warmer), and who better to host such a show than Jimmy Fallon? He even had celebrity guests like Call Her Daddy podcaster Alex Cooper, who is tech-savvy enough to show off various AI photo features, and at the end, Nick Jonas. The singer did not sing, but he did introduce a new Jonas Brothers music video shot entirely on Pixel phones. That was fun, but I can also see that on YouTube, which Google's parent Alphabet also owns. With zero surprises and no home tech, it wasn't a perfect unveiling, but at least we have all these cool new Pixel gadgets to admire.