What is one of the things that can cause problems when you travel abroad? It is when you cannot speak their language and you are lost. Even if you know a few words, it may not be enough to ask or to know where the place is. In fact, people may tell you outright that they do not know your language.
What if you would be given a tool that can help you translate the words that you need to use and the words that will be answered back to you without any hassle, would you get that tool? Most people would.
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What is Google’s Pixel Buds?
These are wireless headphones that can be used with Google’s Pixel 2 handset. These two are meant to go together because you can simply tap a command and it will deliver what you need it to do. Expect that it will allow you to play some music, give you directions, and so much more. It seems like the normal headset that you can use, right?
The moment that you require it to speak a different language, this is when the fun will start. It will help you translate your main language to the language that you want to speak. For example, if you want to know how to ask for directions in Japanese, you can state the words in English and your pixel buds will help translate it for you. The best thing about this is that the response time is fast.
There are some factors that can affect how fast the translation is going to be though such as:
- Background Noise
- Other talk
- Slow WiFi connections
How well will these Pixel Buds work in the real world? It will depend on the various things that you have to do and what things you are looking for in particular.
Truly Wireless?
These earbuds are being advertised as wireless headphones but how wireless are they? There is a small cord that hangs between the buds so they cannot actually be called wireless because there is a wire involved. While there are some people who may scoff at the cords, some people actually like the cords because of how useful they can be. Having that cord will make the earbuds harder to lose. You can simply hang them on your neck when you are not using them.
Design
Let us talk about the design of these earbuds. How do they fare when compared to the other earbuds? They are fairly standard. This comes with a rubberized outer area that can be placed inside the ear. The wing will make sure that the sound is just fine.
These earbuds come in three colors namely gray, white and black. This will give you some options on the type of color you would like to have. The color of the cases of the earbuds will be the same depending on the color that you choose. This means that if you choose white, you are going to have a white case.
Charging the earbuds will not be too hard to do. The charging box does double duty as the protector of the earbuds when it is not in use and as a charger in order to power up the earbuds effectively. If you allow the earbuds to be charged fully, you can use it for up to 5 hours.
Sound Quality
When it comes to the sound of these earbuds, they are better as compared to the usual earbuds but it is not too effective with noise isolation. This may not be the earbuds that you want to use when you want to immerse yourself in music but when you are traveling, this can be very effective because you are sure that it will let you issue your commands with ease and still hear the normal every day sounds that will keep you alert when you are on the road. The sound that you can hear if you listen to music is pretty rich and you would hear a lot of bass involved.
Compatibility
This earbuds are made specifically for Pixel 2 and Pixel XL but they can be used for any device that has Bluetooth. You need to pair them manually if you would use them for none Pixel phones but the moment that you connect them with Pixel, you will see the difference immediately.
There are also some reports that this can be used with the iPhone and the earphones will work hand in hand with Siri but the things that they can do together may be limited. If the earphones will be used with Android phones, its software can be updated and it will have the ability to do more things. You will surely get more out of these earphones if you are an Android user particularly if you use Pixel.
One thing that should be noted about the outside of the headphones is that they are touch sensitive. This means that you can touch the headphones to do the following:
- Access the assistant
- Adjust the volume
- You can skip tracks
How to Activate Assistant
The earphones look normal when you look at it so you may assume that you will use your phone to activate the assistant. This is possible but a simple touch on the outside portion of your earphones can provide the same effect. You just need to press your finger down on your right earbud and start to issue your command.
The assistant will immediately do what it is told. You do not have to wait anymore in order to get the full effect. The assistant will be giving you a response in real time. This is somewhat different from what you are used to.
The experience may be surreal for some people because they have never thought that it would be possible for something so high tech to be available especially with a price tag that is not too bad considering all of the functions that it can provide.
The only issue here is that it is still not as high tech as people would like wherein the phrases will automatically be translated into the language that you are using. You need to say the words in phrases so that they can be translated well then you have to wait for the person you are speaking with to say a phrase in reply so that it can be translated again. If you would do that in real life, this means that you are going to hand your phone to strangers from time to time. There is always a risk that they are going to hold on to your phone and run and you will never get it back. It will be less problematic if the person you are going to ask questions from also has this type of earphones so translating will be more seamless for both of you.
The idea is already there and there is always a big possibility that Google will continue to improve this feature to make it easier and more useful for people to use. Google Pixel Buds are expected to translate over 40 languages
How Much Will Travelers Need It?
A lot of people are impressed with the fact that this can be used by people who are constantly traveling but will it still be useful for people who do not travel much? There are also travelers who only travel domestically so there may not be much need in order to translate the language that often.
If you would like to have a multilingual conversation with someone, another user should also be using the Pixel Buds but you can always use yours and speak what you are trying to say. Just let the person know that you are trying to translate something so you can be given the help that you want.
Carrying this will not be too complicated mainly because it comes with a carrying case. The outside cover may not be the best one available as some people say that they are a bit on the flimsy side but it will be enough to help protect your earbuds from harm while you move around.
Conclusion
It is evident that these earbuds are cool. If you are a traveler who would like to see the world and not worry about asking for directions or asking what ingredients are included in your meal, you will not have a hard time using this at all. Based on their design, they are cool enough and they have various functions that other earbuds cannot offer. Price-wise, they are a bit on the expensive side but they can be a good investment for travelers who may be their main target market.
The idea is there and there is always a possibility that other earbuds like this will come out also from Google better than this first earbuds but as of now, this is decent and will surely provide people the convenience that they are searching for.
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