But don’t let the lack of drama fool you: unveiled a wealth of slick-looking devices in San Francisco, seemingly retired the beloved Nexus line. There was also an underlying element of tension, as quietly but effectively stepped on the toes of its staunch hardware partners. t’s dig in. Assistant can do everything from answering basic questions to helping you identify which restaurants you might like near a movie you have tickets for, then help you book reservations let your buddies know what’s up. It’ll even remember which services you like to use most open music other media in those, sidestepping rival apps. Because Assistant’s tied to your account, it’ll follow you around from device to device, helping organize your life. Check out our Assistant coverage from I/O if you want to brush up on the broad strokes. The 5-inch xel 5.5-inch xel Xkeep some of the Nexus perks, such as first dibs on Android updates a fingerprint reader. But where Nexus devices were designed to showcase Android features often sported affordable price tags, the xel deploys a bevy of premium features to st out from the smartphone crowd. boasts that the xel’s camera received the highest-ever rating from DXO, outshooting even Apple’s vaunted ione 7 (though the ione 7 us its dual lenses were a glaring omission from ’s slides). To drive the point home, ’s offering unlimited cloud storage for every photo video taken on your xel, up to full 4K resolution. Oh, xel owners receive 24/7 access to customer support straight from . Hot damn. For a full list of the xel’s speeds, feeds, amusingly named color options, check out ’s xel phone coverage. It’s available for preorder now, will hit Verizon stores on October 20. Other companies will be able to make Daydream headsets phones, but ’s version sts out from the crowd thanks to its fabric-clad design—inspired by “what people actually wear,” not gadgets, according to VR head Clay Bavor— relentless focus on simplicity. Slotting the xel (or any future Daydream phones) into the Daydream View is easy-peasy, the two devices communicate wirelessly to transport you to digital worlds. More than 50 Daydream VR apps are expected by the end of the year, including an experience based around K. Rowling’s “Fantastic Beasts ere to Find Them,” with hundreds more coming down the pipeline. The Daydream View will cost $80 come with a bundled made-for-VR controller when it launches in November, or you can pick one up for free if you preorder a xel between now October 19. oks like ’s taking aim at Samsung’s $100 Gear VR, too. For full details, hit up our Daydream VR report. Be aware that many streaming services are only just rolling out 4K content, however, HDR is off to an even slower start. Read ’s Chromecast Ultra write-up for the lowdown on exactly which services will play nice out of the gate with ’s 4K streaming disc, when it launches in November. The $129 Home is accepting preorders now, with a ship date of November 4. ke OnHub, fi focuses on simplicity. Dead spots in your house? Add another unit to seamlessly extend your network. “Network Assist” software wrangles data to keep rolling as smoothly as possible, management’s hled via a dedicated phone app, comes with family controls baked right in. Hy. Under the hood, fi supports AC1200 wireless speeds, 2.4GHz 5GHz networks, beamforming, Bluetooth Smart technology, more. ’s fi will ship singly or in multi-packs, just like Eero. A single router will cost you $129; a three pack, which says can cover 3,000 to 4,500 ft., will set you back $299. That’s significantly cheaper than a $400 Eero three pack. Expect preorders to open in November fi to ship in December.
