Google goes global with first tablet and new Pixel 3 phone

San Francisco: Google has unveiled the third edition of its Pixel smartphone, its first tablet computer and a new Google Home smart speaker that includes a display.

The company hosted 10 media events around the world for the announcements on Tuesday, a hint that it is prepared to expand geographic distribution of the phone line it hopes will one day be as popular as Apple iPhone.

Google's free Android software operates most of the world's smartphones, but the company three years ago branched into hardware so that, like Apple, it could have full control of the performance of its applications and the revenue they generate.

Google has succeeded with lower-priced devices like smart speakers and home routers, but the phones have been a tougher sell.

The new Pixel phones come in two different sizes, but both feature high-definition screens that span from one edge to another. That means Google has embraced the format that Apple adopted last year with the iPhone X.

The Pixel 3 will be available from October 18 and be priced from $US799 ($1130). That's $US200 ($285) below the least expensive iPhone XS that came out last month.

Google shipped 2.53 million Pixel 2 and 2 XL devices through the nine months ended June 30, garnering less than one per cent of the global market for smartphones, according to research firm Strategy Analytics.

The first Pixel devices hit 2.4 million shipments in the nine months ended June 30, 2017, the firm said.

Limited adoption has reflected Google's hesitancy to go as wide and big in distributing and marketing the Pixel as Apple, which launched its last two iPhone line-ups in about 50 countries.

Going from a small experiment to a polished product backed by large sales, support and technical teams has been part of Google's challenge.

Last year's Pixel 2 arrived with bugs that prompted user complaints about unwanted noises during calls, a crashing camera app and an unexpected screen tint.

Google initially sold the Pixel 2 and its larger sibling, Pixel 2 XL, in six countries, including the United States, Australia, Germany and India, after an unveiling in San Francisco.

This year, Google is hosting events for the Pixel 3 in cities such as New York, London, Paris, Tokyo and Singapore, spokesman Kay Oberbeck said.

Google Assistant, the signature virtual helper feature on the Pixel, was available in six languages a year ago and now supports 16.

Privacy and security features also could be top talking points about the Pixel 3 as Google and other big US tech companies try to bounce back from recent data breach scandals.

Google has also matched rivals Amazon and Facebook with a smart speaker that has a display to show visual responses to voice commands.

Unlike its competitors, Google said its Home Hub, priced at $US149 ($210), does not have a video conferencing camera.

Amazon shipped 21.5 million smart speakers, including those with displays, in the year ended June 30, compared with 18.3 million for Google, according to research firm Canalys.

Reuters

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