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Google Pixel Buds

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Re: Google Pixel Buds

#292
post #242
post #177

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It would be cool if it could (somehow) detect a person speaking directly to you and automatically lower content being played while raising the external microphone volume—assuming it has a feature similar to AirPod Pro’s transparent mode.

That sounds impossible to do on audio alone. How in the world do you tell what sound is directed at a person vs just coming towards them normally?

Well if you have enough personal data about who speaks to you in what tone and at what context, you can tell.

Definitely not impossible

Re: Google Pixel Buds

#293
post #100

If you're trying to access from Europe (at least here, in The Netherlands) the link doesn't work. https://store.google.com/us/product/pixel_buds?hl=en-US works.

We've changed the link now to an article that should be readable.

Re: Google Pixel Buds

#294

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You might like that website, but do you really think most consumers would have faith in your product if the landing page looked anything like that? People use external markers like that all the time--the bathroom at this diner is nice == the kitchen must be clean.

My suggestion is to user test your site. I agree most consumers would not like such sites (and that you'd learn that in user tests). I also believe consumers hate scroll jacking, janky experiences (anecdata elsewhere in the thread). My personal taste is just one data point.

> My suggestion is to user test your site. I agree most consumers would not like such sites (and that you'd learn that in user tests).

Are you really suggesting that Google doesn’t do user tests? Google likely has a larger headcount on UX than most tech companies have employees.

Re: Google Pixel Buds

#295

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is a e-store page. It makes sense to follow the region instead of language preferences. Makes sense to whom? Not to someone who's been using a company's web site in one language, and then suddenly gets shifted to another language simply because they want to make a purchase from the same company they were communicating with seconds before. Imaging talking to someone at your bank's call center, and then when you g…

There is no "sudden" change. Google as a web service (search, Gmail, etc.) can offer multiple languages for a region, but their store, as a separate business, can (so far) only offers local language for a certain region. The point I'm trying to make is that there is an issue, but the issue is not they ignore user's language setting. What it does is that 1) They detect store region based on user's region instead of la…

We'll have to disagree here. I don't think that within a company changing the user's language, effectively breaking the experience, is "reasonable."

If your business units can't cooperate on something as simple as passing a language variable, then the business is broken.

Re: Google Pixel Buds

#297
post #242
post #177

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It would be cool if it could (somehow) detect a person speaking directly to you and automatically lower content being played while raising the external microphone volume—assuming it has a feature similar to AirPod Pro’s transparent mode.

That sounds impossible to do on audio alone. How in the world do you tell what sound is directed at a person vs just coming towards them normally?

[deleted]

Re: Google Pixel Buds

#298

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you realize how insanely hard that actually is to do? It's not like you just localize some webpages and add a currency option to your payment. You've got to deal with certification, taxes, customs, warehousing, shipping partners, warranties, refund, and all with wildly varying levels of government agency cooperation and efficiency. Apple is the only consumer company I know of who does this well, because it's their…

> (And yes you can work with local distributors, but that doesn't solve all problems, presents its own set of complex challenges, and sometimes may simply not be economically viable -- e.g. their cut will make the product non-profitable, and there isn't a market to sell at a higher price.) Cry me a river. I can buy a $150 Nokia at the electronics store down the road, but somehow it's too hard for Google to sell its P…

They bought only parts of HTC, and the parts the purchased didn't include their distribution as far as I can find. We don't even know how HTC achieved their distribution to begin with. Did HTC own the entire supply chain or did they offload that to a 3rd party?

Either way, HTCs supply chain is way different than Googles even with acquisition. And there is no way to know if Googles pre-existing processes would allow them to leverage HTCs distribution effectively if they own it (which I doubt).

You're comparing different things. What Nokia phone are you buying for 150 in your country? Nokia isn't a US company like Google. Nokia if Finnish. So it'd seem likely they'd have figured out EU distribution because they exist in the region and align with EU processes before NA.

Nokia has basically always produced hardware they've needed to ship. Google started as a software company that just so happens to deal in a few hardware projects. When they first bought the Motorola patents they crashed and burned hard on their hardware. And this was after their initial Nexus launch.

If you cannot get a Pixel in your country it's probably not because Google decided they can't make a profit on the phone. It's likely a restriction in shipping they don't care to get around yet, the demand for their devices aren't high enough for them to solve distribution issues, or they just don't care that much about their hardware businesses.

Re: Google Pixel Buds

#299

I will always have a difficult time deciding to buy a new hardware from Google (maybe except Pixel phone because I have read some good things here and there on HN about it and my wife have been using it for about six months now and does not have a major issue so far although she said the UI is really confusing/annoying at times) after buying two Google home minis at two different times only to end up with both only b…

Wife and I both have a mini (mine in the office, her's in the kitchen), and we haven't had the Bluetooth issue. The Google Home app is hot garbage though, I agree.

Re: Google Pixel Buds

#300

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is no "sudden" change. Google as a web service (search, Gmail, etc.) can offer multiple languages for a region, but their store, as a separate business, can (so far) only offers local language for a certain region. The point I'm trying to make is that there is an issue, but the issue is not they ignore user's language setting. What it does is that 1) They detect store region based on user's region instead of la…

We'll have to disagree here. I don't think that within a company changing the user's language, effectively breaking the experience, is "reasonable." If your business units can't cooperate on something as simple as passing a language variable, then the business is broken.

> I don't think that within a company changing the user's language, effectively breaking the experience, is "reasonable."

And that's not what I said.

I said it's "reasonable" to switch to German store if you're in Germany (1), but they should still have a English display language for it if user prefers English (2). They failed at 2, not 1.

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