New Google Pixels Bow; Foxconn Unveils 3 EVs; Amazon Will Add 150K Seasonal Workers

A great deal leaked out in advance about the latest Google Pixels, but today we have confirmation…as well as pricing and other info. Google showed off its Pixel 6 and 6 Pro today. According to theverge.com, both are available for preorder now, and will ship October 28th. Probably the biggest reveal is the pricing. The Pixel is $599 and the Pro $899…undercutting the prices of market leading Apple and Samsung phones. Not only that, but the price point gets you 128 gigs of storage in both…upgradable to 256 gigs in the Pixel and 512 in the pro (for extra $, of course!)

One of the big things leaked about the new Pixels is that they feature a system on a chip like Apple’s latest iPhones.The custom-designed ARM is called Tensor, and Google says it is competitive with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888. 

Also leaked and confirmed is the 50MP back camera main sensor. It is ‘hard coded’ to output 12.5 MP images. It is larger than the iPhone 13 sensor, and Google says it will take in 150% more light than the previous Pixel cam. There is also a 12MP ultra wide cam, and if you go for the Pro, you also get a 4x telephoto shooter. This beats out the iPhone 13 in physical telephoto, but still isn’t close to the 10x lens on the Samsung top line phones. 

The cheaper Pixel has an 8MP selfie cam, and the Pro and 11.1MP one. The back cams don’t live in a bump, but a bar or ‘shelf’, that goes all the way across the back of the phone. A new processor lets you edit out items in your pix…Google’s ‘magic eraser.’ You can edit out elements like poles, or even people that barge into your shots. 

The screens are 6.4 inch for the Pixel and 6.7 inches for the Pro, and both are OLED displays. Both phones ship with Android 12 installed. Will all this and the lower price be enough to put a dent in Samsung and Apple’s grip on the market? Time will tell, but it would be nice to have another major brand to give them a run for the money.

Foxconn, mainly known as a supplier (particularly of Apple products like the iPhone line) has unveiled 3 new EV’s! The top sedan is designed by famous Italian design house Pininfarina…which has styled Ferraris and other high end sports cars for decades. Cnet.com reports that Foxconn will be marketing the cars through partnerships. In addition to the EV sedan, there is an electric SUV and and electric bus. Foxconn says the SUV will have the space of a large luxury car, but with a smaller footprint for city driving. They are claiming a range of 434 miles on a charge, and a 0-62 time of 3.8 seconds! The vehicles sport names much like Tesla’s…with the SUV called the Model C, and the sedan the Model E. The sedan is claimed to have a range of 466 miles and do 0-62 in 2.8 seconds. The bus is called the Model T…which obviously won’t be available as a brand in the US, since the Model T was a rather famous and widely sold model of Ford cars. Foxconn did pick up Lordstown Motors’ car factory in Ohio, and has bought a chip making plant. They will be marketed in a joint venture with Yulon Motors…which already has the Foxtron name. 

Amazon is ramping up for the holidays, looking to hire on some 150,000 seasonal workers. Geekwire.com says Amazon already employs more than 1.3 million people worldwide, counting both full and part time. Average starting pay will be $18 an hour for these roles, and Amazon is offering a $3000 signing bonus, plus a $3 per hour shift differential for a number of locations.