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A year after Google convinced me to ditch my iPhone 6S for a Pixel 2, it had the chance to win me over again with the Pixel 3. It didn’t close the deal.
The Pixel 2 is so good, and the upgrades the Pixel 3 provides that I most want are coming soon to Pixel 2 — everything else seems incremental. After watching Google’s Tuesday event, I know there’s no need for me to get a new phone.
My next phone’s features have to make a meaningful difference, and once I’m ready for the jump, I’m not swayed by brand loyalty. And the Pixel 3 simply didn’t cut it.
I may be an outlier when it comes to comfortably hopping from brand to brand or operating system to operating system, but I’m one of the pack when it comes to keeping my phone for longer. Read more…
More about Iphone 6s, Pixel 2, Pixel 3, Google Event 2018, and Tech
Visual Core was a strange little surprise from Google when it revealed it back in October. The system company waited three weeks until after the Pixel 2’s announcement to talk up the system-on-a-chip that had been lying in wait inside the handset the whole time. Now, as promised, the technology is coming to third-party apps. 
After months of teasing, Google’s finally brought its AR stickers to the Pixel 2. For most users with the company’s latest flagship handset, the feature will be available today as part of the an Android 2.1 update. The feature was announced on-stage at the Pixel event back in January, offering a sneak peak of a fun little addition made possible through its ARCore technology,… 
Sadly, not all of the Pixel 2’s surprises have been the good sort since Google’s latest flagship launched. Visual Core is one of the more pleasant ones, though — a custom system-on-a-chip (SoC) that’s just been hanging out in the phone not really doing much of anything. It seemed that the component simply wasn’t ready for public consumption when the phone hit… 
Google’s hardware team can’t catch a break this year. In spite of solid reviews (us included), the company’s new Pixel 2 handsets have been plagued by glitches, including a buzzing sound heard in the ear piece during phone calls. A company rep issued a short response to a lengthy thread about the problem on Google’s Pixel User Community board, noting that the company…