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Google Pixel Buds are wireless earbuds that translate conversations in real-time
- doubleorseven 9y agoSorry for the short comment but won't this be the next "Google glasses"?
- jagermo 9y ago* if you have a smartphone connected and a decent connection to the internet to use google translate.
- navigator01 9y agoSeems like a modest requirement.
- jagermo 9y agoIt is if you are in a developed country and not tied to roaming / have access to fast wifi. I didn't want to trash it, it looks like an amazing concept. It would be interesting to see it in action.
- panorama 9y agoUnderstood, but just for perspective, we humans now have devices that seamlessly translate (more or less) foreign languages right to your ears. That's magical, sci-fi stuff. To nitpick it just because it's not readily available to all 7B+ people in the world is a tad harsh, though I know that wasn't your intention.
- jagermo 9y agoDon't get me wrong, this is fantastic. I really, really want to try them and I really want this technology to catch on.
- rconti 9y agoRelatively affordable international roaming has finally made it to the US with the $10/day ATT and $5/day Verizon plans. I believe European rules go in effect this year to make roaming affordable as well. To say nothing of the availability of prepaid SIMs in most countries.
- DannyBee 9y agoRight now, it's pretty infeasible (without NN chips) to make this work without something else handling the large model. Depending on how long folks have been working ons tuff, in a few years (IE 2018-2020), it'll be feasible
- valbaca 9y agoRight? It's not magic
- soared 9y agoDid you expect the earbuds to have a wireless connection and processor inside of them? (and if so, wouldn't you have complained about privacy issues anyways?)
- maxerickson 9y agoIt seems we need better words. They do have a wireless connection and processor inside of them. The problem is that the processor probably isn't powerful enough and the wireless won't connect to the internet.
- MBCook 9y agoWell they’re not ‘headphones that translate’ are they? That’s like saying AirPods make new music to your taste because you can get an app on your phone that does that. It’s sketchy marketing. Neat idea, but sketchy sounding marketing.
- yincrash 9y agoGoogle Translate does not require an active connection to the Internet. You can predownload translation "matrices?" into the app. I'm not sure about the Google Assistant integration's Internet requirements though, however, given the impact of reducing lag, I would suppose they would want to be able to predownload as much as possible.
- jagermo 9y agoYes, but that is for dictionary only. If you need more processing power, for example for the image recognition, you need the cloud. At least last time i tried, from greece to english.
- yincrash 9y agoUnfortunately for greek<->english, the offline image recognition isn't available. It does work for other languages, even ones like Chinese. There is a little eye icon in the bottom right of the app that lets you download the language for offline instant translation.
- SurrealSoul 9y agoYou can download and offline store language dictionaries
- patrickxb 9y agoIs this a Babel fish?
- hprotagonist 9y agoin my experiences as a user of and developer for speech recognition systems, I have concluded that the best any machine translation system is going to be able to do is translate really basic, imperative communications. e.g, "Don't eat that!" "We are friendly, don't shoot" "There is food in the kitchen" "Where is the nearest bathroom?"...That will all work relatively well. Punishing others with Vogon poetry in their own native tongue... never gonna happen.
- xapata 9y agoGoogle's remarkably good at translating anything that reads like news. Because there are so many news articles written about the same topic in different languages, that data is great. Google is not so good at translating things like love letters, because it's hard to get someone to write one in two languages and publish both.
- hprotagonist 9y agocertainly the relative paucity of some subject matter to train on is a factor. The other factor is that complex use of natural languages depend on and require ambiguity and layered meaning and hosts of other factors that are really hard to handle.
- xapata 9y agoI'm not sure love letters are more complex than the news. It often turns out we're not as complex as we think. Or that doing simple calculations on very large amounts of data captures all those nuances. That was the result described in "The Unreasonable Effectiveness of Data".
- hprotagonist 9y ago
- drewrv 9y agoTranslating conversations in real time is cool, but I need that feature how often? I switch my earbuds between my phone and laptop multiple times a day and it's a pain for every pair of bluetooth earbuds ever. At least Apple tried to solve the problem. Google appears to be acting like Samsung here, adding gimmicks while releasing a lesser product.
- soylentcola 9y agoAnother way of looking at this is that Apple just made another set of wireless headphones whereas Google put out the first iteration of something quite useful that has larger long-term potential. (I only say it this way for the sake of argument, not as some type of Google or Apple "fan" statement.) I personally don't deal with frequent pairing and unpairing of bluetooth headphones. I don't even own a pair (just some cheap earbuds and some pretty decent Sennheisers). As such I didn't even realize there was a problem being solved by Apple putting out another model of BT earbuds. But I am in a relationship with someone for whom English is a second language. She's a great English speaker and I am frequently impressed by her command of the language, given how different our two native languages are. I've been learning some of the basics but when I try to talk to her family, it's essentially smiles and nods. The Translate phone app is pretty amazing for taking turns and having it translate back and forth, but I would love to have something like these new phones the next time we visit with her family. It may be borderline gimmicky and the appeal may be narrow (compared to just an easier to use pair of wireless earbuds) but it's a lot more interesting to me in terms of existing tech combined in a new way that I'd hoped to see for a while.
- Broken_Hippo 9y agoI think this is more a problem of you not being the target audience. I'd use it lots... and lots. I'm an immigrant, and though I do alright with the local language (Norwegian, and I'm a native English speaker), conversations are sometimes difficult. Neil Gaiman in Norwegian is a difficult read for me, but I*m past kids books. Some folks would talk to me more, since lots of people understand some english but aren't so comfortable speaking it. Google translate isn't perfect, but it continues to get better. I can see retail employees having access to a pair at work. Restaurants. Travel. And so on.
- pdog 9y agoPixel Buds? What does a pixel have to do with an audio device? Google's branding department, as usual, leaves much to be desired.
- sogen 9y agoAlphabet's Google Chrome Pixel Buds
- CoolGuySteve 9y agoSounds like that old Microsoft iPod parody, the Microsoft iPod Pro 2005 XP Human Ear Professional Edition.
- msabalau 9y agoIf you can credibly explain why a really large number would have more to do with audio we might take you opinions about branding seriously...
- Raphmedia 9y agoThey are a small part of something big. Connect them all together and you get the big picture. Pixels.
- Jaruzel 9y agoOf course, it should be called 'Google Babel Fish'.
- pgeorgep 9y agoYou may be able to hear, but how does it help you speak back to them in a different language?
- myroon5 9y agoBuy two pairs :)
- dragonwriter 9y agoIt's, IME, very common for immigrants (especially those that immigrated in middle age) to be intelligible to native speakers when speaking the local language, but have more trouble understanding native speakers. So one-way translation may be useful. (OTOH, it may also mess with code-switching.)
- megy 9y agoReally? I have found the exact opposite. You can pick up a lot of clues from words, expression, tone, without knowing the entire sentence. But that doesn't help in talking to them.
- goialoq 9y agoThat's the reverse of the common case -- it's much easier to learn receptive language than expressive language.
- thope 9y agoI would answer in my own language, and let my interlocutor's device translate for me instead.
- aroman 9y agoyou use your phone's speaker. this is shown in the demo.
- foobaw 9y agoThis is just an early iteration for the future. Imagine the possibilities while travelling, attending conferences, eating at foreign restaurants. Can't wait until this becomes commonplace.
- DerfNet 9y agoI feel like this already should be commonplace. I used Google Translate back in 2014 on a trip to Japan. Really came in useful when a hotel didn't have my reservation. Since then they've added the conversational mode that effectively makes Translate work identically to what was demonstrated with these earbuds.
- FroshKiller 9y agoThat's my beef with the feature. Since the earbuds already require a phone with Assistant, why wouldn't I use the conversation mode in the Translate app instead, which is superior in every way?
- mtgx 9y agoAre those conversations also stored on Google's servers? I know I shouldn't even have to ask this question, but who knows these days with Google.
- firethief 9y agoDoes it matter? They pass through Google's servers; results of analyzing them are stored on Google's servers; the full audio is probably stored on the NSA's servers; if Google says they don't store the full text, does that meaningfully alter the level of privacy you can expect?
- alasdair_ 9y ago>Does it matter? In states that require two-party consent in their wiretapping statutes, it probably does.
- DerfNet 9y agoWith Google Translate, you can use the service offline by downloading language packs. Now, I'd assume that if you use it offline, Google will cache your conversations and upload them the next time your device has connectivity. But who knows.
- bduerst 9y agoIf they do, they'll likely surface it here and let you delete it: https://myactivity.google.com https://myactivity.google.com
- EliRivers 9y agoNot only will your conversation be recorded; you won't even be able to have conversations about forbidden subjects. Not necessarily illegal subjects; just forbidden subjects.
- kibwen 9y agoIf you're a technologist looking for ways to save the world, enabling communication between people of different countries is about as important a task as you can find. The web was a good first step, but language is still a barrier. Being unable to communicate with someone dehumanizes them. Automatic translation isn't going to automatically bring about world peace (and it isn't going to automatically enable us to transcend cultural barriers), but it's an enormously important next step. I criticize Google and Microsoft a lot, and I will continue to do so when necessary, but I applaud their efforts toward this goal, especially since there's so little financial incentive to do so. Even if this product is as limited in practice as I suspect, it's heartening to see such crucial technology mature.
- madeofpalk 9y ago> especially since there's so little financial incentive to do so. I mean, Google is selling this product - they're not giving them out for free.
- ehsankia 9y agoWhile this specific feature, at least for now, is Pixel exclusive, Google Translate itself still is completely free, and usable even without an account by anyone anywhere. It's hard to see the financial incentive to provide unlimited translations to anyone in the world for free. These giant tech companies definitely a lot of shady and ambiguous stuff, but I still think we should commend them when they put resources in these other techs that aren't necessarily money makers, but provide a net plus for humanity. It's clear that these projects are being funded by money made in other parts of Google, such as their ad business. It's similar to how BuzzFeed is mostly a trashy website, but once in a while they will come up with well researched thorough articles. It's clear that their shitty front page is a fund for them to achieve greater things.
- rconti 9y agoI find the free Google Translate, on iOS, to be one of my absolute favorite tools when traveling. The camera OCR translate feature is almost like magic.
- gigatexal 9y agoReally cool feature, curious how it works in practice. This kind of thing could sway me from iOS.
- ams6110 9y agoIt's really not that remarkable, given what parts already exist. In pseudo command line: speech_to_text --language=english | google_translate --from=english --to=swedish | text_to_speech --language=swedish All this product does is hook up a few pieces that Google had already developed.
- dingdongding 9y agoIt is remarkable because it happens in realtime.
- ams6110 9y agoSpoken language is actually very slow compared to what computers can handle. Google Translate would have no trouble keeping up.
- r3bl 9y agoWell, yeah, but without that google_translate part, they wouldn't get nowhere. Bing Translate, even though it's been used by default on both Facebook and Twitter, will probably never give you good enough results to have a conversation with a stranger. Google Translate probably will. I mean, if there's anyone that combine those couple of parts, it's Google and no one else.
- gfodor 9y agoIf you seriously believe that it took minimal engineering effort to integrate those parts into a low latency real time system I don't know what to tell you. These kinds of dismissive comments on HN never cease to amaze me.
- bhouston 9y agoI have Google Assistant on my OnePlus 3. Would these work with it the same as with the Pixel 2? Would these work with a Pixel 1 the same way?
- DerfNet 9y agoIt seems these only work in this fashion with Pixel devices. I understand they're trying to create an air of exclusivity but it really just comes off kind of greedy and dickish when in reality, any earbuds with a microphone should be capable of doing the same thing through Google Translate.
- r00fus 9y agoAs a big Apple fan, I have no idea why Google should take flack for making this an exclusive (other than their previous "we're more open and open==good" hypocrisy). Exclusivity means they have a limited hardware profile and control the quality out of the gate. Rolling it for use on all e.g. Android6 devices is sure to be a support nightmare. It also may expand to other (Android|iOS) devices in future.
- rconti 9y agoYes, sounds like you just need Google Assistant. https://store.google.com/product/google_pixel_buds https://store.google.com/product/google_pixel_buds
- Zaheer 9y agoI use Bose Soundsport Wireless headphones currently and the mic is terrible at filtering background noise. Given this is about the same price range it seems like a worthy competitor even as an iOS user.
- rahulchowdhury 9y agoI remember a Kickstarter project which demoed a small device that you can keep in front of you and it will act as your very own real-time translator. But this is super dope. Great job by the team at Google.
- bduerst 9y agoMy in-laws don't speak English. I have to try this with them around the holidays.
- jdavis703 9y agoI can understand using these for situations where you're only going to be around a language for a limited amount of time (business trip, vacation, etc). But presumably your in-laws are going to be around for a while, so what's the rationale for not learning to speak their language?
- cortesoft 9y agoBecause we have limited hours in the day?
- mrexroad 9y agoI’ve been trying for 10 years and still haven’t made any meaningful progress; I’ve always struggled with language, even in immersive environments for several months. TBH I do prioritize spending the few hours I have during evenings/weekends with my children.
- chipperyman573 9y agoNot the OP but trying to learn another language so that you can speak it with people you see maybe twice a year seems a little silly. I would agree with you if OP lived with their inlaws or something, though.
- baby 9y agoI see my inlaws twice a year or less, still learning the language (or at least trying).
- 659087 9y agoBe sure to have them agree to Google's privacy policy first, because otherwise you'll be agreeing to it on their behalf.
- bognition 9y agoDoes anyone else not see the irony in the pixel name. Google became big by tracking people online using tracking pixels, now their tracking people in the real world using physical pixels
- megy 9y agoWhen I think pixel, I don't think tracking pixel. So no.
- alexanderstears 9y agoVery neat, but I wish it came in an over-the-ear version. I'd like to travel to Japan some day soon, I'd like to buy some rare vintage stuff, and I can't imagine handing an ear wax encrusted earbud to some elderly farmer. As wireless ear buds these are somewhat interesting, as a translation device these are fascinating, why can't google sell more translation stuff?
- ztratar 9y agoIt integrates into your phone's speaker. You don't hand anyone a hearing device.
- scardine 9y agoAs pointed by ss17n: > The two way functionality works with only one pair of buds - the other user holds the phone So just keep the ear wax encrusted earbud for yourself. :-)
- Pamar 9y agoMaybe you know this already, but I suggest you to investigate an app called Jspeak. Take in account it requires a SIM in your device (so it would work on a smartphone but not in a plain tablet). I've seen it used (and used it myself) in Japan and it was pretty good. Also, it was used by an old guy in a Ryokan in rural Japan. He didn't speak English so we just went to and fro speaking in his tablet, checking that the audio was correctly recognized (it converts it to text before translating) and then handling it to the other person who would read/hear the sentence in his own language.
- Macsenour 9y agoPardon if this was asked but it's not clear to me, since they are Bluetooth, wouldn't they work with any device that also runs Google Translate?
- Macsenour 9y agoI have an answer... of course they're work but the language detection isn't automatic. You have to run the app first but if you have a Pixel 2 phone, it will run the app for you when it detects a different language. Or so the ad reads...
- djrogers 9y agoThe translation stuff seems to all be handled by your phone, so what is it about these specifically that makes them required for this type of functionality? I'm having trouble seeing why this shouldn't work with any set of earbuds...
- syphilis2 9y agoI think what completes the puzzle is that the Pixel 2 phone omits a headphone jack. Without a headphone jack wireless earbuds are required. Normally wireless earbuds would be superfluous, so they're introduced with a use case that highlights their advantages. That's to say, I don't believe the Pixel Buds are necessary at all for real time translation. But I think they're presented with the real time translation to give people some positive and cool imagery to associate with the earbuds. It's advertising as far as I can tell.
- djrogers 9y agoSo any old bluetooth headset will work, or have they artificially limited it to pixel buds?
- CamelCaseName 9y agoOnly Pixel Buds will work. You can read this comment chain by someone who worked on the project to learn more about why they made that decision: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15404395 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15404395
- scott_karana 9y agoWhy is this Google Translate an advantage that's exclusive to Bluetooth headsets? (Other than their choosing it to be so, of course. ;)
- dlubarov 9y agoI worked on this feature and commented on why we didn't support other headsets here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15404918 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15404918
- Rebelgecko 9y agoIts cool that you can use the earbud case to recharge your phone (or vice versa). However, as a lefty I think it'd be annoying to be forced to use my right hand whenever I want to control my headphones.
- plandis 9y agoPerforming translation on the fly with technology is a HUGE win for humanity. I'm glad to see others besides Hear One taking this seriously for your average consumer. It's unclear to me though; will these work with any phone?
- hackerews 9y agoThe "translate conversations in real-time" part seems to have nothing to do with the Google Pixel Buds - it's already live in the Google Translate app. In fact, you can try it right now. Open the Google Translate app on android, put on a pair of headphones with a mic, and tap the audio translation. As you hear spoken word in another language, it'll translate in realtime back to your non-google headphones. *note - The trick is you need to press the button so it enables translation across both languages, as that seems to be the only way to keep translation on even after the first phrase.
- sebow 9y ago>"real-time" yeah...
- rorosaurus 9y agoDoes anyone have a link to the demo video?
- electriclove 9y agohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWb1ysqtc4o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWb1ysqtc4o
- carbocation 9y agoThis would be invaluable for patient encounters. If anyone at Google is reading this -- is there any plan to make a set like this available with a BAA / HIPAA compliance?
- dlevine 9y agoIt seems like we're getting to the level that people talked about in Science Fiction not that long ago. Even when Google was started in 1998, I'm not sure that people would believe you if you said that in 20 years Google would be putting out a product that automatically translates spoken conversations in realtime. Sure the technology isn't perfect, but it actually works surprisingly well (at least the translation part). I have been learning Mandarin Chinese recently, and the translations provided by Google Translate are pretty darn good (if not exact, they are close enough to understand).
- megy 9y agoYou mean the level where we can contact almost anyone in the world at anytime? We have full access to the worlds knowledge at anytime? On a device that fits into your pocket? We have been hitting sci-fi goals for a while now, and it is awesome!
- theDoug 9y agoIt took me a long time to find, but here are the 40 languages supported: https://support.google.com/googlepixelbuds/answer/7547959?hl=en&ref_topic=7544331 https://support.google.com/googlepixelbuds/answer/7547959?hl...
- deleted 9y ago[deleted]
- belorn 9y agoLinux tech tip had a review of such device that they found on kickstarter a month ago. Is google adding something to the concept?
- teddyh 9y agoLink here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TayZG3aFubs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TayZG3aFubs
- runamok 9y agoI may have poor reading comprehension but per https://support.google.com/googlepixelbuds/answer/7544332?hl=en&ref_topic=7544331 https://support.google.com/googlepixelbuds/answer/7544332?hl... The "killer feature" of realtime-ish translation only works with the Pixel phones. To use as a headset, you need a Bluetooth® enabled companion device running: Android 5.0 or higher iOS 10.0 or higher To use with Google Assistant you need: An Assistant enabled Android device Android 6.0 or higher A Google Account A data connection To use with Google Translate you need: Pixel or Pixel 2 The Google Translate app (A list of supported languages can be found here.)