Google launched an aggressive challenge to Apple and Samsung on Tuesday, introducing its own new line of smartphones called Pixel, which are designed to showcase a digital helper the company calls "Google Assistant." The new phones represent a big new push by Google to sell its own consumer devices, instead of largely just supplying software for other manufacturers. At a starting price of 649, the new phones are aimed at the same markets as Apple's iPhone and Samsung's Galaxy flagship phones. Google executives touted features such as a powerful camera and long-lasting battery during a product event Tuesday, where they said the phones will be sold in two screen sizes -- 5 inches and 5.5 inches -- and three colors: black, silver and blue. But they're clearly hoping that the new Pixel phones will be distinguished by their use of Google's software.

Google has placed a virtual assistant at the heart of its latest smartphones and first voice-activated speaker. The two Pixel handsets are the first mobiles to trigger Google Assistant by pressing their home buttons, somewhat like Apple's Siri. The Home speaker lets the same artificial intelligence tool be controlled without use of a touchscreen. Google also unveiled new virtual reality kit and a 4K media streamer. However, the US company will have to overcome privacy concerns and convince users that chatting to a virtual assistant has advantages over using individual apps.

Google has unveiled a new range of phones with a built in smart assistant to take on Apple and Amazon. The search giant has unveiled it's biggest ever range of hardware - with phones, smart speakers, TV dongles, a smart speaker and a wifi router. It says it hopes to use AI to create'a personal Google for each and every user.' At a special event in San Francisco the firm is unveiling a raft of new products - even though most of them have already leaked online. They include two new phones, a Pixel and the 5.5-inch Pixel XL The Pixel runs on a Snapdragon 821 2.15GHz processor.

SAN FRANCISCO -- The star of Google's splashy launch event in San Francisco was the one with the speaking part: The super-smart digital helper Assistant whose task is to maintain the Internet giant's tight grip on consumers and their wallets as their attention shifts to smartphones and Internet-connected devices. Assistant will create a "two-way conversation between our users and Google," CEO Sundar Pichai said at a splashy launch event in San Francisco. The goal: "a personal Google for each and every user," Pichai said. At Tuesday's coming out party for Assistant, Google introduced two new devices, Amazon Echo competitor Google Home and Pixel smartphones as vessels to show off what Assistant can do and "get Assistant in the hands of our users," Pichai said. Google will now focus on this intersection of hardware and software, Rick Osterloh, chief of the company's new hardware division, told reporters.

Google Home has removable base accessories. NEW YORK--The inevitable showdown between Amazon Alexa and the Google Assistant is getting closer. Google said Tuesday that its voice-activated Google Home speaker, the company's answer to Amazon's popular Echo speaker, will go on sale Nov. 4 for 129. Google Home is coming to the U.S. only at first, and will be sold in the online Google Play Store, as well as at Target, Walmart and Best Buy; Google starts taking preorders today. Home is a showcase for the newly unleashed Google Assistant, an artificial intelligence-infused virtual assistant that wouldn't feel out of place hanging out with other digital assistants, notably Alexa, Apple's Siri, and Microsoft's Cortana.

With YouTube, you can watch the entire library of videos on a virtual big screen and experience VR videos from creators like Buzzfeed, PrankvsPrank, Meredith Foster, CollegeHumor, Tastemade, UnboxTherapy and VSauce2. The app was built from the ground up, especially for Daydream and the controller.

Google announced that its Home smart speaker will be available for preorder starting immediately, and will ship on Nov. 4. The company also shared more details about how Home will work, and which apps and gadgets it will be compatible with. Google says Home's design was inspired by standard household items, like wine glasses. Home can also be customized by swapping out the base portion, which will be available in multiple colors. Google Home will support Spotify, Pandora, Google Play Music, and YouTube Music as well as a few other streaming services.

Nasa has announced that it has found evidence of flowing water on Mars. Scientists have long speculated that Recurring Slope Lineae -- or dark patches -- on Mars were made up of briny water but the new findings prove that those patches are caused by liquid water, which it has established by finding hydrated salts. Several hundred camped outside the London store in Covent Garden. The 6s will have new features like a vastly improved camera and a pressure-sensitive "3D Touch" display

Nasa has announced that it has found evidence of flowing water on Mars. Scientists have long speculated that Recurring Slope Lineae -- or dark patches -- on Mars were made up of briny water but the new findings prove that those patches are caused by liquid water, which it has established by finding hydrated salts. Several hundred camped outside the London store in Covent Garden. The 6s will have new features like a vastly improved camera and a pressure-sensitive "3D Touch" display

The Pixel and Pixel XL may look new on the outside, but just like grandma says, it's what's inside that counts. Google has tweaked the underlying software that powers the Pixels, baking its AI Assistant directly into the phones and launching them with Nougat 7.1. Assistant is Google's conversational AI helper, similar to Microsoft's Cortana or Apple's Siri. Assistant's machine learning capabilities already power Allo, Google's mobile-only messaging app, and it also shows up in products like Google Home. In Allo, Assistant allows users to search for things like directions, restaurant suggestions and weather conditions with conversational phrases, and it even suggests responses (a la Inbox).