Google Assistant takes centerstage at Google's gadget event

Google chief executive Sundar Pichai proclaimed Tuesday that we're evolving from a mobile-first world to an "AI-first world" -- and, of course, that Google is going to be at the forefront of that evolution. But to do that, Google is investing heavily in mobile -- specifically, smartphones. The tech giant introduced two new phones, the 5-inch Pixel and the 5.5-inch Pixel XL, at a San Francisco keynote event. The phones boast a camera that Google said earned a top rating for a smartphone camera, an unlimited amount of online photo storage, and a battery that gives you seven hours of battery life from just 15 minutes of charging. The new Pixel phones carry branding that identify them as "Phone by Google," which is a departure from the old Nexus "partner" branding but a crucial turn in what the company is trying to do: owning the phones as its own.