Google's Pixel Buds series has always been a worthy companion for its Pixel phones. The company only lacks a set of over-ear headphones to offer similar options to what Apple provides for iPhone users. Of course, Google got a later start than its rival, but like its Silicon Valley counterpart, the company has designed its earbuds to work best with its own devices. You'll need both a phone and earbuds from Google to get the best features. That's unlikely to change anytime soon.

In 2017 we set out to sort the substance from the sensation in our first hype vs. impact article, as shown in the infographic below. In 2022 we revisit our predictions and set out our stall for the future. Thankfully the majority of our 2017 predictions have come to fruition with AI, big data, IoT, usage-based and telematics insurance all continuing to have an impact. As predicted, other areas have not been so lucky and have, therefore been dropped from our 2022 assessment. Self-driving vehicles: Autonomous vehicles saw huge hype in 2017 but with predictably little impact since, given the complexity of getting to mass adoption.

Britain's largest auto insurer, Direct Line, has been offering Tesla owners a sweet-sounding deal for the last few months: Enable Autopilot, the semi-autonomous driver-assist system, and get five percent off your yearly insurance premium. When the insurer announced the inducement in December, Tesla owners nearly broke the internet, as they rushed to crow, assuming they too were in line for a similar financial windfall. One problem is that this discount isn't coming to America, for reasons we'll explain. But there's another surprising fact to consider: The cost of auto insurance in the driverless age might just increase, even though the number of crashes decreases. Direct Line's stated goal with this Tesla initiative is to encourage the use of the semi-autonomous (SAE Level 2/3) system in the United Kingdom.

Engineers have been spotted testing a prototype drone that should allow Amazon packages to be dropped off safely. The prototype was seen being lowered up and down by a huge crane as tests are carried out to ensure the drone can avoid obstacles and land safely in gardens. Seattle-based Amazon is believed to be testing its sophisticated'sense and avoid' technology at a secret location in the Cambridgeshire countryside. Seattle-based Amazon is believed to be testing its sophisticated'sense and avoid' technology This would enable the drones to eventually fly for ten miles at 400ft (121m) and carry packages of up to 5lbs (2.2kg) to people's homes in under 30 minutes. The size of the drones is unknown, with various shapes and sizes being tested, but some have been estimated as measuring between 17 and 25 inches wide.

A lifeboat crew is trialling drones for use in sea search and rescue operations in what is thought to be a world first. The independent lifeboat service at Caister, near Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, has a fleet of drones fitted with lights and cameras which feed live video footage back to screens on the boat. This gives the lifeboat crew a better view of the water, and helps them find a person more quickly - potentially the difference between life and death. The drones launch from the front of the boat and perform an automatic box search around it. This gives the lifeboat crew a better view of the water, and helps them find a person more quickly - potentially the difference between life and death.

There is increasing speculation that customer service and possibly whole marketing functions could be replaced with bots. Artificial intelligence is already used in the insurance quotation process to assist consumers in tailoring their policy. On top of that, blockchain (essentially a tamper-proof way to store and share personal data) could fundamentally change how customer relationships are managed. For example, imagine if a lifetime of driving data was held as a blockchain to demonstrate a driver's risk, superseding the quotation process altogether: it could help beat fraud and change the face of the insurance industry. It is obvious to see how bots and AI could make life much easier for consumers by eliminating the mundane and facilitating enjoyment and fulfilment.