I don't often pay attention to dev-conferences these days, but every so often something catches my eye.  This time around it was Google's annual I/O event where new devices were announced.  The Pixel 7a looks interesting. It looks like a solid replacement for my aging Moto Z3, but it's still a slab of glass.  It seems like a lot of the cool stuff for this phone is under the hood in Android and other related services

So far I haven't been keen on any of the foldable devices (e.g. the new moto razr or the samsung fold) because the folding elements don't seem to add anything. However, the Pixel Fold  is a phone that I am legitimately excited about.  The last time I remember being this excited about a phone was 2000, and I kept checking the listing as CarPhoneWarehouse in the UK (or some similar retailer) to see when the device would be finally released. That kind of device would not be available in the US, so I needed to import it.  It cost me $1000 + import tax, but I basically got one of the first UIQ devices, which worked well for a number of years! Smartphone before the iPhone.  The price of the fold seems hefty ($1800), but I guess accounting for inflation, it cost the same as my P800.

Finally, the new Pixel tablet: similar to phones, I don't get too excited about tablets, My six-year-old Samsung SM-T820 still works (albeit a bit slow).  One of the things I like about this tablet is the integration between devices (phone to tablet), and with the included charging stand, the tablet becomes a smart appliance (sort of like a Nest device). I haven't been tempted to change my Samsung device, but this might be useful functionality.  I do wonder how the pixel works if there's a case on it.  I would, presumably, want to take this device out of the home.