Google announces new products, increased privacy pledge

(NBC News) – The next generation of Google is on display this week at the company’s developer conference.

Google unveiled a line of lower-cost Pixel smartphones and the Google Nest Hub Max, a new smart home device with a built-in camera.

They’re also updating the virtual Assistant powering its devices, with the aim to make life’s little tasks easier by learning more about you.

“In order for the system to understand what you’re saying, it needs to understand your world,” explains Google’s Manuel Bronstein.

That means understanding what your voice sounds like, who your family members are and even what you like to eat.

Those improvements in products and services come with a growing amount of information from users.

Google is promising to protect that information.

“They stressed a lot about privacy. I guess shouldn’t come as a surprise given increasing skepticism we have as consumers about these tech companies and just how much data they have,” says CNET’s Roger Cheng.

Google is adding new security features that make it easier to access privacy settings across platforms, and assuring consumers that the control is in their hands.

Many of the new privacy features are available now.