Google expected to unveil its second generation Pixel smartphone on October 4

GOOGLE has strongly hinted it will unveil its second generation Pixel smartphone next month — and did so with some strange questions.

GOOGLE has released a new campaign strongly hinting it will unveil its second generation Pixel smartphone on October 4.

It’s expected the company will use the event in three weeks’ time to launch its sophomore device to compete with Samsung’s premium smartphones and the forthcoming iPhone X, unveiled this week.

Invitations to the event in San Francisco advised recipients to follow its @madebygoogle Twitter account. The MadeByGoogle phrase was rolled out with the original Pixel phone last year to refer to the fact it was the first time Google created both the software and hardware of a smartphone.

The account features a rather strange video imagining all the incessant and neurotic questions angry smartphone customers furiously type into Google when their smartphone forsakes them.

Questions like: “Why is my phone so dumb?”, “Why is my smartphone so cruel?” and “Why doesn’t my phone understand me?”

For those apparently grappling with such existential questions, Google then suggest to wait until October.

Answers are coming. October 4. pic.twitter.com/3CQrBcwi47

— Made by Google (@madebygoogle) September 14, 2017

Back in July, tech publication Android Police published photos which it claimed showed what the new Pixel XL device will look like.

The image was based on information from a source it said was “extremely reliable” and claimed the phone will ship with a “squeezable” frame.

It would mean users of the device would be able to simply squeeze the phone to interact with Google Assistant (the company’s equivalent to Apple’s Siri) and carry out various tasks.

Exclusive: This is the 2017 Google Pixel "XL," with low-bezel AMOLED display and squeezable frame https://t.co/oAY97Rp73s pic.twitter.com/JZAZoAQrfJ

— Android Police (@AndroidPolice) July 11, 2017

If the rumours are true, it wouldn’t be the first squeezable phone on the market. Earlier this year, HTC debuted its U11 smartphone. A short or long squeeze on the side of the HTC U11 can be set up to trigger different actions — such as firing up the camera or launching Google Maps or messages.

Within apps the same gestures can be used for shortcuts such as taking a photo, zooming in on a map or dictating a message.

A key use of the feature, known as Edge Sense, is the ability to take selfies by squeezing the device.

Originally published as Google expected to unveil its second generation Pixel smartphone on October 4