Google Pixel Buds, Ford's Next Small Truck & More Product News By Gear Patrol

- Hey, I'm Nick Caruso and you're watching This Week in Gear. (upbeat music) Happy May everybody, it turns out that flowers and buds are not the only thing blossoming right now, we have a fresh, large batch of product news coming your way. And now we cover a lot of that on gearpatrol. com, and we can't touch every one of those stories here on This Week in Gear, but what I can do is deliver some of the highlights of just the best stories we've covered recently. We'll get to that in just a few minutes, but before that, I wanna make sure you check the description below if you have any more questions about any of the things we cover in this week's episode, I'll pop all the links to the stories we've covered down there. And you can also of course sign up to receive our newsletter, The Gear Patrol Dispatch, to get all these stories delivered directly to your inbox each day or on the weekends you get to choose, and you can subscribe here on YouTube to never miss any more video news and reviews and of course as always, we really welcome you to weigh in in the comments below.

If you have an opinion on one of the stories or products we'd cover this week, if you want to see different or more kinds of content or if you just wanna say hi, tell us where you're watching from, and I don't know comment on my shirt or something. You're more than welcome to do that, I hope you do. And with that, let's get started. (air whooshing) First up, we'll start with some tech news, and we'll start with Google, which you may or may not have heard of. They've just announced their second generation of the Pixel Puds, their earbuds, and they are apparently, according to our tech team the perfect answer to Apple AirPods.

- Google's first gen Pixel Buds were kind of a failure and there were a ton of issues to correct. Staff writer Tucker Bowe reviewed the new $179 Pixel Buds, same name, new generation and is happy to report that they are, as he put it, a heck of a lot better. Tucker goes on to say that the new Pixel Buds feature a terrifically small design and can pair almost instantly to any Pixel or Android smartphone. They have intuitive touch controls and premium features like sensors for ear detection, support for wireless charging, and an IP4 water resistance rating, as well as features that only Google can deliver like a conversation mode integrated with Google Translate. One thing Pixel Buds don't deliver on is excellent bass sound, but saving that, Android users your earbuds have arrived.

- Speaking of Apple, Apple just announced its newest MacBook Pro, and it turns out they gave it the one big fix it really, really desperately needed. - Apple announced a refreshed model of its 13 inch MacBook Pro and the big news is that it finally has the same magic keyboard that Apple has recently given its new MacBook Air and 16 inch MacBook Pro. Tucker is back and says that the new keyboards are quote, way clickier, travel more, and are just way more enjoyable to type on. Further this announcement means that Apple no longer sells any new laptops with the low travel butterfly switch keyboards, which the company has used for about five years now. So it's finally a good time to buy Apple's most popular sized MacBook Pro again, there's been no price increase, so the laptop starts at 1299.

- And now moving on to some automotive news from Ford, they've announced a cheap new pickup that slots under the Ranger pickup, and it turns out, it'll have a very familiar name. - By now you should know that Ford is poised to introduce an all new pickup truck that will slot below the already small Ranger. And that's exciting for a lot of reasons and rumors are already flying, namely, no pun intended, the name of the new vehicle. It appears the name will be one from Ford's past, Maverick. The only oddity here is that the original Ford Maverick from the 70s was a two or four-door car.

So if you like us can get over that incontinuity, the excitement will only build from here. - The next story will stick with that theme, this is our best look yet at Hyundai's cool new pickup truck. - Yes, Hyundai is set to come out with a small pickup of their own called the Santa Cruz. A recent spy shot reveals the bare metal body of the forthcoming Santa Cruz and it features four doors and the aggressive styling we've been expecting from concepts and renderings, and further verifies that the truck won't be a body-on-frame model like the Ranger or Tacoma. Think of the Santa Cruz as a lifestyle focused truck rather than a rock crawler.

We're eager to drive a complete version, are you? Let us know in the comments below what you think. - Moving on to timepieces, this may be the coolest new dive watch of 2020. - Ollech & Wajs is less than 70 years old, but has produced some of the most advanced tool watches of the past several decades. The brand's newest is called the Ocean Graph and it's a partial homage to another of the brand's watches from the 60s, which featured a decompression bezel. The Ocean Graph is run by an adjusted ETA 2824-2 movement.

It sits in a 39.56-millimeter case and is water resistant to 1000 meters. There are plenty of other serious dive watch features on the Ocean Graph, but perhaps the most impressive stat here is that you can pick one up in a Perlon strap for $1616 and add a Beads of Rice bracelet for just $146 more. - The next store we're gonna move on to the style world and I'm gonna read this headline verbatim because it's just too good to pass up. The headline is Levi's just launched these insane Japanese jeans and they're already sold out. - After Cone Mills White Oak Denim Plant shuttered in 2017, Levi's had to find another source for its top-shelf sub-label Levi's Vintage Clothing.

That source as it turns out, is Japan. Staff writer Gerald Ortiz writes that these jeans are based off the 1966, 501 model, a mid-rise Jean, with regular fit, and period-accurate details. The only difference, Gerald explains, is the Japanese involvement from its 12-ounce salvaged denim fabric to the famed Levi's red tab, which is written in Japanese, as are all of the branded buttons and rivets. The only problem though is that this run was limited to just 150 pairs, and they've already sold out. - Last story, if like me, you're a big bourbon fan, and you have almost no chance of getting your hands on any Pappy Van Winkle, well, it turns out you have a kind of a consolation prize out there if you're willing to compromise.

- Yes, this story is for those of us who will get a good buzz one way or another. Editor Will Price shared a bit of a secret with the world recently for folks who can't endure a long and arduous hunt for a bottle of actual Pappy Van Winkle bourbon, or afford to pay 10 times the retail price on Bourbon's black markets, you can find a substitute of sorts. Pappy & Company's Bourbon Barrel-Aged coffee is a $22 bag of beans, roasted by Louisville Kentucky's Good Folks Coffee and that are aged in ex Pappy barrels, lending them what the brand calls a mild hint of bourbon. Owned and operated by fourth generation Van Winkles, Pappy & Company also sells Pappy-adjacent classes, apparel, snacks, maple syrup, and more. - That's it for our top headlines this week, but the stories don't stop there.

You'll wanna follow along on social media in particular, on Instagram, and I'm gonna turn it over to Meg Lappe now who's gonna give a rundown of next week's Instagram stories schedule. - Hey guys, Meg Lappe here, to share with you everything we have going on next week on social. So first up, Monday we have Swim Trunks for Summer. It is a another magazine special that we turned into a beautiful Instagram story, so stay tuned for that. Tuesday, our tech writer Tucker Bowe is back to test more products.

This time it's the Google Pixel Buds 2, so send him any questions you have, he'll be sure to answer those next Tuesday. Wednesday, we've got more watches. You guys sent in the watches you're wearing at home and we will be sharing all of those plus links as to where to buy them. Thursday our motoring writer Tyler Duffy is taking out an Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio, that is a lot to say, but he'll be taking out that new car on Instagram stories, so send him over any questions and he'll get back to you on those. Friday, we're back with our Houseplants series.

This time designer Sherry Wang is gonna share one of the plants she has at home and how she's keeping it alive in her apartment. On Saturday, our creative director, Joe Tornatzky will be testing out an at-home pizza kit from one of the spots that we love here in New York City called Roberta's. He'll be sharing all of his tasting notes with us as well as what the process is like and how easy it is to make, so tune in for that next Saturday. That's everything we have going on next week on social if there's ever anything you wanna see or comments you have, don't hesitate to drop in our DMs and let us know what you think, thanks, guys. - Alright, that's it for this week's episode of This Week in Gear.

Hopefully you're up to date on all the best and new product news out there from the week. There's plenty more on gearpatrol. com, so make sure you head over there and check out the links below for all the stories we just talked about. Now it is spring, it's gorgeous outside, but remember, stay safe, stay distant, to keep everybody healthy, and well for now, I hope you have a great week. Thanks for watching, and we'll see you next time.

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Source : Gear Patrol