Google's Live Cases for your phone integrate with your Pixel's wallpaper

By Julian Chokkattu Published November 17, 2016

Enjoying your new Pixel smartphone? If you still haven’t gotten a case for it, Google has two new Live Cases and they go a little further than just protecting your phone.

The Google Earth Live Case uses satellite imagery from Google Earth to envelope the exterior of your Pixel with beautiful landscapes. But like the Earth View Chrome Browser extension that adds a gorgeous satellite image on the New Tab page, the Earth Live Case connects with the Wallpapers app on the Pixel to offer a new location every day “from a curated collection of images from Google Earth.”

Recommended Videos

You will be able to tap the NFC shortcut button on the back of the case to explore the day’s location on Google Maps. Unfortunately, while the locations may seem endless for your phone’s wallpaper, the case only comes in three designs — Antartica, Ceel Dheer, and Moindou. At the moment, only Moindou is available.

google — Image used with permission by copyright holder

The second new option is the Google Trends Live Case. Case wise, it is a little more dull as you only get two gradient color choices — Sunset and Asphalt. But what is unique about the Trends case is the companion wallpaper that “charts the top trending Google searches,” on your home screen. The wallpaper visualizes these searches and you can tap the NFC button on the back of the case to get more details on what you are seeing.

At $50, both the Trends and Earth cases are $10 more than other live cases, such as the collection from Jeremy Scott or the ones you can make yourself.

You can purchase the cases from the Google Store online, or from Verizon and Best Buy in the U.S.

Julian Chokkattu

Former Mobile and Wearables Editor

Julian is the mobile and wearables editor at Digital Trends, covering smartphones, fitness trackers, smartwatches, and more…

Topics

Phones

Opera’s growth shows users will switch browsers when given a choice

Turns out people love having options, and Opera is reaping the rewards.

Opera browser open on iPhone

When was the last time you thought about switching your phone's browser? For a long time, most people just stuck with whatever came preinstalled, which was Safari on iPhone and Google Chrome on Android. But Opera's latest numbers suggest that changing, and the company is riding a nice wave of growth.

In a blog post, Opera shared that the combined monthly active users of its Android and iOS browsers grew 66% in the UK and 40% in the US year over year during the second quarter. That’s a big jump in two of the most competitive markets out there.

Phones

It’s hot out there, but please stop putting your warm phones in the fridge

That viral trick of putting your phone in the fridge is a bad idea

Representative Image

Every summer, social media rediscovers the same "life hack": if your phone gets too hot, stick it in the fridge for a few minutes. It sounds logical. Refrigerators are cold. Phones are hot. Problem solved. Except it isn't. Repair technicians, smartphone manufacturers, and safety experts all agree this is one of the worst things you can do to an overheating phone. While the trick might cool the exterior temporarily, it can quietly create a much bigger problem inside the device - one that could permanently damage components or shorten the life of its battery.

According to a new BBC report, the latest warning comes from a UK phone repair shop, but it's one experts have been repeating for years.

Phones

Made by Google August 2026: Everything we expect from the Pixel 11 launch event

Tensor G6. Gemini Intelligence. Higher prices. Google's biggest hardware event in years lands August 12, and here's what every major leak tells us to expect.

Google Pixel 10 Pro in the official silicon case

The next three months will define the future of the smartphone market across the globe. As three of the most important handset makers gear up to unveil the next generation of foldables and flagships, the memory crisis is worsening with each passing quarter, pushing up phone prices across every segment.

We have Samsung going live on July 22, 2026, with its latest foldables, followed by Apple’s new CEO, John Ternus, revealing the iPhone 18 Pro and the first foldable iPhone in September (like they do every year). However, the middle month — August — is when Google finally hosts its “Made by Google” launch event, a hardware-focused event that will unveil the Pixel 11 series.