Google I/O 2016 – Everything You Need To Know
The Silicon Valley giant’s annual developer conference, Google I/O 2016 successfully took place at Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California from May 18th to 20th. The event which was introduced to the world in 2013 has since been one of the most anticipated three-day events in Silicon Valley with many successful attendees comparing. And this year was no exception at all. The entire event was on live stream, and in case you missed it, we have put together all the major announcements. Here is everything you need to know about Google I/O 2016
1. Google Allo and Duo
Google Allo seems to be inspired by WhatsApp since it is a phone-number based chatting app which has features like end-to-end encryption and incognito chat. It can initiate predictive messages and users can directly send replies by sliding.
Google Duo on the other hand will remind you of Apple’s Facetime. But users can see the person calling them even before they have picked up the call.
2. New Google Home
The central hub for Google Assistant is the Google Home which also works through voice recognition. It might sound a lot like Siri, but one thing that separates this from Siri is the fact that it collects information and learns user patterns on its own. For example after a week or two, it will learn your office location and what time you leave, Google Home will then update with the time it would take for you to reach office in the current traffic.
3. Google Assistant Was Revamped
With the new update, Google Assistant cannot just run with other apps but it can also interact with the user in a more casual manner. According to the company, it is like a personal Google for every user. The Assistant can also predict what users would typically type or look for on their phone.
4. The Release of Android N
Android N’s beta release for developers was already announced on Android’s official blog two months ago. But Sundar Pichai took the stage to explain more about this much anticipated Android platform that has been specifically made for developers. The final version is expected to be released by the end of the year.
5. Instant Apps
This is probably one of the most innovative and helpful feature introduced by Google. If a user sends a link to an app that you don’t have installed on your system, then instead of explicitly installing the app, Android will automatically install only the needed modules from the app to display the information.
6. Yet to be Released Project Tango
Project Tango will be a range of smartphones developed in collaboration with Lenovo and Google. All of these smartphones will run on Android N. Though the devices were not officially launched this year, a lot of sessions were spent explaining what these phones can actually do. With two-thirds of the apps for Project Tango as games, it is expected that these smartphones will mainly target gamers.
7. Daydream VR
Previously known as Android VR, Daydream VR provides a standard VR interface for all the Android phones. It is Google’s own version of affordable mobile virtual reality.
Android N will feature a separate VR mode and there are reports that a lot of other major mobile manufacturers like Samsung, HTC, Xiaomi and Asus are already on board for this.
8. More Apps for Chrome OS
While some people might be expecting Google to fold back Chrome OS, it doesn’t seem like it will happen soon, especially after Chromebooks outsold Macs for the first time this year.
Google made a huge announcement and said that millions of Android apps are coming to Chrome OS. Basically, users will be able to use PlayStore on Google’s operating system.
9. Android Wear 2.0
This was one of the most expected announcements from Google as they introduced the new Android Wear 2.0. This will support standalone apps, which means users will no longer have to pair their smartphones to their Android watches.
But this also means that smartwatches would be equipped with SIMs to ensure data connectivity when Wifi is not available. Apart from the interface overhaul, the new update will also add handwriting and keyboard recognition.
Which was your favourite part of Google I/O 2016?