Google I/O 2016 was held yesterday, it is Google’s Annual developer conference where the company’s top execs get on stage to discuss what’s coming next from the tech giant. Lots of interesting announcements were made and we have them summarized here in case you missed it.
Google assistant
The assistant is conversational—an ongoing two-way dialogue between you and Google that understands your world and helps you get things done. This advance intelligent assistant is built on machine learning and artificial intelligence especially in areas such as natural language processing, voice recognition and translation. It makes it easy to buy movie tickets on the go, to find that perfect restaurant for your family to grab a quick bite before the movie starts, and then help you navigate to the theater.
The assistant is an ambient experience that will work seamlessly across devices and contexts.
Google Home
Google Home is a voice-activated product that brings the Google assistant to any room in your house. It lets you enjoy entertainment, manage everyday tasks, and get answers from Google—all using conversational speech.
Errhhhh!!!! Google Home is not available yet but will be released later this year.
Allo and Duo
Google introduced two new messaging apps, Allo and Duo, obviously to compete favourably with the like of Facebook messenger, whatsapp. We know that Google’s Hangout isn’t doing so well when compared with other messaging platforms and Google is trying to change that.
Allo is a new messaging app that also comes complete with the Google assistant, so you can interact with it directly in your chats, either one-on-one or with friends. Because the assistant understands your world, you can ask for things like your agenda for the day or photos from your last trip. If you’re planning a dinner with friends, you can ask the assistant to suggest restaurants nearby, all in one thread.
Allo includes Smart Reply, which suggests responses to messages based on context, thanks to chat bot power and sport machine language. It also comes with fun ways to make your chats more expressive, including emojis, stickers, and the ability to get creative with photos. There’s also an Incognito mode that provides end-to-end encryption, discreet notifications, and message expiration.
In addition to Allo, Duo was announced to take care of video calling. Duo is a companion app similar to Facetime for one-to-one video calling. Duo promises to make video calling faster and smoother even on slower network speeds. Google included a feature called Knock Knock, which gives a live video of the other caller before you answer. However cool this feature is, it has generated mixed reactions on Twitter and it could be terrible if the caller is trying to give a sneak peek at their genitals.
This “knock knock” feature of Duo seems really dumb and easily abused. Imagine dick pics in places you shouldn’t see that shit from.
— KACL, Seattle (@poke493) May 18, 2016
Knock knock in google’s new video app Duo is going to take unsolicited dick pics to a whole new level 🙁
— focalintent (@focalintent) May 18, 2016
Taking a cue from Whatsapp and other existing messaging platform, both Allo and Duo are based on your phone number, so you can communicate with anyone regardless of whether they’re on Android or iOS. Both apps are not available but you can pre-register on the app store.
Android N, Wear, VR, and Instant Apps
Duhh!! I know you are waiting for it but sorry, the next version of Android, Android N doesn’t have a name yet. Google needs your help coming up with a name N which will succeed Marshmallow. Features of Android N includes better performance for graphics and effects, reduced battery consumption and storage, background downloads of system updates, and streamlined notifications. I suggested Nutella. You can suggest a name here: Android.com/N.
One of our biggest expectations was to hear what Google has in stock for VR beyond cardboard but hey, there is no VR headset yet, the announcement was a VR platform called Daydream
Google said that there will be Daydream-enabled devices of different shapes and sizes, there will be Daydream-ready smartphone specs, listing the specific sensors, display resolutions, and chipsets necessary for the best Daydream experience.
Some apps and games will be coming to Daydream too, including Google’s—like YouTube, Street View, Play Movies, Google Photos and the Play Store.
Android Wear 2.0 was also previewed to include a revamped user experience and standalone apps that run right on the watch, no matter where your phone is or even if it’s off.
Finally, Google introduced Android Instant Apps—which let you run Android apps instantly, without having to install the particular app.