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Google shows how Android apps will run on your Chromebook
Google was quick to tout Chrome OS' upcoming support for Android apps during its I/O 2016 keynote, but how does it actually work in practice? You won't have to travel to Mountain View to find out: the search firm has posted the video of a developer presentation that shows how the Play Store and Android apps will run on your Chromebook. As a rule, it appears to be seamless. Android's intent system makes it relatively easy to share files between apps, while offline support will keep you entertained during those long flights. And yes, games appear to run smoothly.
Android will have password-free sign-ins by the end of 2016
Back in 2015, Google teased the prospect of Project Abacus, a sign-in approach for Android that ditches passwords in favor of a trust system that uses patterns (such as location, typing speed and voice) to verify your identity. But when is it coming out? Sooner than you might think, actually. In a low-key presentation at I/O 2016, Google revealed that Abacus should be in developers' hands by the end of the year. Multiple "very large financial institutions" will start trying it out in June, taking a big step forward from the university tests that began last year.
'Woorld' makes a strong argument for weird Project Tango apps
It's not hard to see how Google's Project Tango can be utilitarian. Need directions through a crowded mall? Easy. Want to learn more about art installations as you wander through a museum? Done. What's easier to miss is just how weird things can get when you're holding a device that can sense the very environment around you, but Funomena's new Tango game Woorld serves as a pretty good reminder.
Google wants make it easier to craft apps that go big
The Google Play Store serves over a billion users globally a month, so the potential for an app to go big is nothing to sneeze at. Alas, the chances of that actually happening is a different story, which is why Google has released a bunch of updates to help developers craft apps to make more of an impact.
Google controls a smartwatch with radar-powered finger gestures
Last year, Google gave us a taste of Project Soli, an effort to deliver radar-powered finger gesture control to wearables. Today, we got a closer look at how it could be implemented in real products, starting with a customized LG Urbane smartwatch. Google reps were able to control the watch simply by holding their fingers in front of it. As they moved closer, even more options opened up. As they moved away, the standard watch face returned. It's just a demo right now, but Soli could solve the problem of controlling smart devices with tiny screens (or with no screens at all).
Google aims to launch its consumer Project Ara phone in 2017
Despite some grim portents last year, Google's "Project Ara" modular smartphone is far from dead. For starters, it now has its own business unit within Google's mysterious Advanced Technology and Projects (ATAP) group, and the nearly magical modular hardware we've been anticipating for years is indeed getting closer. ATAP Head of Creative Blaise Bertrand confirmed at Google's I/O conference today that a new developer phone will be available in Q4 of this year with a "thin, light, beautiful" consumer Ara phone to follow in 2017.
Google and Levis are releasing their smart jacket early next year
Google and Levis announced a partnership at Google I/O last year that would bring "smart clothing" to the market using a technology codenamed Project Jacquard. The tech, which is basically composed of conductive fabric woven into the garment to create an interactive patch that senses touch, pressure and even your hand's position before you touch the fabric. It's a wild idea, and this year Google's Advanced Technology and Products (ATAP) group is showing it off in an upcoming product: the Levis Commuter jacket with Jacquard technology built right in.
Google's plans for VR are even more ambitious than we thought
In 2014, Google introduced Cardboard. It was literally just a cut-out piece of cardboard outfitted with Velcro strips, a pair of lenses and magnets. Insert your smartphone and voila, you got your very own VR View-Master. Though it seemed pretty silly at the time, Cardboard was Google's very first foray into virtual reality. Fast forward two years, and there's a whole cottage industry of Cardboard-compatible viewers -- not to mention lots of content made just for it. More than 5 million viewers have shipped and over 50 million Cardboard apps have been installed, as Google said at its keynote yesterday. Now, however, the company is ready for the next stage in its grand plan. Yesterday, Google announced Daydream, a platform that represents its most serious push yet into VR.
Google and Qualcomm put Android Auto in charge of this Maserati
It's not often you get to sit in a Maserati. And I never thought I'd get the chance at a developer conference, of all places. But here at I/O, Google and Qualcomm have outfitted a Maserati with an entirely unique Android Auto setup. Just like a Tesla, this vehicle has a massive 4K touchscreen in place of a typical console, and there's another 720p display where the speedometer typically sits.
Up close with the Moto G4 Plus, the best from a puzzling new lineup
I've been spending my time here at Google I/O hoping to catch a Google exec pull a supersecret VR headset out of a coat pocket. Instead I ran into one using Motorola's new Moto G4 Plus -- the highest-end of the three new Moto G models announced earlier this week. Said exec was surprisingly cool about letting me give a personal phone the full hands-on treatment too. After a few minutes of play time, I can say that Motorola once again has an impressive device on its hands. It's too bad, though, that a confusing lineup of Moto Gs suggest Motorola's priorities have shifted in some unsettling ways.
Google is helping MIT update its programming language for kids
MIT is teaming up with Google to create the next generation of its popular visual programming language "Scratch." The partners are working on an open source version of the language called "Scratch Blocks" based on Blockly, Google's own visual programming code. It will teach kids how to code by using blocks that snap together either horizontally or vertically like Lego. Scratch for older kids only used vertical blocks on the past, but MIT found that horizontal orientation suits mobile devices much better. The partners released a developer preview of the horizontal version at Google I/O this year.
Are you an Android N beta tester?
Sure, Google only proclaimed its newest build of Android N a "beta-quality" candidate yesterday, but that's more than enough time to formulate a hot take. With the new method of announcing and testing releases extremely early, the folks at Mountain View have made enrolling as a beta tester incredibly easy -- if you own a compatible device (Nexus 6, Nexus 9, Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P, Nexus Player, Pixel C, General Mobile 4G) then you can click a button on this website to dive in. Of course, if you haven't already enrolled, the usual warnings still apply. This test software still has some issues to work out, and if you decide it's not for you, then going back to Marshmallow will require a full device wipe so keep your important data backed up elsewhere. Surely some of you have already taken the plunge, so click below and let us know how it's going -- or what's holding you back.
Chromebooks beat Mac sales in early 2016
According to research firm IDC, more Google Chromebooks were sold in the first quarter of 2016 than all of Apple's Mac line. The milestone marked the first time Google's Chrome OS moved more units than OS X in the United States.
YouTube is Google's not-so-secret weapon in the VR wars
If virtual reality is going to take off the way Google, Facebook, Samsung, Sony and a host of other smaller players think it will, it's going to need great content. Video games, Oculus' first focus, are a logical place to start, but it's clear now that VR will also need mainstream video content if it's going to be a hit. That puts YouTube -- and by extension, Google -- in a pretty strong position of power. When the company's just-announced Daydream VR experience starts arriving in the hands of consumers later this year, a brand-new YouTube VR app will be front and center.
Android apps will know when you need them and open automatically
That slab of plastic and glass in your pocket might be called a smartphone, but Google is hoping to make the applications running on it smarter yet. The folks in Mountain View hope to achieve that by giving them access to contextual data like time of day, where you are, what you're doing, the weather and if you have headphones plugged in. Oh, and if there are any Physical Web devices (beacons) near by. A post on the Google Developers blog says that combining the aforementioned data would allow an app to, say, suggest a playlist when you plug in headphones and go for a run.
Google has big plans for Daydream VR but not much to show
Google revealed the Daydream VR platform at its I/O conference yesterday, and even though the company is definitely building a headset itself, there's nothing for us to get our hands on just yet. Daydream is a complete VR ecosystem from Google, starting with software baked into Android N and ending in partnerships with Samsung, HTC, LG, Alcatel and other major brands. Google has drawn up reference designs for Daydream hardware, including a Wiimote-like controller with a clickable touchpad. Engadget's Chris Velazco walks through the Daydream details in the above video. For all the latest news and updates from Google I/O 2016, follow along here.
What the hell is Google Assistant?
Google Assistant is a conversational successor to Google Now. But it's also a competitor to the chatbots we're seeing from Microsoft and Facebook. And of course, it's also being positioned to take on Amazon's Alexa and its Echo speaker. Assistant in many ways looks like the future of Google, but at this point it's also pretty confusing. Engadget's Chris Velazco tries to figure sort out what it means in the video above.
Please don't send me Smart Replies
Yesterday, Google announced Allo, a new AI-powered messaging app. One of its key features is Smart Reply, which makes use of Google's machine learning tech to suggest responses if you don't feel like typing for whatever reason. Similar to the Smart Reply feature in Inbox, it's apparently clever enough to learn from your behavior, allowing it to make better and more relevant suggestions over time. While this seems like a neat feature at first, I ultimately wouldn't want any of my friends to use it in a conversation with me. In fact, I'd feel pretty insulted.
Why Google can't stop making messaging apps
Google has announced three new communication apps this week: Spaces, Allo and Duo. That's in addition to the three it already has. To understand why it's doing this, and why it'll do it again, we only need to look to its past.
Google will sell its own Daydream VR headset
When Google developed its popular line of Nexus phones and tablets, it didn't just give the reference designs to third parties and hope for the best: It built and sold its own hardware to showcase just what those designs could achieve. The company announced on Thursday that it will take the same tack with its newly unveiled Daydream VR hardware. That's right, Google is going to build its own line of Daydream headsets and controllers to show third-party developers how it's done.
