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Android O focuses on reducing boot time and battery drain
In an effort to make apps run better and with greater security on Android O, Google has unveiled Vitals during its Google I/O keynote. One key aspect called Google Play Protect provides "comprehensive security services for Android," as we've detailed in a separate post. The other part is around OS optimizations, a new effort to keep your apps running more smoothly and prevent them from excessively draining your battery.
Samsung's Galaxy S8 will work with Daydream VR this summer
Perhaps you were excited about playing with Google's Daydream VR headsets but never bought one of Google's very own Pixel phones (or a handful of other niche Android options). Fortunately, you'll have some more familiar phone choices later this year, with a software update bringing Daydream compatibility to both Samsung's Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus as well as a yet-untitled LG flagship device coming later this year. As Google notes, this will bring the number of compatible devices to 11 by the end of the year. Wait, no new Daydream Views headset? Well, not yet.
Android Go is streamlined for cheap phones
It's no secret that Google has been working on improving its apps and operating system for those using less-powerful devices or unreliable connections. It's optimized its apps to use less data and memory, but now it's expanding its focus across the OS. At its developer conference today, Google previewed a version of something the company has been calling Android Go, and it's supposed to work well even on devices with less than 1GB of onboard memory. Google says Go will ship "as an experience" in 2018, which means manufacturers will potentially start making handsets with the lighter OS after that.
Android O adds Notification Dots to your app icons
If you have an Android phone, you probably live through the notification panel. The bite-size alerts become a to-do list of sorts, summarizing which apps and messages require your attention. With Android O, Google is giving the experience a bit of a revamp. "Notification Dots" are small, circular blobs that sit on top of your app icons. They'll only appear when you have an unread notification -- long-tap and you'll get a quick preview in the form of speech-like bubbles. You can either tap them to jump right in or drag down from the top of the screen (as normal) to get a better look.
Live from Google's 2017 I/O keynote!
We got here a little too early, but the fatigue will be worth it. Google's I/O developer conference kicks off today with a 1.5 hour keynote address that'll shed a whole lot more light on the company's updated vision of computing. Naturally, we're gonna liveblog the hell out of it.
Watch the Google I/O 2017 keynote right here!
Last week we heard the latest Windows plans from Microsoft at Build and now it's Google's turn. The company kicks off its annual Google I/O developers conference today at 1PM ET and we'll bring you all the news as it's announced from the stage. As always, you can complement your livestream experience with witty commentary and real-time analysis via our liveblog starting at the aforementioned time. For your convenience though, we've embedded the YouTube livestream down below so you don't have to go looking for it yourself. Until then, familiarize yourself with what we expect to hear more about in our Google I/O 2017 preview.
Google I/O 2017 returns to Mountain View from May 17th - 19th
Once again, Google isn't straying too far from its home turf for its annual I/O conference. Like last year it'll be held at Mountain View's Shoreline Amphitheatre. It'll be a bit around the same time again too, running from May 17th to the 19th, according to 9to5 Google. The tech juggernaut is going about this reveal in a rather nerdy way, too.
Here are all the highlights from the Google I/O 2016 keynote
Originally it was about two hours; now it's under 12 minutes. With help from our video team, we've distilled, titrated, evaporated and reconstituted Google's annual keynote into something a little more palatable. Learn about Google's VR plans, Android N and Google Home, the company's Amazon Echo competitor. Run through it all in the highlight reel above. For all the latest news and updates from Google I/O 2016, follow along here.
Google's Daydream controller is a Wiimote for VR
Google's new Android VR platform, Daydream, wouldn't be complete without a sleek input system for its headsets and mobile devices. That's where this little white controller comes into play. At the company's I/O keynote this morning, Google VP of Virtual Reality Clay Bavor showed off the new controller, which includes two buttons and a smooth, clickable touchpad at the tip. It functions a lot like Nintendo's Wii remote, using an orientation sensor that allows users to flick a magic wand, fling projectiles, flip flapjacks and perform other motion-enabled tasks in VR.
The new Android N preview is more stable and updates itself
Google surprised us all with an Android N developer preview two months before its annual I/O developer conference, and then it updated the software a few weeks ago with new performance-enhancing features. Now, as revealed during this morning's keynote, there's yet another update for you bold souls who crave bleeding-edge software.
Watch Google's I/O keynote right here, right now
Google's big I/O keynote kicks off at 1PM ET live from the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California. We expect big news about Android N (including its actual, probably delicious name), a look at the future of Chrome OS, fresh information on Android Wear and even some news about Android VR. Follow along with our liveblog right here, and watch the keynote with us in the video below.
'Android VR' confirmed by Google developer site
It looks nearly certain that Google will launch an Android-powered VR headset that works without a phone or PC. Android Police spotted an "Android VR" placeholder in Google's Play Developer Console, and Engadget co-founder Peter Rojas (now an entrepreneur at investment firm Betaworks) tweeted that "Android VR will be definitely be announced next week" (at Google I/O). Rojas added that the device will be a "standalone" headset that doesn't require a phone, and will obviously be less powerful than the HTC Vive or Oculus Rift models that are tethered to a PC.
Google's own interpretation of Amazon's Echo is coming soon
All of a sudden, it's as if everyone is working on voice-controlled personal assistants, and reports suggest that Google's version of something similar to Amazon's Echo could land as soon as the Google I/O event next week -- which would make sense. According to sources at Recode, it's currently being developed under the codename, Chirp.
Pichai unveiled Cardboard before seeing the final design
Deep within a long, expansive profile piece about Google's CEO Sundar Pichai, BuzzFeed's Mat Honan has offered a fresh tidbit about the unveiling of Google Cardboard. Clay Bavor, VP for virtual reality at Google, says he was summoned to Pichai's office in 2014, eight and a half weeks before the company's I/O developer conference. Pichai was impressed with Bavor's work and told him to get Cardboard ready for a launch at the event.
With Android Pay, Google gets mobile payments right
Even though Google started the whole mobile payment thing years ago with Google Wallet, it never really took off with the masses. Google's newly announced Android Pay, however, might. Just like Google Wallet, Android Pay lets you simply tap your phone on an NFC terminal to make a purchase, but with a little less hassle -- there's no need to enter in a PIN to enable payments. In addition, Google is also allowing Android Pay to be integrated in apps like Lyft, Grubhub and Wish, so users can easily use that to pay for things. I just used Android Pay here at Google I/O, and I can say this: If it's as easy to use in real life, then I suspect mobile payments are about to be a lot more ubiquitous.
What's on tap for Google at I/O 2015
We're coming down to the wire now: Google I/O 2015 is just a few days away, and we'll be liveblogging and reporting from the ground as soon as the festivities begin. Don't let its reputation as a developer bonanza fool you, though. There's going to be no shortage of workshops and code review sessions, but I/O is also where Google takes time to update its vision of the future for the people who will ultimately help build it. Of course, it's not all starry-eyed speeches and technical breakdowns -- this is, after all, the sort of show that featured a live streaming Google Hangout with four dudes who jumped out of a zeppelin. We can't account for whatever crazy, spectacular bits the folks in Mountain View might be working on, but we do have a taste of what to expect when the show starts in earnest this Thursday.
Google reportedly building an OS for the Internet of Things
The Information reports that Google is working on a new Android-based operating system to run specifically on the emerging class of low-power devices, aka the Internet of Things. This new OS, dubbed "Brillo", is supposedly quite petite and may require as little as 32 or 64 megabytes of RAM to run. This marks a significant departure for Google considering its latest Android build demanded at least 512MB of RAM. However there's a lot to be gained by being the OS that drives out smart bulbs, thermostats and locks. Not only does it free OEMs from having to design their own IoT communications schemes, it should also strongly position the Mountain View-based company as the invisible backbone of tomorrow's smart home. If this rumor is indeed true, Google will likely announce it at next week's I/O developers conference. Stay tuned.
Google holds its next I/O developer conference on May 28th and 29th
Attention, Google fans: the company's big developer conference is kicking off early this year. The internet giant has announced that I/O 2015 will take place on May 28th and 29th, about a month ahead of where it was in 2014. Sign-ups start at noon Eastern on March 17th, although the company is once again running on a lottery system that picks guests at random. As for what's going to show? Google isn't saying anything yet, but there's bound to be talk of Android's rapidly growing ecosystem, Chrome developments and internet services aplenty. What do you hope Google will show? Let us know what you think! [Image credit: Stephen Lam/Getty Images]
You can buy an 'unofficial' Google Cardboard VR kit for 20 bucks
At the end of Google's keynote yesterday, Sundar Pichai announced that all I/O attendees would receive either an LG or Samsung Android Wear device, along with Moto 360 when it becomes available later this summer. But he also offered up an unexpected gift... the slide read #cardboard (yes, with the hashtag) and Pichai held up a small brown square, barely large enough to accommodate a thin book for shipping purposes -- but Google had something else in mind. Once assembled, #cardboard serves as a head-mounted 3D viewer, using your own smartphone and a pair of integrated lenses to create the effect.
Android TV is Google's latest shot at entertainment glory (hands-on)
For Android, smartphones and tablets are only the beginning. Google believes that there are so many other categories of hardware that could benefit from its mobile OS, so it announced that it's building extensions of Android onto the TV, car and smartwatch. Each genre will require special hardware to be truly beneficial, but the former may have the greatest potential in terms of reach -- after all, more people are looking for a solid television-watching experience than putting a "computer" on their wrist, and it's going to be a long time before Android Auto goes mainstream. Sadly, TV is also an area that Google has struggled with in the past (see Google TV), so it's hoping that lightning will strike with its latest effort, called Android TV. We had a chance to check out the company's first official piece of hardware, simply called the ADT-1. Since it's a developer kit, you won't be able to buy it -- but that won't be an issue once manufacturers begin selling their consumer-facing devices later this fall. Naturally, the version we checked out is considered pre-production, so a lot of things will likely change between now and its final release, but at least we have a good idea of what to expect from the experience.
