googleio2016
Latest
Android Apps and the Play Store are coming to Chrome OS this year
Google CEO Sundar Pichai was handed the reins of Android in early 2013, putting him in charge of both Chrome and the company's mobile OS. Ever since then, rumors have swirled that Google would look to merge its two distinct operating systems into a unified whole. Those picked up steam this past fall, and indeed Google is finally unveiling some closer ties between Chrome OS and Android. But that doesn't mean Chrome OS is going away. Quite the opposite, in fact: This year, Google's browser-based operating system will become compatible with the million-plus Android apps available in the Google Play Store. The company accidentally revealed its plans yesterday, but a session this morning at Google I/O makes it official.
Google's Android-powered VR platform supports Unreal games
Yesterday during Google's annual I/O keynote, the company made a point of mentioning that Electronic Arts and Ubisoft -- two of the biggest third-party game studios -- were working on projects for Google's new virtual reality platform, Daydream. Now the company is ready to announce another: Epic Games. The latest version of the company's powerful and ubiquitous game-design toolset, Unreal Engine 4, is coming to Google's next-gen mobile VR system. For developers it ensures easy porting of existing apps to Daydream with little extra work required. For consumers, it means higher-quality mobile VR experiences, and maybe more of them too.
Google is working with IMAX on a cinema-quality 3D camera
Remember last year's I/O, when Google revealed JUMP? It was a VR content creation system consisting of a camera rig made from 16 GoPros and some incredibly smart cloud-based processing and sharing software. Fast forward a year later. Google's Clay Bavor revealed today at the company's developer conference that Hollywood was fascinated by JUMP too, and that Google is now working on a cinema-quality 3D camera rig in partnership with IMAX.
See Google's version of a VR future in today's livestream
It's day two of Google's annual I/O developer conference and by now we've gotten a taste of the company's plans for the future of messaging apps, home assistants and virtual reality. Today, VP of Virtual Reality Clay Bavor takes the stage for a deep dive into Google's VR history and its plans going forward. Perhaps we'll hear more about Android N's VR mode, Google's Daydream VR platform or its hardware goals. The event kicks off at 12PM ET in the video embedded below.
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 isn't abandoning Hangouts for its new chat apps
The launch of Google's new mobile-only chat apps Allo and Duo doesn't mean death for Hangouts. A spokesperson told Business Insider that the company is "continuing to invest in Hangouts" and that "it will remain a standalone product." While these two new applications might make the company's messaging products seem convoluted to the average user, they cater to different audiences. As BI notes, Hangouts is a cross-platform app tied with Google's enterprise offerings, and offices will most likely continue using it.
Google I/O schedule leaks info on Android apps for Chrome OS
It wasn't mentioned during today's keynote, but we're pretty sure that tomorrow we're going to hear about Google getting Android apps, and the Play Store running on Chrome OS. In a since-updated I/O calendar entry spotted by 9to5Google, the company said, "Today we announced that we're adding the best mobile app experiences in the world, Android apps and the Google Play store, to the best browser in the world, Chrome!" In any case, this isn't a surprising development. Reports last year suggested that Google was working on merging Android and Chrome OS, and indeed, some Chromebook users have been seeing an option to enable the Play Store for some time now. While we wait for more details, developers at I/O have an incentive to arrive early: The first 50 are promised a free Chromebook for their trouble.
Google's extra-secure Allo chat uses familiar encryption tech
Does the extra-private messaging in Google's Allo seem familiar? Your eyes don't deceive you: You really have seen it before. Open Whisper Systems has confirmed that Allo uses its Signal protocol for end-to-end encryption when you're in Incognito Mode. Yes, that means that Google and Facebook-owned WhatsApp are sharing the same underlying security technology. Not that there's much reason to complain. The protocol is strong enough that privacy advocates like Edward Snowden approve, and its open source nature makes it relatively ubiquitous.
Google built a processor just for AI
Google is no stranger to building hardware for its data centers, but it's now going so far as to design its own processors. The internet giant has revealed the Tensor Processing Unit, a custom chip built expressly for machine learning. As Google doesn't need high precision for artificial intelligence tasks, the TPU is focused more on raw operations per second than anything else: It's an "order of magnitude" faster in AI than conventional processors at similar energy levels. It's space-efficient too, fitting into the hard drive bays in data center racks.
The After Math: Google I/O 2016 Edition
Google unleashed its 2016 developers conference on Mountain View, CA this morning. The company debuted a bunch of new products including its answer to Amazon's Alexa, dubbed Google Home; a new VR headset called Daydream (along with a new VR section for Play) and two new messaging apps, Allo and Duo. Google also showed off some of the new features we can expect in the upcoming Android N operating system, a full-blown overhaul of the Android Wear ecosystem, updates to Android Auto and some new tricks for Google Pay. Did I miss something? Yeah, probably. So check out our comprehensive coverage of the event here.
Google Cast and Android TV are coming to even more screens
During today's I/O keynote Google just barely squeezed in some notes about Android TV. On stage, while the Cast feature/ecosystem took a starring a role in the new Home device while also expanding from Vizio's TVs to work on screens from Magnavox, Philips, Polaroid, Toshiba, Westinghouse "and more." Picture-in-picture, new APIs for recording live TV and support for 4K / HDR video will all be a part of the Android N upgrade on Android TV, although there's no mention yet of a new Nexus Player with support for things like Ultra HD, or USB 3.0 hookups for external storage.
Android Auto will soon run on your phone just like any other app
If you've been itching to take Android Auto for a spin, but don't own a car that's compatible with Google's software, you'll soon be in luck. The company announced at Google I/O that the in-car setup will soon run entirely on your phone while offering the same features as if it were connected to your dash. This means that you'll still be able to use your voice to handle calls, messages, music and navigation, keeping distractions to a minimum.
New updates aim to make Android Pay a universal payment system
There's more to today's Android Pay news than just a long-awaited UK launch. Google doesn't want people to just think of Android Pay as a way to pay for things in stores with phones, so today it pulled back the curtain on new and updated APIs to let developers -- and merchants -- use Android Pay in more places and in different ways.
Google Play is getting a dedicated VR section
Google is unpacking a lot of virtual reality news at its I/O developer conference today, and to make sure you can discover that content easily, the company is adding a dedicated VR section in the Play Store. That virtual reality hub will serve up immersive mobile games from the likes of EA and Ubisoft, as well as video streaming from Netflix, Hulu and HBO Now, among other services. You'll be able to get news reports from USA Today, New York Times, Wall Street Journal and CNN with sports-related stuff from the MLB and NBA. Google's own photos, Play Movies, Street View and YouTube videos will work on the new Daydream VR platform as well.
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.
Google gives devs more tools to build and maintain their apps
Google Analytics has been one of the most important tools for web developers since its launch a decade ago. Now, Google is hoping its Firebase service can do the same for Android, iOS and mobile web development. At the company's I/O developer conference today, the company announced Firebase Analytics, a free tool that will give you a better sense of how people are actually using your apps. Additionally, Firebase is getting new features including cloud messaging, which lets devs push messages to users through their apps; online storage powered by Google Cloud Storage; and the ability to tweak apps on the fly.
Android Wear is getting a massive overhaul this fall
It's been over two years since Android Wear was introduced, but smartwatches are still very much an unproven commodity. But Google has been making plenty of tweaks and refinements to its watch-based OS to hone the features owners find most useful. Today at its annual I/O developer conference, Google is announcing what Android Wear VP David Singleton is calling its "biggest platform update yet": Android Wear 2.0. It's a visual and functional overhaul organized around the three things Google has found to be most important for Android Wear users.
Google's new Android VR platform is called 'Daydream'
Google might be making waves with its low-cost Cardboard virtual reality headset, but that was 2014. Daydream is now. Daydream is hardware and software baked into Android N: a headset that looks an awful lot like the Gear VR and Rift headsets, complete with a controller that looks similar to an Apple TV remote. From the sound of it, this won't usurp other hardware makers that are doing VR on their own handsets; Samsung, for instance, is actually partnering with Google here. So are Alcatel, HTC and LG, among others.
Google can help you avoid downloading apps you'll only use once
If you use a smartphone, you've surely gone through this experience: Someone shares something with you, or you click a link somewhere, and before you know it you're prompted to install an app. You're in a generous mood, so you go through the whole process, log in to the app, and then you're met with a welcome screen that isn't even the content you originally wanted to access! Apps are great, but the install process is sometimes pretty painful.
Google shows off its new 'Duo' video calling app
Google showed off a new video calling app today at its annual I/O developer conference. Dubbed "Duo," this app will be the companion to Allo, a Facebook Messenger-like app that Google also previewed on stage today. Like Allo, Duo will be mobile only when it is released later this summer and will be available on both iOS and Android.
