The annual Google I/O conference is on, and the company’s CEO Sundar Pichai took developers through a glimpse of what’s new and what’s next for the tech entity. Like we had earlier predicted, there was a likelihood of launching a new Pixel phone, updates to Android Q, and much more.
The company hasn’t diverted as much from expectations, with newer revelations in regards to the company’s developments in artificial intelligence and software.
For nearly two hours, Pichai addressed the company’s artificial intelligence developments, tools centered on privacy and accessibility, and also announced a new mid-cost Pixel line as well as a smart, Assistant-powered video display called the Google Nest Hub Max.
Let’s look at the major announcements made at the 2019 I/O conference.
Incognito mode for YouTube and Google Maps
Google Chrome web browser users are familiar with the “incognito mode” that allows you to surf the web without associating the browsing activity to your Google account. The same feature has been brought to Google Maps and YouTube.
This means that, in the near future, you should be able to click on your profile picture in the Maps and YouTube apps to enter incognito mode. Eventually, you will be able to watch videos or look up locations without linking that activity with your account.
A Smarter Google Assistant
Google has improved its Assistant to perform up to 10 times faster and letting you control it without saying “Hey, Google” every time you want it to do something. In just a single conversation with the assistant, you can ask it to show you photos with smiling people from a recent trip and then have it send the photos to a friend.
Google has also made the Assistant more personalized by including a new feature called “personalized preferences” that will recognize contacts in your phone. You shall be ask what the weather at your friend’s house is, and it will tell you based on its understanding of who that friend is.
AI-powered communication
Google has invested quite a lot in using AI. The company has announced Live Transcribe, Live Caption, Live Relay, and Project Euphonia – to ease the way you communicate with others, while making it intelligent.
Live Caption adds text captions to video, using automated speech recognition, and Google is experimenting this on video chats. Live Relay uses speech recognition and text-to-speech functions as well as predictive writing suggestions for people to make audio phone calls without having to speak or hear.
Project Euphonia is designed to assist people with speech impairments to be understood by machines. Google says they have trained its AI algorithms on speakers whose speech has been impaired by ALS. This way, the algorithms can detect sounds and gestures, which it can translate into actions.
Android Q Updates
The very first update announced is the support for the Live Captions as revealed above, and the OS should automatically add text to video in real time over videos that wouldn’t normally have captions. The interesting aspect to this is that it wont require an internet connection.
Other updates coming to the next Android OS include Smart Replies, which will work across all messaging apps in the system; and Dark Theme, which will give your phone a nighttime setting as well as reduce battery drain with its reduced bright light.
In regards to security and privacy, Android Q will notify you when an app tries to access your location when you’re not using it, with an option to stop sharing. Android Q (and Android P) will also have a new feature called Focus Mode which will let you selectively turn off distracting apps like messaging and mail apps.
The Google Nest Hub Max
Google has announced a new device, the Google Next Hub Max, which features a 10-inch touchscreen with a camera and speaker. On it, you can use voice commands, just like a Google Home.
A number of features added to the device include video chatting with Duo; checking on your home off a live feed on your phone; and holding up your hand to pause or play video or audio without saying a word.
The Google Pixel 3a and 3a XL
As expected, Google used the I/O conference to announce a new line of mid-range phones in the new Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL, both of which have headphone jacks. The company is trying to ‘bring a high-quality phone to a mid-level price’, though the justification is still low.
The Pixel 3a’s will have the same camera, the same adaptive battery features, and the same features like Night Sight, as the Pixel 3. Google claims it gets 7 hours of battery life from a 15 minute charge. The phones come in three colors, Just Black, Clearly White, and Purpleish. Pixel 3a will cost $399, and the larger Pixel 3a XL will cost $479.
