WHATS ON GOOGLE'S #IO16 3 DAY EVENT THAT STARTED YESTERDAY

Google I/O 2016 begun yesterday on the 18th of May at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California where it all started 10 years ago and will end on the 20th of May 2016. We'll update you about the event to keep you informed. For those who don't know, Google I/O is where major platform developers, engineers and executives gather to discuss all of the Android goodness to look forward to in the year ahead. This year '16 there are major projects Google is starting and some it has already launched.

Below are what's been announced so far and what's still to come.

• Android N
• Google Assistant
• Google Home
• Google Allo and Duo
• Virtual reality (VR)
• Android Wear 2.0
• Chrome OS
• Android Auto
• Self-driving cars
• Project Ara
• Nexus 7 (2016)
• Project Tango
• Project Fi

Here are the details of the ones that I have loved so far not forgetting Project Fi that I had written about some months ago.

Android N

Android N is Google's next Android version. Google discussed a number of improvements to the Android software including a long-awaited split-screen mode and the ability to reply to texts directly from their notification.

Google further talked about an upgrade to its battery saving function Doze. Unlike the Marshmallow iteration, your device no longer needs to be stationary for battery saving to come into effect. Instead, your battery can now enter this low power state even while in your pocket or bag.

Google also mentioned the final name of Android N but revealed that it had not yet been decided. Google wants your help coming up with a name for N that can be a sweet successor to Marshmallow it has now opened this up to the public and you can send your name suggestions via this link here.

Google Assistant

As many people in the world are daily trusting on Google to help them in various works and duties for example Google speech recognition and translation, the rich panel of information for research and up to minute news updates and many other Google features. Google is pleased to introduce...the 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. It makes it easy to buy movie tickets while 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. It’s a Google for you, by you.

The assistant is an ambient experience that will work seamlessly across devices and contexts. So you can summon Google’s help no matter where you are or what the context. It builds on all our years of investment in deeply understanding users' questions.

Google Home

With the purchase of Nest for US$3.2 billion in 2014, Google signaled that it is at least keen on expanding the Internet of Things market. OMG! Google Home is its confirmation.

Google Home is a voice-enabled assistant (similar to Amazon Echo) to help you manage everyday tasks, automate your home and answer questions.

During the session a promo video was showed it in use in the house where you could use it to send messages, turn lights on, change your calendar and diary details and provide answers in a similar fashion to Google Now. Click here to watch the video on Rich DeMuro's Youtube Channel.
Google Home will launch later this year but pricing and availability details weren't mentioned.

 Allo and Duo 

 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, and 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, Google is introducing Duo, a companion app for one-to-one video calling. With Duo, the goal is to make video calling faster and more reliable, even on slower network speeds. It introduced a feature called Knock Knock, which gives you a live video of the other caller before you answer. Best of all, 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.

Daydream and VR

Everybody is going VR, just the other day I told you of Samsung's patent on a wearable projector device that turns your hand into a display and how they are thinking of making VR for it. Now Google has just recently created its own Virtual Reality division and the results of its work is a new software platform known as Daydream which seeks to unify smartphones, controllers, apps and VR technology.
Android N devices which support this will be known as Daydream-Ready and many major OEMs will have Daydream-Ready phones released later this year.
Google has created a VR-optimized controller which contains an internal sensor to determine its relative position. This can be used in conjunction with VR products to, for example, act as a cursor for menus within a VR settings. It has only two buttons and a touchpad.

There are two major events VR events still to come from I/O 2016 and both take place today (May 19). The first is VR for Google at 9 AM PST which will reveal what Google has learned about VR and where we are headed in the future. This event will also be live-streamed on YouTube so it should be a big one. The next event starts at 2 PM is about how VR will affect the movie watching experience.

Android Wear 2.0

Android Wear 2.0 is the biggest Android Wear update yet, according to Google, and will make smartwatches more functional and independent than ever before.

Among the improvements is the ability to smart reply from your watch (of course), the introduction of a new dedicated keyboard and handwriting recognition powered by Google's machine learning.
Google Fit is also receiving an upgrade so that it can detect more varied workouts (like specific weight training exercises) and it will automatically know when you've started running or cycling.
Note this, you can actually use the Android Wear 2.0 with all of the new features, from messaging to making calls while your phone is switched off. Apps now have the ability to function without being tethered to a smartphone via Wi-Fi or cell network.

Chrome OS

Chrome OS is an operating system designed by Google and based upon the Linux kernel.
Google announced the project in July 2009, conceiving it as an operating system in which both applications and user data reside in the cloud: hence Chrome OS primarily runs web applications. Recent speculation has increasingly suggested that the Chrome OS is to be unified with Android. This would bring the laptop and mobile experience together like never before.

More news from the #io16 still to come. My mind has been blown away by Allo and Duo, Google Home and the Assistant, but there's more to come. Post your comments about #io16 below, let us know what you think and don't forget to share this via Twitter, Facebook and the rest...