At I/0 2016, Tech giant Google in its annual conference, displayed its vision for conversational interactions with technology. Developers and press assembled at the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, California, for the annual ritual on Wednesday.
Here are the top five announcements that were made:
1. Google Assistant
It is a virtual personal assistant which is an ongoing two-way dialogue between the user and Google that understands user needs. It makes it easy to buy movie tickets while on the go, to find that perfect restaurant for family to grab a quick bite before the movie starts, and then help one navigate to the theatre.
It’s Google for the user, by the user.
2. Google Home
It is a voice-activated product that brings the Google assistant to any room of the house. It lets one enjoy entertainment, manage everyday tasks, and get answers from Google—all using conversational speech. With a simple voice command, one can ask Google Home to play a song, set a timer for the oven, check flight, or turn on lights. It’s designed to fit one’s home with customizable bases in different colors and materials. Google Home will be released later this year.
3. Allo
Allo is a new messaging app that also comes complete with the Google assistant, so one can interact with it directly in chats, either one-on-one or with friends. One can ask for things like your agenda for the day or photos from his/her last trip. If the user is planning a dinner with friends, he/she can ask the assistant to suggest restaurants nearby, all in one thread.
4. Android N
improved graphics, reduced battery consumption and storage and security enhancements. It also had background downloads of system updates, and streamlined notifications so that the user can power through them faster, and updated emojis including 72 new ones.
Source: Googleblog
5. Daydream
It is a virtual reality platform designed to work with the Android mobile operating system. It will bring popular applications like YouTube, Street View, Play Movies, Google Photos and the Play Store to virtual reality.
(With inputs from agencies)
(Feature image source: AFP)
