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Google is holding its biggest event of the year this evening in San Francisco, as thousands of developers come together to hear from the company’s CEO Sundar Pichai and other executives on what to expect from the firm in the coming year.
As one of the biggest companies in the world, complete with the largest share of the mobile phone market in Android and the most popular web browser in Chrome , updates on these products are important.
Not only that, but Google is believed to be ready to make a host of big announcements across a broad range of areas within the business – from virtual reality to car technology and maybe even Google Glass.
Here are the 7 key things you should keep an eye out for tonight.
Naturally Android, Google’s mobile operating system, will feature heavily during I/O, with the first in-depth look at 2016′s update to the software expected.
Following the Google tradition of naming Android updates alphabetically and after sweets, N is expected to be named Nutella, Nougat or maybe even New York Cheesecake, following on from 2015′s Marshmallow.
Early developer previews of N have revealed some new features already, we know that split-screen multitasking is coming, some tweaks to settings and battery life improvements as well as new emoji. Given that Android was overhauled in the not too distant past, we’re not expecting wholesale changes, but a bundle of Android news is still definite.
Google’s web browser is riding a wave of optimism right now thanks to recently overtaking Internet Explorer to officially become the most popular browser out there.
Google has also committed itself to Chrome OS – the system that runs on its Chromebook laptops – for the foreseeable future, so expect to see the company take advantage of this good standing with some new feature announcements at I/O. There’s talk of increased compatibility between Chrome and Android, for example making Play Store apps capable of running on Chrome. This would be a huge bonus for Chrome and its ability to attract users.
One of the biggest and most consistent rumours around this year’s I/O is that Google will announce a new virtual reality platform.
Now, as you might be thinking, Google already has its Cardboard headsets and plenty of VR apps in the Play Store, what’s the thinking here?
Well, according to multiple reports, Google is looking for something a little more robust based around Android – still a headset that you slot a smartphone into, but one closer to Samsung’s Gear VR. Could we see a new headset unveiled, one with better specs and therefore higher quality virtual reality?
We’re not expecting the Oculus Rift or HTC Vive here, but a step up from Cardboard certainly.
Driverless cars are a huge part of Google’s future, but in the present the company is also making strides in the auto industry. Android Auto has been around for a year now as an in-car software system, so some updates on where that project is seems likely.
As for driverless cars, where better than I/O to reveal more about the company’s plans for its autonomous technology that continues to rack up the test miles.
This is an interesting one. Project Tango is one of Google’s “moonshot ideas” and is essentially a piece of technology that allows smartphones to understand and map the world around them as they move through it using 3D motion sensors and depth perception. So in short, the ability to build a digital image of a room just by you walking around it with the device.
It’s only available to developers currently, but there have been suggestions that Tango could help the virtual reality apps using those sensors and its artificial intelligence.
It’s a long shot, but if and when Google discusses VR, keep an ear out for the name Project Tango.
Amazon’s Echo home virtual assistant has been a big hit in the US – so much so that Google is rumoured to be on the verge of announcing a competitor. The names Google Home and Android Home have been floating around, and several reports in recent weeks have suggested that not only does Home exist, but it could be on sale by the autumn.
This one has a question mark because it seems the longest shot of all. Glass was officially withdrawn from sale by Google last year, but since then has been taken back to the drawing board and re-designed ahead of a potential relaunch.
There’s been suggestions Glass 2.0 could be just a tool aimed at business, rather than a full consumer product – so where better to test the water than the company’s developer conference?
Google I/O is being live streamed from 6pm UK time on Wednesday.
