After taking a year off because of the pandemic, the Google I/O conference came back with a vengeance, albeit as an entirely virtual show. At Google I/O 2021, the tech giant unveiled some of its major projects, including Android 12, Project Starline, and Smart Canvas. Here are the most important announcements made during the event.
A Facelift for Android
This fall, Android 12 will bring a new look to smartphones, so customization will be more extensive and fun. Upgrades range from intelligently lighting up certain portions of the screen when you pick up your phone to matching widget and notification bar color schemes, and also wallpaper shades.
These changes are part of a project Google has dubbed Material You. In addition to this game of coloring, Android 12 will introduce redesigned widgets and a UI rework for the settings menu. It will include new settings, such as Google Pay and smart-home options. And it’s not just a fancy look, we’ll also get a faster and more efficient OS, along with smoother animations.
On the security side, Google is making Android 12 more transparent. A dashboard will be introduced that will show users all the permission settings requested by apps, along with app rejection with a single command. There will also be a little pop-up indicator in the corner of the screen that will warn you if an app has enabled your microphone or camera.
Project Starline – Google and the Hologram Box
If you found Zoom or Google Meet to be extremely boring, then the tech gian’s new project might just catch your interest. It’s a virtual meeting booth, a small booth-like room where you can interact with holograms, substituting the classic audio and video chat.
The idea goes something like this: you take two people, put them in little boxes in different locations and you start the conference. Your interlocutor will be projected through a technology that combines depth sensors, multiple cameras, and spatial audio solutions so that their projection is a hologram, not the image from a traditional video projector. According to Google, Project Starline could see the light of day in about five years. With any luck, we’ll have given up on teleworking, teleschooling, or tele-beer-drinking by then.
WearOS Updates
The next version of WearOS will include several features taken directly from Tizen, Samsung’s current operating system for wearable devices. Google mentions that these upgrades will offer increased battery life and up to 30% more performance. Some Google apps will be able to run directly on WearOS without the need for a smartphone connection. This includes getting directions from Google Maps and listening to music offline from platforms like YouTube Music and Spotify.
For fitness enthusiasts, the WearOS update will also offer more Fitbit-specific features, like health tracking and the progress of each workout.
Google Photo and SkyNet
Arguably one of the most successful services, Google Photos will play host to an AI aimed at experimenting with visual recognition and image classification. The AI will analyze photos uploaded to the platform and attempt to group and classify them according to various criteria based on their recurring elements, according to visual analysis.
This means noticing small details, from similar colors and shapes to patterns that we don’t have the patience to spot. In addition, the AI can create an animated image by combining two static images. It analyses the objects in the two photos, then inserts a series of additional frames to create an animation of that subject.
Smart Canvas for Working from Home
Google wants to give teleworkers the chance to collaborate more easily and to edit documents effortlessly. Multiple checklists will be managed with tasks assigned to each employee, along with the ability to initiate live conferences directly from Smart Canvas.
Google Meet will now be integrated directly into Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides with a simple click of a button. More settings for accessibility will be added, along with a Companion Mode for managing video calls.
Over a Drink with AI
Google Photos’ SkyNet may seem a little dystopian, but what do you do when Google wants you to have real conversations with services that use Google Assistant?
The new model, called LaMDA, can hold a conversation either written or spoken on any topic that interests you. As you speak/write, the AI will perform a thorough search to gather information about the topic, and then carry on a natural conversation, inserting contextual information and details into its responses along the way.
Another similar model, but for Google Search, the Multitask Unified Model will be able to analyze and understand more complex and longer questions asked by users. In theory, you could ask it to compare holiday destinations or give you advice on the equipment you need for a hike. It will also be able to search for information on websites in different languages for exhaustive research.
These projects are part of Google’s efforts to understand the contexts behind social interactions and to make artificial intelligence seem as natural as possible.
Google Maps Update
The Google Maps upgrades include new alternative routes, eco-friendly options that take into account traffic conditions, distance, and finding the best solution, whether that’s traveling by car, public transport, bike, skateboard, rollerblade, scooter, unicycle, or anything else on
wheels.
Another trick is safe routing, which warns drivers about the traffic density on the streets and points out when they might have to brake suddenly. On the AR side, Google has reworked its Live View, which can tell you your location by analyzing road signs or street names. It won’t just show you the shops and restaurants in the area, but also how busy the neighborhood is.
What’s interesting is that Live View will even work in rooms or on public transportation, so you can find your way around more easily directly from the train station or inside malls.
