Advertisement

Google to unveil products at I/O 2017

By Allen Cone

May 17 (UPI) -- Google kicks off its annual three-day event for developers, Google I/O, Wednesday in Mountain View, Calif., to preview plans for its products, including its software and devices.

The company, which grew from its Internet search engine in the late 1990s, opens the event with the keynote address at 10 a.m. from the Shoreline Amphitheater.

Advertisement

The annual event for developers shows off what the company is planning for the next six to 12 months.

Here's what to expect at the event:

Android -- The next version of the software for mobile devices is called Android O. In March, the company unveiled a beta version of the product, which is the successor to Android 7.1.2 Nougat. One of the expected improvements, according to Digital Trends, is battery life management.

Google Home -- Google unveiled the rival to Amazon Echo at last year's event. Google might announce integrations with GE's dishwashers, ovens, dryers, refrigerators and washers, according to Digital Trends.

Google Assistant -- Bloomberg reported the voice-activate software, Assistant, which completes with Apple's Siri and Amazon's Alex, will come to iOS, Apple's mobile operating system. The stand-alone Assistant app will support voice interactions and integrate with other Google services.

Advertisement

Virtual reality -- The Daydream View VR accessory was unveiled at last year's event. Variety reported Google is planning a headset as a standalone mobile VR device -- so a phone or computer won't be needed to run the games.

Chromebook -- The company has been planning to create a new operating system for its netbook-type devices called Andromeda that integrates the Android mobile application with its Chrome operating system. Digital Trends says the hardware is rumored to debut hardware with the new operating system in the second half of this year.

Other products -- Google might give updates on Android Wear (smartwatch), Allo (text-based messenger, Duo (video-based), Chromecast (streaming dongle for TV), Android Auto (infotainment for vehicles), Project Tango (self-contained augmented reality platform), Pixel (phone) and Chrome browser.

Google's name is a play on the mathematical expression for the number 1 followed by 100 zeros. It was founded in 1996 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin in a garage owned by Susan Wojcicki, now CEO of You Tube -- a Google property.

Now it has more than 60,000 employees, according to its website.

Google's parent company is now called Alphabet, which encompasses other technology.

Advertisement

Latest Headlines