Google left people completely awestruck at their recent unveiling at I/O 2016. From Google Home to Android N, Google introduced us with a host of new features and products that may get integrated into our lifestyle in the coming future. Among the less covered and speculated points so far, is an application developer's delight which goes by the name Firebase.
A few days back, Google introduced us with what is known as Allo and Duo at their I/O 2016 in Mountain View, California. Allo is a smart messaging application while Duo is a video calling app. Google has released the keynote of the event and the following is what we make of these two new endeavors.
GOOGLE ALLO-
Google has been trying hard in the recent past to build a conversational structure into its applications so as to enhance the productivity and user experience. Significant improvements are seen in the Google Voice Assistant and the voice recognition has improved by over 20%.
Allo, which simply means 'different', is a smart messaging app. Google assures that with Allo, messaging would become intuitive and productive as it is engineered on the same chassis as the other smart tools. Google assures that the application will help conversations be all the more expressive. Now, the question is how? Allo lets you adjust the font size just as to describe the intensity of the words you are sending. Another great feature is the 'Smart Reply' feature which enables the user to choose Google-defined replies to revert back to a comment or more interestingly a photograph which is achieved by exquisitely crafted machine learning algorithms and near excellence image recognition. The interesting thing about Allo is that it has Google Assistant fitted right into it. So lets say someone asks you what the score was, the assistant would prompt the score in the conversation and all you would have to do is tap on the score to send it. Additionally, Allo also has an incognito mode which gives end to end encryption and deletes the conversation when it ends
Google didn't actually hold an event for the announcements but, they did actually announce them! The newest devices out of Mountain View are the Nexus 6, Nexus 9, and the Nexus Player. And yes, Android 5.0 is, LOLLIPOP!
Nexus 6
It looks just like all the leaks did and actually, you can name it the "big brother" of the Moto X 2nd Gen.
As you can see, the device looks very similar to the Moto X but it also sports a "Nexus" branding on it. The specs on this beast are out of this world and the price is also not so affordable but I think that the price can be justified, easily.
The Nexus 6 ships with Lollipop out of the box and because it is a Nexus, you can count on Google to be the one of the first ones to be updated to the next version of Android. It sports a 5.96" quad HD AMOLED diplay. Yes, QUAD HD AMOLED!! I told you that the price was worth!
OK. I'm going to list out the specs but I must warn you, you will need a brave heart to wait to buy it!
3220 mAH battery with Qi wireless charging support and Motorola Turbo Charging.
Network Bands:
North America:
GSM: 850/900/1800/1900MHz
CDMA Band Class: 0/1/10
WCDMA Bands: 1/2/4/5/8
LTE Bands: 2/3/4/5/7/12/13/17/25/26/29/41
CA DL Bands: B2-B13, B2-B17, B2-29, B4-B5, B4-B13, B4-B17, B4-B29
Rest of World:
GSM: 850/900/1800/1900MHz
CDMA: not supported
WCDMA Bands: 1/2/4/5/6/8/9/19
LTE Bands: 1/3/5/7/8/9/19/20/28/41
CA DL: B3-B5, B3-B8
Note: I haven't seen any camera samples from the Nexus 6 yet but, judging by the size of the aperture, resolution and the fact that it also has OIS, it will be one of the best phone cameras ever, if not the best.
Nexus 9
This tablet too, is very similar to what the leaks suggested. The Nexus 9 is the newest tablet from Google which is manufactured by HTC.
The Nexus 9's display sizes up to 8.9" with a resolution of QXGA (2048 x 1536). The display is not the standout point but it's the raw processing power of the beastly 64 bit Nvidia Tegra K1. The GPU used is Nvidia's 192 core Kepler. The RAM measures up to 2 GB and this is probably the only thing to concern according to me. GPU's are RAM hungry and I think that 3 GB of RAM would've been more appropriate with the other specs.
As this tablet is manufactured by HTC, it brings in some of it's signature features like BoomSound and Double Tap2Wake. The battery capacity is 6700 mAH and the Nexus 9 comes in 16/32 GB WiFi only and 32 GB LTE models.
Specs:
64-bit NVIDIA Tegra K1 Dual Denver @ 2.3GHz
2 GB RAM
BoomSound speakers
8.9" QXGA display (281 ppi)
6700 mAH battery
Cameras: 8MP Rear camera, f/2.4 aperture, Auto-focus, LED flash, 1.6MP Front camera, f/2.4 aperture
WiFi 802.11AC with MIMO
Bluetooth 4.1 and NFC
Sensors: GPS, Ambient light sensor, Gyroscope, Accelerometer and Magnetometer.
Nexus Player
Last but, not the least on this least is the Nexus Player. This product wasn't expected and took the world by quite a surprise. After placing it on the Play Store, some people on the internet claimed that this product didn't pass the FCC and so, Google pulled it off. Anyways, here are the details.
The Nexus Player is the first Android TV device to be sold in the public, the first one was ADT-1, a developer version of the same device distributed at I/O.
If you aren't familiar with Android TV, please read this article. You can control the Nexus Player using a remote provided, game controller which is sold separately or by your Android phone, tablet or Android Wear watch!
Specs:
Chipset: 1.8GHz Quad Core, Intel® Atom™
Imagination PowerVR Series 6 Graphics 2D/3D Engine
Memory: 1GB RAM, 8GB storage
Ports: 18W DC power, HDMI out (1920x1080@60Hz), Micro-USB 2.0
Wireless: 802.11ac 2x2 (MIMO), Bluetooth 4.1
Weight: 235g
Dimensions: 120mm x 120mm x 20mm
That's everything guys! If you liked this article, follow me our our official Google+ page to be one of the first ones to know whenever we post more awesome articles! If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to post a comment down below! Keep reading! :D
Motorola has become the latest hardware maker to have its name linked with an upcoming Nexus device. According to details first discovered by TechTastic, a Motorola smartphone code named "Shamu" could ultimately arrive as the Nexus 6.
Alleged benchmark scores indicate that the phone performs in line with others that run a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor. More specifically, it could have processing prowess similar to the Samsung Galaxy S5 or HTC One M8. Aside from the handset's project name, little is known about the Motorola Shamu. Still, the moniker does fit in nicely with previous Nexus products, such as "Flounder" for the Nexus 8.
The Russian tech site posits that the Nexus 6 should feature a 1080p HD display. Based on previous Nexus smartphones, I am inclined to agree with the assessment.
Google typically dials the specifications down to just below the top-tier for its own Nexus line. Perhaps in an effort to keep costs competitive, we don't often see anything bleeding edge from this family.
Conflicting report
Newer, conflicting details published August 13 suggest the Nexus 6 could offer users a much more powerful experience. According to the GFXBench listing, the handset could pack a 5.2-inch QHD display, 3GB of RAM, and Qualcomm's latest and greatest processor. With 32GB of internal storage and a 12-megapixel camera capable of recording 4K video, the Motorola Shamu sounds like a killer whale to be sure.
One thing to keep in mind when dealing with Nexus rumors is that they are almost always subject to conflicting reports. In fact, previous reports indicated that Google had turned to LG once again for the Nexus line. Motorola's involvement could be a swan song before future parent Lenovo officially grabs the phone-maker away from Google.
As to when we'll see this Nexus 6, the launch date remains unclear, but there's a good chance we'll see it sometime this fall when Google publicly releases Android L. The last few generations of Nexus handsets each made their debut around October, so we could still be a few months away.
I/O happened! I am pretty sure all the Android enthusiasts around the world would have watched the I/O either via live stream or in a viewing party. Let's get started!
Firstly, Sundar Pichai, VP of Android, gave an overview of advancement in the technological world. P.S.: I don't know if many people noticed, but he was wearing a Moto 360!
Google is so far the only company that talks about 30 day active users. If they talked about just installations, the numbers would double or triple. These were some common stats given but the fun began now!
Android Silver = Android One
The LONG rumored Android Silver was announced at I/O in the name of "Android One". The concept is that Google will partner with manufacturers to provide them stock Android and hopefully every device will get software updates STRAIGHT from Google. This is very similar to Google Play Edition devices. They gave the example of a Micromax phone and 3-4 other manufactures from India. (+1 if you are Indian!) Android L Developer Preview
Old Gmail app and new Gmail app
One apk for all form factors
Heads Up was officially announced received an UI overhaul
New Recent Apps in Android L
This I/O, Google announced the Developer Preview for Android L and the full version will be announced later this year, hopefully with a Nexus 6.
It looks like they still haven't named the OS and for now, they are teasing us by calling it "L".
There are 5000 new APIs in Android L and a major UI overhaul, one like going from Gingerbread to ICS.
Next, Wolverine gave us a look at Material Design (:P). Material design is a new design language at Google that aims at giving pixels not only width and height, but also depth. Material design is the rumored Quantum paper. They have also update the Roboto system font.
The lockscreen now shows notifications below the clock. The best current example of this is Dashclock. Dashclock is a lockscreen widget that gives you options to add extensions for certain apps.
Motorola implemented a feature called "Trusted Bluetooth Devices" last year with the Moto X. It basically means that if a trusted bluetooth device is connected with your phone, it will not ask you for a password. Google added this feature in Android L, but on steroids. If you have an Android Wear smartwatch and you are wearing it, the phone will not ask you for a password, but as soon as you give your watch to someone else, your phone gets protected.
All this is awesome but the standout for me this year is Project Volta. Project Volta aims at improving battery life by limiting the times that radio signal wakes up your phone.
Android Wear
Android Wear was officially announced a while ago but now, the first devices, namely the LG G Watch and Samsung Gear Live are up for pre-order on the Play Store with shipping starting from July 7th. Read more about Android Wear and a comparison of both the devices here and here.
Android Auto
Android Auto is kind of like the central entertainment/GPS system in your car. The SDK for development is released if anybody wants to develop for this platform. The concept is similar to CarPlay by Apple but it has Google Now instead of Siri and Google Maps instead of Apple Maps ;) It's very simple to use: you plug your phone in via a cable and then you can receive and initiate calls and text messages or listen to music. It is basically Google now on your car dashboard.
Android Auto will start shipping out in cars before the end of 2014 (YES) in over 40 manufacturer's cars. Android TV
If I had to give the shortest description possible: Android TV is a chromecast built into your TV with gaming support. But I don't have to give a short desciption, do I? :P
Android TV has a beautiful UI and if you read my previous article about what to expect from I/O this year, you would know that I was super excited for this. Android TV connects via Wi-Fi to the internet to give you Play Movies and TV on your TV. You can control Android TV with a controller, your phone or your Android Wear smartwatch (Kudos, Google).
Android TV does everything the Chromecast can do, including casting local media or your device's screen onto your TV. It will come built into select TVs starting from 2015 with all major TV makers like LG, Samsung and Sony, Sharp, etc. Chromecast improvements
Massive increase in Chromecast usage
Tutorial showing casting without being in the same Wi-fi network
Chromecast is a winner as it is but Google improved it even more this I/O. Your Chromecast can now connect to Android L devices without being in the same Wi-fi network. It uses supersonic waves to achieve this.
Backdrop lets you cast your Google+ photos in the background
The photo stream of Chromecast from Google is beautiful but now with the Chromecast app, you can choose to have a slideshow of your personal Google+ photos.
Screen mirroring via Chromecast app
Supported devices for screen mirroring
Chromecast now also supports mirroring your Android device. And I'm glad to tell you that with Android L, you just have to swipe down from your notifications and press on "Cast Screen". It's as simple as it gets!
Chromebook
Incoming calls
Text messages
Battery low warning
If you have connected your Chromebook with your Android L device, any incoming calls or messages will also be seen on the Chromebook and it's a super awesome feature!
Apart from this, Google Drive now offers unlimited storage to enterprise customers for 10$/user/month in the celebration of 190M 30 day active users.
That's all for this I/O wrap up guys,I hope you liked it! If you did, check out my other articles listed on the right or you can find the ones you might be interested in by using the labels. Follow me or our official page on Google+ to be one of the first to know whenever we write more awesome content! :)
