Google I/O, the company’s annual developer conference, will be held on May 8 in Mountain View, California. The conference, eagerly awaited by tech aficionados around the world, has a lot to offer this year.
Here’s what to look out for:
Android P
Speculations on what Google could name the next generation of its mobile operating system, Android 9.0, range from ‘Pancake’, ‘Popsicle’ and ‘Pecan Pie’ to even ‘Peda’ by its many Indian fans. Apart from the name itself, there’s a lot of curiosity regarding the features that will be introduced in this edition after Androids 8.0 Oreo’s structural overhaul.
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Some predictions are that the update will support an iPhone X type notch with the notification bar supposedly displaying on either side of the notch. This is probably going to be reflected in the next generation of Pixel phones sporting a notch as well.
Google Home and Assistant
Google I/O 2018 could announce a better version of Assistant with an update, according to reports published on The Verge . It is already known that Google Assistant is becoming multilingual and will respond to various assigned names apart from “Ok Google”. Earlier, Google had dropped hints that “Home Max”, the new version of Google Home, might also be released at the conference.
Google Photos and Google News
Google News, Photos, and Play are widely popular products that always have a mention in the conference. At the 2018 I/O conference, Google is expected to improve its photo storage. It will also look to revamp its news platform on desktop and mobile, maybe even unfold a new all-in-one Google news app.
Android Things
After the less than impressive performance of Google’s devices outside of smartphones, with its Google watch and Android TV sales completely eclipsed by competitors, Google claims that over the past year most of its products have gained considerable traction, and may unveil more variants this year.
Gaming
This could be the year that Google goes big with the gaming zone.
According to Techradar , Google had apparently dropped hints in February on its new project codenamed “Yeti” -- the company’s yet-to-be announced game streaming service. There are also speculations that Google could be working on a “made by Google” gaming console.
Flutter
Considerable focus has been put on Flutter, Google’s mobile app creation platform. A lot of new and exciting additions are predicted to be unveiled this week, including better integration across platforms and upping its widget game.
Compiled by Aparna Reddy and Madhulika. V
(With inputs from Reuters and AP)