Google IO

This year's Google IO developers conference had both a brand new mostly-outdoor venue and a rather brightly-colored surprise. This surprise was a robot arm - one that was able to paint a cube in front of our very eyes. What's awesome about this robot arm - beyond the fact that it's a robot with a paint brush - is that it's not entirely pre-programmed. Paint colors and actions are selected by users like yourself with a smartphone app dedicated to said actions.

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Android apps on Chromebooks will arrive with brand new hardware and the possibility of much more expensive software, Google has said. The news today that Google is bringing Android app support to Chromebook also brings the promise of new Chromebook devices; while there's no specific news to share at I/O 2016, the company said, when Android apps arrive later in the year it'll be accompanied by "new hardware built with the Play store in mind," Kan Liu, director of product management for Chrome OS, said.

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This morning at Google I/O 2016 the company showed Chrome OS's newest ability - running Android apps via Google Play. In this, Google expands the reach of Android apps to a whole new cross-section of laptop users and Chrome OS-lovers, making way for new Android apps for personal, work, and/or educational use. Google has outlined the ways and means for developers to start testing apps now. You'll need one of several types of Chromebooks to make this work - at first.

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Google won't be leaving adoption of Daydream, its virtual reality platform built on Android, to chance: it's going to make its own headset, just to be sure. The plans were revealed during a VR-focused session at Google I/O this morning, the company's annual developer event, with VP of VR Clay Bavor confirming that, while third-party firms would be free to develop their own Daydream hardware, they'll face Google-made competition on store shelves.

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Google definitely unloaded a lot of juicy stuff surrounding Android right on the opening day of Google I/O. From a new VR platform of its own to the much awaited multi-window capabilities, there are a lot of things that Android developers will want to get their hands on before Android N finally rolls out in July, delays notwithstanding. And to whet the appetites of those eager developers, Google has released the third development preview, a.k.a. DP3, of Android N, which it bills to be its first beta-quality release, hinting at the maturity of the codebase and the imminent stable launch.

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Android Auto may be all about burying the car company's infotainment system under a familiar Android UI from your phone, but Hyundai is showing off a new, more seamless integration. Demonstrated for the first time at Google I/O 2016 today, the system relies an on upcoming version of Android Auto that allows automakers to insert their own custom cards into the interface.

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Amazon may already have a foot in the smart home with Echo, but does its Alexa assistant have what it takes to fend off Google Home? The new virtual companion won't be the first of its kind to market - in fact, with a release date pegged only for sometime later in 2016, it could lag Echo by as much as two years - but that's not diminishing Google's confidence that its embodiment of the Google Assistant will take the top spot.

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At the 2016 Google I/O 2016 developers conference, the company revealed software for their products and specifications for hardware for the future. Today we're running down all the bits and pieces in as simplified a way as possible for the common user - with links to more in-depth data collections for those that wish to go the extra mile. This wrap-up will be updated as Google and friends reveal more information throughout the week, and will be locked up at the end of the event series.

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Today is the day for Chrome OS users - Android apps will be coming to the platform via Google Play imminently. This announcement came from Google's Google I/O website this afternoon after the main keynote was completed - appearing, as it were, to show how Google mentioned such an update in said keynote. They didn't, but it's likely they were meant to - either way, the result is the same. Google Play on Chrome OS, enabling hordes of Android apps to approach the desktop machines on the go.

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Android Auto is about to get a whole lot more useful, with wireless connectivity, "Ok Google" hot-word triggering, and Waze integration all set to be added. Google's attempt to colonize the dashboard through plugging in Android phones is set to receive a number of convenience features in the coming months, including the ability to hook up your smartphone via WiFi rather than plugging in a USB cable.

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Google Classroom is being joined by a new Coursework API that will allow developers to have their applications further integrate with the aforementioned Classroom service. Classroom is Google’s educational management system for teachers and schools, and it uses the company’s own Drive platform. Today, Google has announced updates to its Classroom offering, saying that, among other things, reporting systems and gradebooks can now be setup to sync students’ grades with Google Classroom, removing the time sink of manually transferring grades.

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This afternoon Google introduced Android Instant Apps, a system with which Android apps will be able to open as quick as a web link. With this system, developers will be able to present just tiny pieces of the apps they've already made. Users will be able to see just one part of an app without having to download the whole thing. Easy and smooth - and backwards compatible. This system will be released into the wild as soon as Google's done working on it - which doesn't appear to be all that long from now.

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