Google yesterday held its annual developer conference, the Google I/O 2019. As expected, it was packed with lots of new features/products the company has been working on.
In case you missed the event, here are some of the biggest announcements made!
New Devices! Google Pixel 3a and 3a XL
Aside features, the I/O conference also witnessed the launch of hardware products. These included new smartphone devices – Pixel 3a and 3a XL. These latest addition to its Pixel lineup are affordable versions of its Pixel 3.
The devices come with almost same specs except for size. While the 3a is smaller with a 5.6-inch display, the XL is larger with a 6-inch screen. Both devices sport one camera front and rear camera. They also come with 64GB of storage, 4GB of RAM, and a 3,000mAh battery.
While the Pixel 3a will go for N143k ($399), the larger Pixel 3a XL will cost N172k ($479).
AR in Search
At the Google i/O 2019, it was also announced that it will be bringing augmented reality (AR) to search. This means that when you search for something like shoe models or muscle flexion, you would be able to see it in 3D through your phone camera. You would be able to swipe your screen to move the model around, as well as bring it into your physical environment, giving you an awesome AR experience.
Next-Gen Google Assistant
The company also debuted an updated version of its Google Assistant platform. This, the company said, is internally called the “next-generation” Assistant.
The company promises an improved performance with this new assistant as it will be able to process and understand voice requests “in real time”. It would also deliver results “up to 10 times faster” than its current model.
The Next-gen Google Assistant will also come with a “Driving Mode” that will give users include personalized shortcuts and suggestions once activated. It will first become available on Google’s new Pixel phones (Pixel 4) later this year.
New features on Google Maps
Google announced that Maps would now have an Incognito mode. With this feature, users would be able to block the company from associating the places they search for or to navigate from the app to the Google accounts.
In addition to that, the company also announced that the new augmented reality mode that it’s been working on for Google Maps would be rolled out to its new Pixel phones later this year.
A New Version of Android
At Google i/o 2019, new features for the tenth version of Android – the Android Q was revealed. These features would include a dark mode, live caption and live transcribe (automatically generate captions for media on your phone, or transcribe calls in real time), improved gestures and several others.
Although the beta version is already available, a full release is expected between September and December.
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