Top Takeaways From Google IO15

Google I/O and the future of mobile

Google has a new vision for the connected world, and judging from last week’s I/O conference in San Francisco, it’s a beautiful tapestry. In this world, your mobile device is your computer, your camera, your wallet, your entertainment center, your light switch, garage door opener, and a ticket to a new virtual reality. For developers like us, that means more and more toys to play with.

Let’s check out all the top announcements from this year’s I/O.

Project Jacquard

Touchscreen clothing? That’s what Google has in store with Project Jacquard, which promises to use conductive threading which can be woven into just about any piece of cloth. This will be a huge opportunity for third-party developers and clothing manufactures to get the most out of these threads. Imagine tapping your jogging shirt to change a song or activate a heartbeat monitor. Tapping your pajamas to turn off the light at night. The possibilities are endless.

Project Soli

Equally impressive as Jacquard is Soli, which will use small radar devices to track human gestures. And we’re talking button presses, scrolling — really tiny gestures that we’ve never been able to pick up before. Looking at you, Microsoft Kinect and Nintendo Wii. Soli could have incredible implications for everyday devices, like dimming light switches or adjusting the volume on your Bluetooth speaker. Perhaps the biggest opportunity is with VR gaming, where you can use your free hands to wield light sabers or pull triggers, or grip invisible steering wheels.

Google Cardboard

Google Cardboard is an elegant and simple innovation, Google’s DIY virtual reality solution. If you think about it, your phone is already the perfect VR hardware — high-definition screen, incredibly responsive accelerometers that move the world as you move, plus built in wifi and cellular in order to stream content. Google’s betting you don’t need expensive head gear wrapped around your face to experience VR. You just something to hold your phone, and a piece of cardboard will do just fine.

Brillo

Baked right into Android M, Google’s upcoming operating system update, Brillo will bring the internet of things to your home, much like Apple’s HomeKit. This means third-party developers will be able to create separate apps for everything from your door locks to your thermostat. Eventually, it’s easy to see all of these apps managed on one, unified Google App. Brillo is that foundation. One day, your phone will be the ultimate universal remote control.

Project Ara

So far, phones have been a one-size-fits-all proposition. Your grandma may only use her smart phone for weather reports and phone calls. Meanwhile, kids these days want suped-up machines that can handle any video game imaginable. Everyone wants something different out of their phone. Enter Project Ara, the modular phone revolution. Google’s still working out the kinks, but soon you’ll be able to build your phone according to your needs, popping in camera modules, extra battery modules, and speaker modules for music.

Project Abacus

Passwords are done. That’s what the Project Abacus team is betting on. Abacus combines all manner of security techniques to ensure the person using your phone is actually you — voice recognition, facial recognition, how you type, even how you walk — incredibly useful once the world of wearables takes off. Your phone knows more about you than you can imagine.

 

You can learn more from our app developers in San Francisco at Appstem.