Here's what Google launched at the annual developer conference

Google just wrapped it's 2018 I/O keynote on Tuesday and announced a host of new developments. From Android P to Google Duplex, the software giant came out with some interesting developments.

7,000 developers came together for a three-day event, here are the ten most-awaited features to look forward to:

Android P

PHOTO: ANDROID

The three-button navigation is going to be out very soon when Google introduces its mobile OS. With a refreshed look and iPhone X-like gestures, you will be able to set time limits for individual apps to stop yourself from spending too much time on your phone.



Android P will be coming out later this summer while its public beta version is available for Google, Sony, Nokia, Essential and Xiaomi smartphones.

More natural Google assistant voices

PHOTO: REUTERS

The virtual assistant has had a very mechanical voice so far which sort of reduces the personalised touch the company wanted to have. Now, users will get to pick from six natural sounding voices in addition to its original voice "Holly".

We will also get to see a John Legend version later this year.

Google Duplex

PHOTO: REUTERS

One of the most interesting events from the keynote was when Google’s CEO, Sundar Pichai played a recording of Google Assistant calling a hair salon to make an appointment. Interestingly enough, the salon employee had no idea he was talking to an AI-controlled voice.

Smart displays with Google Assistant

PHOTO: REUTERS

Amazon’s Echo will face stiff competition as Google Assistant's latest version equipped with the first Smart Displays will start shipping in July. A demonstration on the stage showed The Jimmy Kimmel live show on YouTube TV as an example of what Google offers that Amazon can't.

Gmail drafting emails

PHOTO: GMAIL

Well almost. Gmail will almost be able to write emails entirely by itself with the help of the Smart Compose option where an AI voice is used to help you draft emails from scratch. This option is coming to new Gmail users while G Suite users will have to wait just a little longer.

Google Maps gets more social

PHOTO: GOOGLE MAPS

Google Maps is growing into the social domain by targeting apps such as Yelp and Foursquare. A new ‘For You’ tab will let you follow specific neighbourhoods where it points out new ventures and make your real-time experience more enjoyable.

Augmented reality directions

PHOTO: AFP

Google will pair AI with Street View data to give you more interactive directions to a destination as you point your camera in a direction. There’s even a cute fox that will help you keep on track.

Google Photos gets smarter 

PHOTO: REUTERS

Google Photos will soon have a new feature that will give the ability to separate subjects from the background in photos and add more colour. You may also change the background to black and white. Along with this, the Photos feature will analyse your pictures in the gallery and give you suggestions on quick fixes.

AI curated Google News

PHOTO: REUTERS

Google’s news app is changing completely with more editorial focus and is powered by AI. The company has said that “it uses artificial intelligence to analyse all the content published to the web at any moment and organize all of those articles, videos, and more into storylines. It spots the ones you might be interested in and puts them in your briefing.”

Google Lens copying text from the real world

PHOTO: AFP

The feature is finally ready and will be introduced to Google Lens. You will be able to point your phone’s camera at the text in the real world which will grab that text and paste it into the text field on your smartphone.



While the feature is not working with great precision, Google thinks it will soon be close enough. The company is also introducing a new “style match” feature that works something like a scanner and help buy items in a shop.

Regardless of the inventions, one thing is for certain, Google is focusing on artificial intelligence and augmented reality functions to power its development.


This article originally appeared on The Verge.