Google I/O Conference 2015 Summary

Google recently held its annual Google I/O Conference 2015 in San Francisco. In this two day event Google revealed the road map for current and future products. There were no hardware announcements by the Google in this conference.  Below is the series of announcements made by Google at the I/O 2015 Conference:

Android M: The core element of the conference is the announcement of Android M from Google. Android M is the next generation operating system from Google and is scheduled to be available for consumers by the third quarter this year. The new update brings a lot of changes with in itself;

Android Pay: A new way of payment method this will be fast, secure and contact less. This feature will not be available in Pakistan as our Banks do not support such payment methods.

App State Backup: This feature will allow users to back up all apps, user data to Cloud every 24 hours. Now losing data isn’t something to get worried about as users can have access to their backed up data whenever they want. This feature will also make it easy for users to switch their phones without thinking of their apps and other data. Users will easily get their data in their new phones through this feature.

Custom Chrome Tabs: App developers face a choice when a user taps a URL to either launch a browser, or build their own in-app browser using Web Views. But now Custom Chrome Tabs give apps more control over their web experience, and make transitions between native and web content more seamless without having to resort to a Web View. A custom tab will be launched on top of the current app in the same color as the app. Even it allows the developers to customize by adding buttons other custom actions to the Chrome toolbar and overflow menu.

Doze Mode Power Saving: Managing battery is a great issue for every smartphone user these days. Google have developed something innovative in optimizing battery which will make developers to cop up with Google’s new interest in battery life. Google have introduced Doze Mode Power Saving, this will allegedly have a focus on keeping the battery usage down by making sure background apps don’t ping the system too often.

Fingerprint Sensor Support: Fingerprint sensor is available on many devices with the support from their custom operating systems but now Google have introduced a new and innovative fingerprint sensor support which will allow access to APIs so that apps can access different fingerprint sensors as well.

Google Now on Tap: This is a killer feature from Android. Google’s personal assistant just got better. Google Now on Tap will assist you with whatever you’re doing right in the moment, anywhere on your phone. With Now on tap feature you can simply tap and hold the home button for assistance without having to leave what you’re doing whether you’re in an app or on a website.

USB Type C Support:  Android M will support the USB Type C standard which is a tiny physical connector. This will support reversible charging which means phones and tablets can charge other phones and tablets. This is much faster than Type A and Type B USB support and will transfer data at a faster rate. This will also charge devices up to 2-3 times faster than the Type A and Type B USB support.

Other announcements from Google in the I/O Conference are listed below:

Google Photos: Google separates its previous Google Photos from Google Plus and now is an independent app. The new Google Photos have an improved auto-tagging feature, photo sharing has also been improved and it allows users to store unlimited photos of up to 16 MP and videos of 1080p.

Project Brillo: It is the latest OS for IoT from Google and is the simplest form of OS for IoT. It is streamlined for objects other than smartphones and tablets. The developer preview will be available by the end of this year.

Google Maps Offline: This will include offline maps search and turn-by-turn voice navigation instructions. This feature is particularly designed for developing countries where people don’t have access to fast and reliable cellular data connectivity.

Offline You Tube: Offline You Tube will allow users to save videos on their smartphones for 48 hours and will be free of cost. You Tube key subscribers still have this option available to them but it’s not free of cost and the key subscribers are charged for this service.  YouTube’s offline feature will be available on all Android devices with KitKat 4.4 and higher.

Project Jump: Google has affiliated with GoPro to develop virtual reality devices with 16 camera modules. This feature will enable users to get 360 degree virtual reality video with the help of 16 camera modules.

Developer Pages: With Developer Pages, developers will have their own page on the Google play Store. Developers will be able to put information about their apps and can let users know about their previous, current and in store future apps.