MOUNTAIN VIEW, California (ABC4 News) — Google unveiled a sleuth of new tech and software at its annual developer’s conferences also known “Google I/O” on Tuesday.
Google Assistant, Duplex, Lens, and AR:
A new version of Google Assistant is slated to come to Pixel phones later in 2019 and the company says the update will allow devices to locally processing requests to deliver answers up-to 10x faster and will add in a personalized ‘driving mode” dashboard. A key feature of Google Assistant is also coming to the web, “Duplex”, an A.I. system that allowed users to conduct complex tasks such as booking appointments through the Google app. Duplex on the web will be available later this year on Android phones with the Assistant for rental car bookings and movie tickets
A.R. has been a major buzzword trending in the tech sector and now the search engine will begin rolling out AR features on mobile search beginning later in May, allowing users to view and interact with 3D objects.
Pixel 3a:
A new version of the popular Pixel phone was launched during the I/O event. The Pixel 3A comes in two size variants, three colors, and a lower price point over the other Pixel 3 models. The 5.6-inch model starts at $399 and the 6-inch model starts at $479
Android Q:
The tech giant also shared what’s new with the latest Android mobile operating system, named Android “Q”.
In an effort to improve consumer privacy, Android Q will automatically update system components in the background, much like app update and a new privacy section in the setting menu will allow users to have more control over the location and data access available for third-party apps, Google, and device manufacturers.
Android Q also includes new accessibility features, such as live captions, that will allow all media played on devices to be automatically captioned in real time using machine learning and improved features for those wishing to control screen time with updated “digital Wellbeing” features.
This version of Android is available in beta for 21 devices including Pixel phones.
