Today was the official start of Google I/O 2016 and the proceedings kicked off in a traditional way and with quite the bang, thanks to the Google keynote presentation. This year, this was a little over two hours in length and is typically what is thought of as the highlight of the week and where Google will make all the big announcements on various aspects of the Android world. And that was largely the case with updates coming through on Android Wear, Android N and much more.
In fact, this year’s keynote was not only geared towards the already-established Android aspects but also focused on a number of new additions which will be joining the Google and Android ranks going forward. Out the door first was what Google are calling their Google Assistant, which looks to be a much richer way to make use of services like Google Now. This was then followed by Google confirming the rumors that they would be announcing an Amazon-Echo like device, which we now know to be Google Home, a device which will look to power your connected world at home and one which will also run off Google Assistant. Google also took the keynote opportunity to introduce two new apps as well, one which is a messaging app called Allo and the other being a voice-calling app called Duo. Both are stated to be released later in the year, although both are now listed on the Google Play Store in a pre-register status. Not forgetting of course, this was also the presentation which officially introduced the next step in Google and Android’s take on virtual reality, Daydream. And there was more.
So much more in fact that the whole two hours was packed jammed full of Android-related news and if for whatever reason you were unable to watch the keynote presentation, but would like to see what was announced and how it was announced, then you can always check out the full presentation in your own time, as the full two hours and eight minutes are now available to watch online through YouTube. Just hit play below.