Google I/O Keynote
On May 28, 2015 at 9:30 a.m. PT / 12:30 p.m. ET, Google will hold the keynote at its I/O developer conference in San Francisco. Expect news on all of its platforms: the web, Android, Chrome, and more. Fast Company's Harry McCracken, John Brownlee, and Jared Newman will be there to cover it in person and will share developments as they happen.
Did you miss the event? You can watch the keynote video here and read a quick recap of they keynote's highlights here.
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Greetings. We're hours away from the I/O keynote, which means that the scuttlebutt being published has a higher-than-average chance of panning out. I'm going to share a few stories from around the web. (Including some from Fast Company.)
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Google may be set to leapfrog Apple in mobile payments with Android Pay
VentureBeatThe company may announce Android support for fingerprint readers, and support for loyalty programs in Android Pay. -
From Moonshots to Android M: What to Expect From Google I/O | WIRED
WIREDIt's that time again: Google I/O 2015 is upon us, and as usual, there's a lot to cover. Let's dig in. -
Google I/O 2015 rumor roundup: Android M, Glass, new Photos, and more | ExtremeTech
ExtremeTechGoogle's annual dev conference has become much more than a place for developers to schmooze. Here's what to expect. -
Google's Hiroshi Lockheimer On The Present And Future Of Android And Chrome OS
Fast CompanyThe engineer in charge of Google's operating systems says they're both similar and differentand add up to an overarching vision. -
How Google Makes Sure Google Now Is Useful, Personal, And Efficient--And Not Creepy
Fast CompanyGoogle Now honcho Aparna Chennapragada on the art of turning information into bite-sized, actionable cards. -
Google Glass 2, Anyone? What's Really Worth Your Time At Google I/O
Fast CompanyWearable undergarments and other intriguing concepts from this week's big conference. -
Everything We Know So Far About Google I/O 2015
GizmodoGoogle I/O is the annual tech holiday for all fandroids and lovers of Mountain View moonshots. It’s a software party mostly, so check your new hardware expectations at the door. It’s a full two days for Google to showcase the future—or at least the next 12 months—and it all starts tomorrow. -
Hello, everyone. I'll be helping out Harry with the live-blogging duties today.I have nothing but a lack of coffee to report so far, but I will say that, during press registration last night, there was a big Android statue dressed up like a caveman in an animal skin unitard in the lobby of the Moscone Center. Like this!May 27, 2015
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My pet theory: we'll see the arrival of Android Neanderthal today, a total design overhaul of Google's mobile operating system that throws aside the precepts of Material Design in favor of rocks-and-leopard-print skeuomorphism. Google will then hand out Nexus smartphones to I/O attendees that are powered by a tiny dinosaur running on a treadmill inside. -
Fast Company executive editor Noah Robischon and Co.Design senior writer Mark Wilson pregamed i/o earlier this week -- watch!
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Remember, FastCompany.com readers - if you've got questions before, during, or after the event, you can submit them to our reporters at the scene using the comment box on this page!
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Many of you probably already know this, but every year, Google gives away new gadgets to I/O attendees, under the hopes that the dev-heavy audience will start whipping up some cool things for it.
Here's a list of what Google's given out in the past
Want to know something funny? By most accounts, the best Google I/O giveaway was last year, when Google gave away a PIECE OF CARDBOARD. Sure, that piece of cardboard transformed your Android phone into a remedial VR rig, but still, it ended up being a big deal: in fact, as my colleague Mark Wilson reports, the head of Google Search design was quietly moved to head up the Google Cardboard project this year.
How will Google possibly top a piece of cardboard this year? Stay tuned! -
How Fast Company's crackerjack news team finds each other at I/O. (We still haven't found each other) UPDATE: Harry was found!
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I'm looking forward to learning more about Android M. There's still almost nothing in technology more interesting than learning about a meaty update to a piece of software you might use every day.
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I'm curious to see how they plan to make Android TV matter to developers and users. Right now it's the Windows Phone of the television world. (And Roku fills the role of Android.)
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I'd also like to see them make Android Wear compatible with iOS. Supposedly in the works and probably inevitable, even if it isn't announced today.
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I'm going to start my running tally of smartwatches spotted at the show. I see at least two Apple Watches in the press room! And a Sony Smartwatch 3 just walked out.
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Jared Newman is liveblogging with a Surface Pro. With Ethernet!
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Panorama time! It's like The Matrix meets Behind The Green Door in here.
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Like Harry, I'd love to see an announcement of Android Wear iOS compatibility today. I'm also really curious what we're going to hear about Brillo, especially as it pertains to a now Google-owned Nest. And what about Google Glass? Is Google serious about it not being dead, or is it mouldering in the Google product graveyard with the Nexus Q?
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Thing about the Nexus Q is that the underlying idea--beaming from streaming apps to the TV--became Chromecast. Wonder if Glass will undergo a similarly dramatic transformation.
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There are good seats reserved for the press here, but the very best ones are reserved for Googlers.
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In other Google news this week: The Google Impact Challenge will dole out $20 million in grants for technologies that help with physical disabilities. They're also vowing to focus more on accessibility in general. Might we see new accessibility-focused features today?
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There are rumblings Google will announce some interesting changes to their Photo services today. Color me interested after reading this great article by Venturebeat's Dylan Tweney about how awesome Google+'s existing photo tools are. Unbundle this from Google+ please!
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There's actually so much Google news this week that it doesn't all fit into the keynote. Chevy announced that it's offering Android Auto (and CarPlay) in a bunch of models. I got a demo and Android Auto, especially, looks pretty darn nice.
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Google+ photos are great, and I think people might be more inclined to use them if they weren't burdened with the G+ albatross.
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I'm ashamed (or maybe not ashamed) to say that I very rarely check in on my Google+ account anymore, except as a journalist wondering what's going on over there.
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I used to always back my photos up to G+. Have since switched to OneDrive since I couldn't sync G+ photos to my desktop. (I also found the management tools to be kind of clunky. Don't know if that's changed.)
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I just want Google, Apple, Flickr, or someone to sort through my thousands of photos automatically and tell me which ones are even worth keeping, automagically. Is that too much to ask?
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I'm finally getting my act together in terms of putting all the photos that matter to me in one place, and am still trying to decide where to do that. (Leaning towards Dropbox at the moment.)
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Another IO question: Will Larry Page be part of this event? He won't preside over it, but he might appear and talk in a more unfiltered fashion than tech CEOs usually do at keynotes.
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So as we all wait here, here's a shameful confession. At my first CES, I was at an LG press conference when suddenly, they announced that they'd stashed three top-of-the-line laptops underneath the seats. A guy right next to me, who looked like Santa Claus - The Gadget Blogger, immediately jumped up, holding a laptop above his head like Thor brandishing Mjolnir. Ever since then, I always check the bottom of my seat when I go to a press event. (The only thing I've ever found is a nice, moist mound of chewing gum)
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TechCrunch is reporting that Google Photos will have unlimited storage for photos up to 16 megapixels, and 1080p video. Apparently (and maybe inadvertently) confirmed by Google officials.
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I just checked under my seat. Nothing but chewing gum left over from Microsoft BUILD.