There's a new version of the Android 13 Beta, a timeline for Google Assistant on Samsung's watches, and the second coming of Google Glass.
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| Screenshot: Google |
Google I/O 2022 was much shorter this year. Rather than three full days of virtual sessions and talks, Google opted for two days for its developer conference, with most announcements happening within the two hours of its opening keynote. The company walked us through much of what it’s been working on behind the scenes, like how it added 24 new languages to its repertoire and introduced a feature that lets you delete yourself from searches. Google also revealed its Pixel hardware lineup for the next year, including the long-awaited and severely-rumored Pixel Watch, Pixel 6a, and even a new Android tablet dubbed the Pixel tablet.
But that’s not the only news that Google made this week. There were plenty of little bits that Google only lightly touched upon in the keynote. And as with most major developer conferences, sometimes the news happens after the keynote is over and the actual developers have started to huddle. If you’re an Android fan or you’ve got gobs of Google products lining your home, read on to hear about any of the news you might have missed.
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| Photo: Florence Ion |
The first Android 13 Beta may have launched just a few weeks ago, but we’re already at the second version. Google pushed out the update to Pixel phones that are a part of the program a few hours after the I/O keynote. The update is relatively minor in terms of feature additions.
I am still digging through this beta version of Android 13 to see what’s new. For now, proceed toward any beta with the utmost caution. But most importantly, have fun.
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| Photo: Victoria Song / |
It was pretty exciting to hear that Fitbit would have deep integration in the Pixel Watch, though folks were still curious if it meant we’d ever see another Fitbit-specific wearable.
In an interview with CNET, James Park, the Vice President, General Manager, and co-found of Fitbit, who now heads Google’s wearables division, confirmed that more would be on the horizon. “The Pixel Watch is going to be part of a family of devices from Google and Fitbit that fits into different ranges of prices,” explained Park. “So you can have super premium devices under the Pixel brand. And then we’ll continue to have Fitbit devices at other prices as well.”
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| Image: Google |
Talking about the Matter smart home standard feels like rehashing the plot of Waiting for Godot, but that’s the name of the game at this stage. At least the rest of the industry is keeping the dream alive by mentioning it, and Google gave us a little more in terms of what to expect when the standard is ready to implement.
Developers will be able to access the Google Home Developer Console later this summer, which features two new software development kits for building Matter devices and apps. This SDK will also include access to Google’s Intelligence Clusters for developers who meet particular security and privacy requirements. This will allow their devices and apps to access your Home app’s Home & Away routines, which is the key to automation in any Google-led smart home.
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