Google I/O 2021: Everything that's been revealed at the keynote

Some say Google is God. Others say Google is Satan. But if they think Google is too powerful, remember that with search engines, unlike other companies, all it takes is a single click to go to another search engine. ---Sergey Brin

Google I/O (or simply I/O) is a developer conference conducted annually by Google in Mountain View, California. The abbreviation "I/O" refers to input/output, as well as the phrase "Innovation in the Open." The concept of the session is similar to that of Google Developer Day. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the event did not take place in the year 2020. This event takes place every year in the months of May or June and lasts for about 2-3 days.

So let us discuss the major announcements made at this year's Google I/O event during the keynote.

• Smart Canvas on Google Docs

Source:- Google

Google unveiled “smart canvas,” a new endeavor for its Workspace office software that would make it easier to collaborate across products. "Smart chips" allow you to link to other Workspace apps and start a Meet video chat directly from a Google Doc, Sheet, or Slide.

Google Workspace updates for better collaboration

Let us go through the latest updates one by one.

@-mention people, files and meetings

Source:- Google

When you @-mention someone in a document, a smart chip displays additional details such as the person's location, job title, and contact information. And, beginning today, we're launching new smart chips in Docs for suggested files and meetings. Try typing "@" to view a list of preferred individuals, files, and meetings to implant smart chips into your work. Your collaborators may then easily skim relevant meetings and individuals or preview linked papers from the web or mobile, often without changing tabs or contexts. Sheets will have smart chips in the next months.

Pageless Docs

Source:- Google

With Docs' new pageless format, you'll be capable of removing the page limits to generate a surface that extends to whatever device or screen you're using, making it possible to work with wide tables, enormous photos, or comprehensive feedback in comments. You'll also be able to easily go back to a paginated view if you wish to print or convert to PDF.

Emoji reactions in Docs

Google Docs will soon include emoji gestures to help you measure your team's reactions while you collaborate.

Inclusive language recommendations and other new assisted writing features

When it makes sense, the aided writing tool will also provide more inclusive language suggestions, such as using the phrase "chairperson" rather than "chairman," or "mail carrier" instead of "mailman." It will also provide stylistic recommendations, such as avoiding passive voice or inappropriate wording. All of this will help to speed up your editing and strengthen your writing.

Smarter meeting notes template in Docs

This updated Docs template will automatically integrate any relevant data from a Calendar meeting invite, featuring smart chips for attendance and linked files.

Connected checklists in Docs

Checklists are now available on the web and mobile in Docs as of this week. And, in the near future, you'll be able to delegate checklist items to others and see these action items in Google Tasks, making it simpler for everyone else to handle a project's To-Do list.

Table templates in Docs

Table templates will be added to Google Docs in the near future. Topic-voting tables will enable you to instantly get team feedback, whilst project-tracker tables will allow you to record milestones and statuses on the go.

Work in Meet directly from your Doc, Sheet, or Slide

Source:- Google

You may now show your content to a Google Meet call on the web immediately from the Doc, Sheet, or Slide where you actively engage with your team. Jumping from collaborating on a document to a live conversation without missing a beat keeps the project — and the team — on track. In the fall, we'll be bringing Meet straight to Docs, Sheets, and Slides on the web, so people can see and listen to each other while working together.

Live captions and translations in Google Meet

Google presently provides live subtitles in five languages, with more to come. And, soon this year, Google will launch live caption translations, beginning with English-language live captions converted into Spanish, Portuguese, French, or German, with several languages to follow.

Timeline view in Sheets

Source:- Google

To effectively manage and engage with your data, you'll be able to switch between different views in Sheets. Google's initial release will be a timeline view that would make task monitoring easier and quicker. This adaptable view allows you to organize your data by the owner, category, campaign, or any other attribute that suits your needs. A dynamic, interactive timeline improves your ability to handle marketing campaigns, project milestones, timelines, and cross-team interactions.

More assisted analysis functionality in Sheets

Source:- Google

Google is also enhancing our Sheets browsing experience with more supported analysis functionality, such as formula predictions that make it a lot easier for everyone to gain insights from data. Sheets intelligence assists you in creating and troubleshooting formulas, which speeds up data analysis and reduces errors.

Create and edit Sheets, Docs, and Slides from Google Chat rooms

Source:- Google

Teams could now move right from a Google Chat discussion to co-creating content. Creating and updating Sheets and Docs from Google Chat rooms is already available in Google's web experience, and Slides will be added in the following weeks.

• Google Meet gets a 'Companion Mode'

Source:- Google

"Each remote person gets their 'own video tile' in Meet with this mode." It will be available later this year.

• LaMDA: Google's breakthrough conversation technology

Source:- Google

It is Google's most recent advancement in natural language understanding. It's a language paradigm for conversational applications. Natural interactions are productive, and they never repeat themselves. No matter what we talk about, LaMDA can carry a discussion. LaMDA, unlike most of the other language models, was trained via dialogue. It picked up on numerous of the characteristics that separate open-ended conversation from other kinds of language during its training.

Google exhibited footage of two short discussions with the model to demonstrate LaMDA's abilities. In the first, LaMDA answered questions while claiming to be Pluto, while in the second, it was a paper airplane stand-in.

Below is the tweet of the conversation made by Sundar Pichai with Pluto using LaMDA👇

• TPU v4

Source:- Google

Google introduced the newest generation of its Tensor Processing Units (TPU) AI hardware today. This is the fourth generation of these processors, which, according to Google are twice as fast as the previous iteration. These chips are then joined in pods with 4,096 v4 TPUs, as Google CEO Sundar Pichai mentioned. A single pod provides more than one exaflop of computer power.

• 'Auto-delete' feature

After 18 months, your data will be automatically get deleted unless you choose to do it sooner.

• New Password Manager upgrades announced

Users can now import passwords from other password managers using the new 'Import Passwords' function. 'Alert Password' will notify users if any of their saved passwords are compromised as a result of a third-party intrusion. Google Assistant will assist you in rapidly navigating to the affected account and changing its password.

• More privacy related features

Source:- Google

You can now remove your recent search history by selecting "Delete last 15 minutes." You will now be reminded to disable your location history if you do not want it saved. Google is also introducing a 'Locked Folder' feature for images and movies that require a password or fingerprint to open.

• Multitask Unified Model (MUM)

Source:- Google

Sundar Pichai, Google's CEO, recently declared at Google's I/O developer's event 2021 that "Google Search" has finally attained a new AI milestone for interpreting information with its technological innovation. MUM stands for Multitask Unified Model.

For the best results, Google Searches usually involve a single query. The search result would offer a step-by-step procedure for completing the question. Nonetheless, we all know that this degree of clarity in a question is not achievable at all times and by everyone on the planet. Several searches, as a result, include questions that branch out as a complex task for the search engine to process. For example, you could Google "How to Prepare for Hiking Mount Fuji in October; I've trekked on a mountain previously, but what level of fitness do I need?"

Source:- Google

• AR objects in Google Search

Source:- Google

You can now watch great athletes compete in real-time using your Android phone and an augmented reality experience. For instance, you may use your phone to watch Simone Biles compete on an AR balance beam.

• Google Maps

Source:- Google

Google Maps is finally getting AI to deliver game-changing interior instructions for those of us who get lost in locations like airports. In AR, Live View allows you to see where you want to go. The new features include:-

• Indoor Live View

• Detailed street maps

• Tailored maps

• Area busyness

Source:- Google

Google Maps now includes eco-friendly and safer route options. This will result in less fuel use.

Source:- Google

• Google Shopping

Source:- Google

Google Shopping is getting some improvements, which is a good thing because the bar is already low. Google wants us to use Google Lens to look at products found online. You'll be able to begin with an image search, open that image, select a product, and then the appropriate find store. You'll be able to browse within a screenshot as well.

• Little Patterns and Cinematic Moments on Google Photos

Source:- Google

Right now, there are 4 trillion photos and movies stored on Google Photos! Despite this, the vast majority are never seen. Two stunning facts. By resurfacing old photos, new features will assist you in finding them.

It sounds like you'll be able to uncover shared patterns across photographs to create a series. The suggested example is recognizing an orange hiking knapsack on a vacation. The object remains constant, but your route changes, providing a tale about where you've been and how you got there.

• Wear OS

Source:- Google

Samsung and Google have announced that they are collaborating on Wear OS and Tizen, which is great news for both companies (and consumers). Google's battery life and computing power have hampered its smartwatch operating system. Tizen is Samsung's watch operating system, and it lacks widespread acceptance (only on Samsung devices) to entice developers to create apps — it's simply not worth it. This has the potential to be a game-changer. The new updates include:-

• Merging with Samsung Tizen

• UI redesign

• Integration with Fitbit

Source:- Google

Remember when Google purchased Fitbit? It is now utilizing the company with its Wear OS platform. Fitbit's far superior health tracking progress and celebrations are making their way to Wear OS. Fitbit will also develop new watches based on Wear OS. The new Samsung Galaxy watch has been teased, and it will include the Google Play Store right on the gadget. This could be the answer to all of our complaints about the Samsung Galaxy Watch series.

Google is adjusting automated white balance and algorithmically decreasing stray light to bring out natural brown tones while preventing over-brightening and desaturation of darker complexions.

Source:- Google

• Google Health

Source:- Google

Google has been trying to improve mammography, and we are now cooperating with Northwestern Medicine on an investigational device research study to further understand how AI can be used to the breast cancer screening procedure.

• Project Starline

Source:- Google

Project Starline is a technology project that combines breakthroughs in hardware and software to allow friends, families, and employees to feel connected even if they live in different cities (or countries). Imagine looking through a sort of magic window, and through that window, you see another person, life-size and in three dimensions. You can talk naturally, gesture, and make eye contact.

• Google Lens

Source:- Google

Every day, individuals all across the world use Lens to translate over a billion words. As a result, Google is now introducing a new feature that blends visual translation with instructional information from the web. For example, you can easily take a snapshot of a science problem, and Lens will deliver study resources in the language of your choice.

• Android

Source:- Google

Around the world, there are now three billion active Android devices.

Source:- Google

With Material You, Google is thinking outside the palette box, allowing users to alter up the UI (primarily by altering colors and shapes) to match their own style. The current flowery top demonstrates that Google is serious about allowing consumers to choose their own 'tasteful' fashion choices.

Source:- Google

The redesigned UI will have a new 'Colour extraction' feature that will generate a custom palette depending on the wallpaper you're currently using. You receive a new lock screen with dynamic light support. When there are no alerts, the clock on the lock screen seems larger. Google Pay and Home controls are also available in the notification bar's 'quick settings.' The current beta brings more rounded buttons, more varied colors, smoother motion and animations, and much more. Widgets have also been redesigned, and they now have a more rounded appearance. Because iOS 14 included widgets last year, it only made sense for Android 12 to see a change in this section as well, where its appearance will reflect the color palette you've chosen.

Source:- Google

By long pressing the power button, you may now summon Google Assistant.

Source:- Google

Here is a glimpse at the latest Android 12!

A new privacy dashboard will reveal what type of data was accessed and when. A new indicator has been added to notify users when an app is utilizing its camera or microphone. The Android Private Compute Core is the engine that powers Android 12's privacy features, ensuring that apps and the phone adhere to the privacy settings you select. To begin, the new privacy dashboard provides an overview of apps that use the phone's location, camera, contacts, and other features. The notification center also provides simple access to deactivate any phone functions that an app is using. For instance, if Facebook is utilizing the microphone while you're using another app, this section of the notification center will show you that Facebook is utilizing the microphone directly. If you press this, you will be able to disable its use on Facebook as well as other apps if you so desire.

With features such as Live Captioning, Now Playing, and Smart Reply, all audio and language processing takes place on your device, so no data is shared elsewhere. Finally, when utilizing a camera app, there will be a modest UI indicator that some camera functionalities are being used, identical to how it appears in Apple's iOS 14.

You may now unlock and share files from your Chromebook using your Android phone. According to Google, the TV control will be incorporated into the phone and will operate with Android TV. The theme of the next slide is Better Together. You can sign into a Chromebook with your nearby phone with one tap. Your TV remote features are being built directly into your phone and works with Android TV OS right out of the box.

Source:- Google

Later this year, Google will release the 'Digital Car Key' function, which will allow car owners to lock, unlock, or start their vehicle using NFC. Pixel and Samsung Galaxy devices will be supported.

Source:- Google

Google's password manager is being redesigned as well, with cross-platform interoperability across your Google apps and devices. In addition, photo modes will support AVIF, a new format that offers a similar reduction to JPEG but with higher quality.

Source:- Google

Android 12 beta 1 is coming soon to a phone near you - device makers are enabling you to test drive it on phones from 11 different manufacturers. These manufacturers are:-

• Google Pixel

• Asus

• OnePLus

• Oppo

• Realme

• Sharp

• Tecno

• TCL

• Vivo

• Xiaomi

• ZTE

Source:- Google

In addition, Android 12 claims to make your device speedier and more reactive. Google claims that it minimizes the CPU time required for core system services by up to 22% and the system server's utilization of huge cores by up to 15%, all of which should result in increased battery life.

• Moonshot

Source:- Google

By 2030, the search engine giant hopes to run its entire operation on carbon-free energy 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The moonshot gained a welcome boost at Google I/O 2021 with the revelation that it will use "next-generation" geothermal energy to power data centers and infrastructure across Nevada.

Thank you guys for reading my article. I hope that I covered many things that were announced in the keynote session of Google I/O 2021. If you feel like adding more content, please feel free to do so in the comment section.