Even though Google unveiled a host of things at first day of I/O, there was little to no information about the specific availability of each product. Now, Google finally gives us clarity to some extent as to when Google Assistant, Home, Allo and Duo apps and other announcements made at I/O are expected to hit the market.
The most interesting bit is that the tech giant is unveiling its Google Assistant product initially only in English and Hinglish (a mixture of English and Hindi). The Indian market will be one of the few markets to experience the advantages of Google Assistant in its local language (albeit a mixture). The tech giant has, however, said that it will roll out the feature in other Indian regional languages eventually.
Google vaguely said that Home will hit the market sometime later in the year, but did not specify which markets. It asserted that Home is still in its early stages and no details on launch date can be finalised yet. Allo and Duo will be launched sometime between June and September in 78 languages. Both the apps will be launched on Android and iOS platforms.
Interestingly, Android N will see the light of the day "earlier than ever". The company will launch the final version to device makers sometime "this summer", earlier than its traditional release in fall. In order to make Daydream a nearby reality, Android N has been optimised and come with an Android VR Mode. Google is even working with Android device manufacturers to do some hardware tweaks in order to make them Daydream-ready by the end of the year. It is even sharing the viewer and controller reference designs with OEMs so that they can make their own versions, Google is expected to release its own viewer and controller by fall.
Google says that the next version of Android Wear and Android Auto are still in its nascent discussion stage with respect to availability, and didn't have details to share at this point. Instant Apps, being a big change, is going to take some time, and Google will be reaching out to developers in the coming months.
After a leak via the conference schedule, Google on Day 2 of I/O officially announced Google Play access is coming to the Chrome. It will be first available on the M53 development channel on Chromebook Flip, Chromebook Acer R11, and Chromebook Pixel (2015). Later this year, it will be enabled on all devices that are based on Intel Braswell CPUs, Intel Broadwell, Intel Skylake, as well as ARM Rockchip 3288. More devices including Baytrail devices will get the integration eventually.Get your daily dose of tech news, reviews, and insights, in under 80 characters on Gadgets 360 Turbo. Connect with fellow tech lovers on our Forum. Follow us on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News for instant updates. Catch all the action on our YouTube channel.