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GOOGLE ISN’T JUST content with just being the go to place for a query or being at the top of the smartphone market, it’s wants to become front and centre of everything you do.
The company held its annual developer event Google I/O, one of the biggest events in its calendar. A large number of services and updates were announced but most were linked by one thing: Google Assistant.
From first glance, Google Assistant looks like a cross between Google Now, personal assistants like Siri and a chatbot.
Using the work already established with Google Now, it’s able to complete a two-way conversation between the user and Google. It can deal with more complex questions and remember the context of previous questions so it can bring up more relevant information.
In the example provided, asking what movies are in the cinema will bring up three popular movies. When you say you’re bringing kids, it presents more appropriate suggestions and will ask if you want to book tickets.
Home sweet home
This feature ties into another significant product announcement, Google Home. Looking like a fancy vase, the speaker was made by the same team who made Chromecast and is always listening to you (At the start of the event, Google’s CEO Sundar Pichai said that 50% of searches were made on mobile; one-fifth of those are voice searches)
Not only can it answer your questions, it will also link up with your other devices including speakers – much like Chromecast Audio and the speakers don’t need to be in the same room to link up – and your TV if Chromecast is connected.
Smart responses
The final example of Assistant integration was the announcement of one of two new messaging apps. One was Duo, a Facetime-live video messenger, but the more important one is Allo, a likely replacement for the messy Google Hangouts.
While it shares many similarities to other messaging apps like WhatsApp, Viber and Facebook Messenger, it does bring in its own small twists to existing ideas.
Alongside the traditional messaging, stickers, photos and others, there were three features that Google believes separates itself from its competitors: expression, Google Assistant and Security.
One small but useful feature is before you hit send, you can drag your finger up and down the send button, making the text bigger or smaller (so no more need for Caps Lock), as well as doodling on photos.
But the real pull is Google Assistant. While you’re talking to someone or a group, you can rely on Google to help you out with conversations with smart replies. The more you use the app, the better it becomes at offering suggested replies that you can quickly use.
The chatbot can figure out the context of the conversation or photo so if someone sends you a photo of a dog, it will suggest responses like “Cute dog!” or “Aww!”. On top of that, Google Assistant into the conversation is to help you out with searches or choosing a restaurant or playing a game.
They’re not revolutionary additions but the idea is to make things as quick and as convenient as possible. And for you to rely more on Assistant as time goes on.
No specific dates were provided but Allo and Duo will arrive on iOS and Android later this summer. Google Home will arrive in the autumn but no mention as to whether it will make its way over to Ireland.
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Very sad. Young woman, may heaven be her bed. RIP.
That is so sad, another person taken well before their time by this horrible disease.
RIP put up a great fight. Will they ever find a cure for this
@Derek O Gorman: Rest in peace Shannon may you find peace now. To answer your question I doubt there’ll ever be a cure too many plarma companies making billions on R&D and medications it’s like diabetes there’ll never be a cure.
@Nemethon: Do pharma companies make billions on R&D?
@Nemethon: The average R&D to marketplace cost for a new medicine is nearly €4 billion, and can sometimes exceed €10 billion. R&D spending by itself doesn’t guarantee profitability and strong stock performance. Some companies see a payoff from spending heavily on R&D when projects are deemed to be successful. On the other hand, companies can also suffer from poor performance losses even after investing a great deal of money each year in R&D
@ecrowley ecrowley: Not directly, but in Ireland R&D expenses are deducted from profit when calculating capital gains tax. And not only on R&D costs occuring in country, which is ridiculous. The large pharmas are not just here for the craic.
@Tommy Roche: Do you think they’re not spending money on R&D? If they’re not but availing of tax loopholes, that’d be unforgivable but without knowing that’s happening, we’re heading towards conspiracy theory territory.
@Nemethon: You mean it costs billions in R&D. There is a question as to how much profits are enough but it costs an awful lot to develop these drugs many of which don’t come to anything after hundreds of millions spent.
@Derek O Gorman: they have invented a smoking cessation product which prevents cancer, but governments want it banned
She found hard and long…time to rest now
May she rest in peace.
Rose to fame playing Brenda Walsh? She was already well known. Our House, Little House on the Praire etc. RIP
@Gerard Hayden: she was in little house on the praire? I used to watch that and never knew she was in it.
@Brian Dunne: yes was Laura ingles adopted daughter I think?
@Lilly Lalogue: ah ok, thanks Lilly!
@Brian Dunne: yea she played Jenny Wilder ;). She was also good in the film Heathers. May she R.J.P. cancer is an awful battle for anyone to go through bless her.
@Lilly Lalogue: no she was Laura’s niece :)
RIP. She really really fought back against that illness. Strong resilient person.
Rip poor young woman
Very sad. RiP Shannen
She is with God now
Rip i taught she died few weeks ago
@Square: what an a##hole you are
@Robert M: muted
@Square: Obviously not, don’t talk of cancer patients like that. She was a legend. I have great respect for her.
@Paul Treacy: im not talking bad i taught i heard she died few weeks ago i was wrong rip yes i watched her growing up
Shame a brilliant actress rip
Lord rest
She was a lovely woman and a great fighter. It’s so sad she died so young.
She was a notoriously difficult actor to work with but that doesn’t take away from her sad passing.
RIP her suffering is over
@Damien O’Sullivan: She had a reputation for being difficult because she stood up for herself and would not allow herself to be taken advantage of. Many women who followed her in the business admired her for how she stood. A woman like that is “difficult”. A man like that is “strong”!
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