Google I/O 2017 Complete Wrap Up: Everything You Need To Know

Google I/O 2017 has finally come to an end, with plenty to see and even more to discover in the weeks and months ahead as Google works towards finalizing some of the content that they showed off during the big event over the last few days. Some of the most notable introductions during this year’s conference were the Android O Beta Program, which is now live for anyone that wants to opt into it. Additionally, Google also unveiled and launched the Android O Developer Preview 2, which is the software that the beta opt-ins will be getting, and is also available for those want to flash the software manually if they prefer to load the software into their devices on their own.

Android O was perhaps the biggest announcement of the conference but that shouldn’t come as a surprise as many people tend to look forward to Google I/O every year just for new Android OS information. That said this was certainly not the only exciting piece of information that was announced. Google confirmed that there were standalone Daydream VR headsets coming, though they won’t be the ones making them as originally thought. Both HTC’s Vive team and Lenovo will be the ones handling the manufacturing. Both headsets will be running on the Daydream platform and are also expected to be priced similarly to the Vive and Rift headsets, which means they won’t be cheap. Nevertheless they’ll be welcomed additions as it will open up the Daydream platform to those who don’t have Daydream compatible devices. Speaking of phones that work with Daydream, Google announced that both the Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ will be gaining support for Daydream in a software update. This will give consumers of both of those devices the chance to pick whether they want to invest in Gear VR or a Daydream View.

Those who were big fans of one of last year’s huge announcements, Google Home, will be happy to know that Google has announced hands-free calls are coming to the smart home speaker. While this isn’t necessarily the most ground-breaking new feature for the device, it’ll surely be a useful one and it should garner lots of praise from owners. The technology behind Google Home got some new stuff too as Google Assistant will finally be gaining the ability for users to type out their interactions instead of having to speak them, which will certainly be better for privacy when users are out in public. If you happened to miss any of the biggest stories from Google I/O 2017 over the past few days, you can find everything in the links down below.

Keynote Speech