GOOGLE’S ANNUAL SHOWAND-TELL

I/O 2019 conference highlights

GOOGLE HAS JUST HELD its annual I/O event, and the biggest draw was the third beta for Android Q. This adds support for 5G, folding phones (if you can find one), revamped privacy settings, News story timelines, and a Focus Mode to silence notifications, among other frills. One interesting feature is Live caption, which uses AI to turn any audio into text. All the translation is done locally, so Google servers don’t know what you are up to. Yes, there was a fair bit of talk about privacy, too. Google incognito mode is to be expanded to Google Maps, so you can keep your comings and goings private. You’ll also be able to set Google to delete all your activity after three months. Google Duplex got another airing, now heading for the web, too. It was demonstrated filling out an online form. Still slightly spooky.

Among all the talk of better AI and voice control, there was some actual hardware, including new Pixel 3a and 3a XL smartphones. Google first dipped its toes into the phone market with its Pixel brand three years ago, but it’s been struggling. The Pixel 3 has not sold well at all. The new phones are significantly cheaper: $399 and $479 respectively. It’s a start, but if Google is serious about selling smartphones, it needs decent distribution. Currently, Google’s only real carrier in the US is Verizon. Meanwhile, there are some good deals on the original Pixel 3. A more successful piece of hardware for Google has been the Home Hub range, which has now been rebranded as Google Nest (no, we have no idea why either). The prices have dropped here, too: The Nest Hub (Home Hub as was) is now $129. A new Nest Hub Max is to follow, at $229, with a larger 10-inch screen, plus a camera, which enables such clever features as halting music playback by holding your palm to the lens. Smart.