Gadgetory

what's going on brian Tong here with your google issues and this week it's everything you can expect to see at Google i/o 2016 now we don't plan on seeing any big surprises but the headliner of the keynote no doubt will be Android VR we've talked about how the conference schedule has several VR dedicated sessions and Google was really the first big confident make VR accessible to the masses with cardboard but it's time to get more serious reports say Android VR will launch as a dedicated standalone headset and according to tech journalist peter rojas Android VR will be less powerful than the HTC vive or oculus rift but a better experience than the gear VR so you've got to be curious to see how will really fill that sweet spot in between the latest release notes from the Unreal Engine preview had references to Android VR and this is going to be one of Google's big pushes earlier reports from the Financial Times also claimed we might see a demo of it at Google i/o with actual VR hardware to be introduced some time in September now project tango seems to be a logical companion that could have some connection to Android VR or will be part of their VR push as well bloomberg reported that google is planning on using their 3d mapping project tango tech to offer detailed 3d mappings of building interiors it wants to digitally map buildings in 3d to resolution of just a few inches with the goal of allowing developers to take these new tools and create new apps services in past years Google i/o is a showcase for Android end and it still will be it's just going to be a lot harder to shine with Android VR there the Android end developer preview has been out since mark so we pretty much know what to expect it looks and acts a lot like marshmallow so there are no drastic changes but there are some nice tweaks like the new quick settings pull down split-screen mode that works on phones but really is better on tablets and yes its own night mode so we're expecting to see this and a little more from Android and also the merging of Chrome OS and Android could get some love at i/o this year google officially said it's happening but we haven't seen any new announcements from them reddit user the wise yoda posted a screenshot in april from chrome OS that gives you the option to enable android apps to run on your Chromebook showing us one of the first overlaps between the two you know it would be sweet to see a hybrid of Chrome OS and Android that might compete with Microsoft Surface line now there's also a lot of Android wear sessions planned this year we know the SmartWatch market is still trying to figure itself out in reports say we might see a new piece of hardware from acc at i/o for an Android wear watch plus maybe new improvements to Android wear so we'll look for that and impossibly the coolest thing that google could be working on outside of all their secrets at Google X reports from both the information and recode say Google is working on an Amazon echo competitor that has yet to be named but internally is codenamed chirp reports say it resembles the on hub wireless routers that Google currently sells in I've been a fan of google's voice tech from day one the home smart assistant space is the most intriguing consumer tech products out there right now thanks to amazon and google's could be really special but amazon's third-party partnerships have taken off with really no competitors to the echo right now recode also says it's unlikely the device will launch at i/o but we might get a look at it with a launch targeted for sometime this year so that's the highlights and everything we expect to see at Google i/o this year you can join us for our live Senate coverage this Wednesday May the 18 starting around nine-fifteen a.m. pacific time and we'll also be taking your live calls in case you need a friend to talk to that's going to do for this week you can email us at Google issues at cnet com or tweet me at brian Tong they sorts for watching it will catch you all next time for some more of that Google issues Google ishes