Google I/O 2016 came to a close on Friday, and it marked our sixth year in attendance to Google's annual developer bash. A great many topics were covered from divisions all over Google, with lots of announcements big and small, both consumer and developer-facing. Our first I/O recap covered the front half of the show, while Mark takes a look at some of the announcements from Google's ATAP division as well as shares some thoughts on the show and news overall this year.
Read MoreOur Google I/O Recap - In 7 Minutes (Video)
Looking to get your head around the majority of the announcements at Google I/O? We've got a video for that. Our summary of all the announcements from the keynote and day one of the show will catch you up with the major happenings at I/O 2016, with our very own Mark Burstiner.
Read MoreATAP's Project Soli Gesture Tracking System Is Smaller And Sleeker In Version 2.0, With New Concept Hardware From LG And Harman
It's alright if you've already forgotten about Project Soli - with all of the crazy futuristic stuff that the Google Advanced Technology and Projects (ATAP) team works on, it's easy to get confused. Essentially, Soli is a system that adapts radar-style techniques into tiny hardware in order to enable the tracking of hands and fingers (or anything else, really) which in turn allows software to recognize hand gestures with precision and accuracy that beats anything on the consumer market today. It's pretty cool - watch this video from last year's Google I/O for a crash course.
Read MoreA New Challenger Appears: Xiaomi's Mi Box Is A 4K-Ready Android TV Device 'Coming To The US Soon'
You might have noticed that there aren't a lot of Android TV boxes around. Aside from the original Nexus Player, the much-recommended NVIDIA SHIELD, and the generally regrettable Razer Forge TV, only a few somewhat random cable boxes and some Sony televisions are using Google's living room version of its mobile OS. But there's a surprise entry announced at Google I/O 2016: Chinese manufacturer Xiaomi. Its "Mi Box" Android TV device ticks all of the hardware boxes, but what's even more surprising is that it's coming to the United States.
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Android TV Will Support Picture-In-Picture, Live Recording, HDR, And New Apps - Google Cast Functionality Will Be Included In More Televisions
Android TV didn't get much screen time at the opening keynote of the Google I/O developer conference, but there were a few goodies mentioned for upcoming builds. Specifically, VP of engineering David Burke showed off a new picture-in-picture mode that allows users to continue a streaming video while doing something else in the main ATV user interface, such as performing a voice search or downloading an app.
Read MoreNew Sessions Added To Google I/O 2016 Schedule
Google posted at least some of the events and sessions for developers to check out at the Google I/O trade conference already. It looks like the Big G wasn't quite finished ironing out the details, because several new sessions have been added to the official website as of today. Here are a few of them that are particularly relevant to Android:
Read MoreAndroid VR Placeholder Pops Up In The Google Play Developer Console
Yesterday we reported on a rumor that Google would unveil a new "Android VR" platform at Google I/O next week, along with a standalone headset. Today we're seeing what looks like additional evidence. Folks who sign into the Google Play Developer Console are seeing Android VR alongside Android Wear, Android TV, and Android Auto.
Read MoreEvent Map For Google I/O 2016 Released
Probably the biggest event on the Android calendar is Google I/O, and it's just around the corner, running from the 18th of May to the 20th. This year's event will be held at the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, where the first Google I/O event took place in 2008, rather than the usual Moscone Center in San Francisco.
There has been much speculation as to what this will look like. This is, after all, relatively new territory for the company. But thanks to a custom map released by Google, and built using Google Maps' MyMaps feature, we now have an idea.
Read MoreThe Google I/O 2016 Schedule Is Up
Google has just published the official schedule for I/O 2016 - you can see it right here. This year's I/O is at Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, near Google's own headquarters. Day one kicks off with a 10AM keynote that will go a full two hours (!), but there are lots of other interesting sessions, here are a few.
- 6 Degree of Freedom Gaming in Android with Project Tango
- What's new in Android (our favorite)
- Introducing Project Tango Area Learning
- Android battery and memory optimizations (new battery optimizations in N, supposedly)
- Android Auto for everyone
- What's New with Project Tango
- VR & Cinema
- Google's Vision for VR
- Android high-performance audio
Seven sessions feature "VR" as one of the tags, so I would not be surprised if more VR-related sessions (and hopefully, news) are added as we get close to the conference.
Read MoreGoogle I/O 2016 Registration Is Now Open
Are you developing things with Google technologies? Can you be at the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, California on May 18, 19, and 20th? Are you willing to part with $900 for a ticket to Google I/O ($300 for students)? If you answered yes to all of these questions, you might want to get over to the Google I/O site and apply for a ticket.
Registration opened up at 9 AM PST this morning and it will remain open until 5 PM PST on March 10th, so you've got a couple of days to get your name into the pot if this isn't a good time.
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