10 Cool announcements we want to hear at Google I/O 2017
We’re just a couple of weeks away from Google I/O 2017, and it’s time to start thinking about what we’ll be seeing at the show. Well, it’s decidedly less of a show these days as Google is trying to shift it back to a developers’ education conference, but that doesn’t mean they won’t have some new product announcements on tap for us to go crazy over.
So, we sat down and thought: what would we want to see at Google I/O 2017? The result of all that daydreaming and wishful thinking awaits you straight ahead.
Google Home Mini
Take the left one and make it as small as the right one.
Google Home isn’t too big or unsightly, but we are always fans of ubiquitous products being as small and out of the way as they can be. A Google Home Mini would do well to satiate our lust for downsizing.
Project Jacquard Outfit
When a single jacket isn’t enough, we’d love a whole outfit hooked up with Project Jacquard. Putting touch sensors on your jean leggings, baseball cap, and maybe even your shoes (for those of you who like to sit like this) would be pretty convenient. We also wouldn’t mind it if we just got another jacket made out of something other than cringe-inducing 70s denim.
Project Wi + Project Fi = Project WiFi
We have a Project Fi, so where’s the Project Wi? Well, Google no longer seems interested in laying out fiber-optic lines to become everyone’s favorite new internet provider thanks to regulatory hurdles, but they still do seem keen on offering gigabit data to the masses one way or another. Take the cables out of the ground and throw some of those weird space balloons into the sky and let’s make this thing happen already.
An Actual Google Assistant
Robots are a thing, and they have been for some time now. While not all of them are super smart and most are niche (such as manufacturing robots or those designed to suck dirt up from all corners of your home), we are still waiting for that i,Robot future where helper robots with human-like AI can help us around the home.
That’s why a robot with the Google Assistant would be very awesome to see at Google I/O. They could roll around the house behind us, waiting to help us with whichever tasks we need. Let’s just hope Google’s AI hasn’t gotten so smart that they start turning on us.
Google Glass Bourne Edition
Google Glass got really boring after Google decided it only has a place in the professional world, but that doesn’t mean they couldn’t be working on something cooler for consumers behind the scenes. We want to see a kickass pair of glasses that project a UI onto surfaces that you can manipulate like Jason Bourne. Yes, we’re still on that.
Nest Door
Nest is all about controlling and monitoring your home from afar, and one thing that bears monitoring in all homes is the opening and closing of doors. That’s why we’d love to see the Nest Door. Get notifications when the door opens to know when someone enters or leaves the home. Have the Nest Cam automatically record footage at the door to see who’s there. Use an integrated smart lock to unlock your door using NFC. There could even be a Pet Door option that offers remote lock and a collar sensor. The possibilities are endless.
Pixel Drone
Imagine a Google drone that could scan things and places and give you a quick rundown on them. It’d be like the Watch Dogs drone, but for the real world and without remote hacking capabilities.
Milky Way
So we’re probably not getting Andromeda… but that doesn’t mean we couldn’t get Milky Way. The marriage of Android and Chrome OS on a level more than just app runtimes needs to happen, dammit, and we’ll keep advocating for that future until we land on Google’s “insufferable pest” list.
Android Oreos
We already know what to expect from Android O from a feature standpoint, but we want to experience those days of KitKat once more with cool Android-shaped double-stuff Oreo goodness. We know, we know: the KitKat partnership wasn’t cool or effective enough to warrant another one of these commercial branding opportunities, but if you know Phandroid you know we’ll never give up hope.
Google Toilet
“OK Google, bidet me.” ‘Nuff said.
What do you want?
We admit, we got a bit carried away with some of this stuff, but at least half of it is plausible, and the other half? Well, stranger things have been done. Share some of your own ideas in the comments below as we look to pass the time until the day the Google I/O 2017 Keynote kicks off, which is May 17th.