Google I/O 2018 teasing games begin with possible Android Pineapple Cake hint

It could be a false hint, but what if this Google I/O 2018 teasing game is actually confirming the dessert name of the next Android version will be Pineapple Cake?

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Android N doesn’t have a dessert name, but it’s most likely version 7.0

What comes after Android 6.0? Logic seems to dictate 7.0, but before 5.0, Google released three major OS iterations with 4.x designations (Ice Cream Sandwich, Jelly Bean and KitKat), so you never know.That said, it sure looks like build N will bring enough enhancements to the table to warrant a full-number update. At the very worst, this is set to roll out to the mobile (and VR) loving masses as version 6.5 in the fall, once developers wrap up system optimization and iron out all current kinks.6.1 is almost certainly out of ...

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Android Wear 2.0 picks up standalone apps, smart replies

It’s time to reimagine what’s possible for wearables with the biggest update yet to Google’s slowly flourishing Android Wear platform. Fittingly dubbed 2.0 (no dessert name or other type of alias?), the new OS aims to help you do a lot more on your wrist when not synched to a smartphone.There are already a few Android smartwatches around that can connect to the web via 3G and even 4G LTE by themselves, but with Android Wear 2.0, you also get “standalone apps”, where your wearable apps have direct network support for “better and richer” independent experiences.Handwriting ...

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Android N security includes file-based encryption

Encryption is a very thorny, controversial issue these days, mostly due to Apple’s lengthy clash with the FBI, but Google couldn’t just sit on the sidelines and leave the newest iteration of Android (dessert name pending) vulnerable to intruders.Instead, Android N picks up file-based rather than block-level encryption, as well as seamless updates downloaded in the background no longer needing approval and bothering you with pesky prompt messages.Essentially, Big G thinks it knows what’s best for your (Nexus) devices, and ...

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Google Duo goes official as secure and always reliable video calling service

The big day has finally arrived, and as we suspected, Google has plenty of neat tricks up its sleeve to showcase to the over 7,000 attendees of the 2016 I/O conference, as well as the millions tuning in from home.Duo basically works as the video calling equivalent of the Allo text messaging service, being described in a hilarious demo on the Mountain View stage as a “simple one-to-one calling app for everyone.” By everyone, Google of course means both Android and iOS users, which will get Duo at some point “this ...

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Google Home previewed at I/O ahead of launch ‘later this year’

It’s kick-off time at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View for the software developer-focused I/O conference, and right off the bat, Google just dropped a bombshell on its home automation-obsessed fans.After giving due credit to Amazon for pioneering a whole new tech segment with the Alexa-powered Echo, Sundar Pichai took the wraps off Google Home, as rumored earlier today. Unfortunately, the product is still a work in progress, and will only ...

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Watch the Google I/O 2016 live stream here

Although the I/O conference is first and foremost Google’s way of staying connected to software developers, helping them out with new tools, platforms and OS iterations, and even handing them out free hardware, everyone can and should be interested in attending the event at least once.If not for the gifts, the product announcements, prototype showcases and just the chance to hear Sundar Pichai and other top Googlers speak from a few yards away make the experience (and expenses) well worth it.But don’t beat ...

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Google may have much bigger plans for VR than Cardboard, expect details at I/O

For a fledgling, immature, and extremely experimental market, the virtual reality universe is about to get a little too crowded for its own good, with options ranging from your rudimentary Google Cardboard and Samsung Gear VR to the much fancier Oculus ...

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