All Things Technology: Live from Google I/O developer conference keynote in San Francisco

While Blackberry annual conference for developers is holding in Orlando, Florida, Google is kicking off is annual developers conference, Google I/O today in San Francisco, USA.
At the event, we will see Google announce some of its product; although, Google has said that the main topic for this year's event is focus on Developers.
Watch the event live and recent updates below

- 6:50 PM | by seth.rosenblattCrowd doesn't care for Vic's wrinkles, but is impressed by noise reduction.
  
  6:50 PM | by James Martin
  
  6:50 PM | by seth.rosenblattWrinkles: toned
  
  6:49 PM | by stephen.shanklandWhen it's time to fiddle with photos, "We can treat the human face completely separately" by recognizing skin, eyes, teeth, hairline, and more. We're going to see Vic Gundotra tone down his forehead wrinkles.
  
  6:49 PM | by seth.rosenblattAuto-enhance from Nik filters work on exposure, skin softening, noise reduction, white balance, vignetting... it's impressive.
  
  6:49 PM | by seth.rosenblattAuto-enhance from Nik filters work on exposure, skin softening, noise reduction, white balance, vignetting... it's impressive.
  
  6:48 PM | by James Martin
  
  6:48 PM | by stephen.shankland"Auto enhance is an easy button to make your memories look beautiful."
  
  6:48 PM | by James Martin
  
  6:47 PM | by James Martin
  
  6:47 PM | by seth.rosenblattAgree with Shankland. As a photog, don't want this for my best shots. But for casual snaps, this could be killer.
  
  6:47 PM | by stephen.shanklandAh, here comes the Nik Software feature boost.
  
  6:47 PM | by seth.rosenblatt"You don't take a photograph, you make it" Vic quotes Ansel Adams
  '
  
  6:46 PM | by James Martin
  
  6:46 PM | by stephen.shanklandPersonally, I cringe at the idea of Google picking my best photos. But for most people, just weeding out the blurry shots is probably very helpful.
  
  6:46 PM | by James Martin
  
  6:45 PM | by seth.rosenblattAnd recognized landmarks like the Eiffel Tower, people, aesthetics and family/friends affinity get filtered in
  
  6:45 PM | by James Martin
  
  6:45 PM | by seth.rosenblattGoogle can now filter your pics, automatically getting rid of blurry, duplicate, poorly exposed shots
  
  6:44 PM | by seth.rosenblattCrowd gets the slide before Vic even talks about it. Instagram resolution compared to Twitter, to Facebook, to the new full-size G+
  
  6:44 PM | by James Martin
  
  6:43 PM | by seth.rosenblattNow you can get full resolution storage up to 15gb
  
  6:43 PM | by James Martin
  
  6:43 PM | by seth.rosenblattStandard size photos always backed up at 2048px for free and unlimited
  
  6:42 PM | by James Martin
  
  6:42 PM | by stephen.shanklandUnified communication is a huge potential advantage, but Google's services only go so far. We all have to deal with Facebook, Facetime, WhatsApp, SMS, and any number of other communication conduits.
  
  6:42 PM | by seth.rosenblattGoogle's more than just backup, he says.
  
  6:42 PM | by seth.rosenblattCamera plus Cloud to do labor-intensive tasks. Google as your darkroom.
  
  6:41 PM | by seth.rosenblattSo we've seen G+ go after Pinterest, Skype... who's next? Facebook?
  
  6:41 PM | by seth.rosenblattBig dig at Skype.
  
  6:41 PM | by James Martin
  
  6:41 PM | by seth.rosenblattGroup video, no charge
  
  6:40 PM | by stephen.shanklandThe more of Google I/O I see, the more it becomes clear that the company is about services, not operating systems. It probably makes sense that Sundar Pichai is in charge of both Android and Chrome, because they're both just vehicles to drive people to Google's online services.
  
  6:40 PM | by seth.rosenblattIs anybody posting on G+, if the crowd is all here?
  
  6:40 PM | b
  
  6:40 PM | by seth.rosenblattCrowd definitely loves G+
  
  6:40 PM | by seth.rosenblattfor Web, Android, and iOS
  
  6:39 PM | by James Martin
  
  6:38 PM | by James Martin
  Conversations
  
  6:38 PM | by stephen.shanklandIt's much easier to be self-critical if you're about to say how you've just licked the problem.
  
  6:38 PM | by seth.rosenblattConverations in Hangouts app can be one-on-one or group'
  
  6:38 PM | by James Martin
  
  6:38 PM | by seth.rosenblattNew App: Hangouts as a stand-alone app
  
  6:37 PM | by seth.rosenblatt"Even Google's own services have been fragmented and confused at times."
  
  6:37 PM | by stephen.shanklandDespite 50 years of communication research, "We are still stuck with gadgets that get in the way," says Gundotra. For example, "Why should operating systems matter?"
  
  6:36 PM | by James Martin
  
  6:36 PM | by seth.rosenblattWould be great if you could use Venn diagram exclusions with Circles...
  
  6:36 PM | by stephen.shanklandMore than half of all sharing on Google+ is done to private circles.
  
  6:36 PM | by seth.rosenblattIf the auto-hashtag is wrong, you can remove it. Self-added hastags are in black.
  
  6:35 PM | by stephen.shanklandWith Google+ back on stage, we're hearing more audience enthusiasm again. They groove on the Knowledge Graph feature that lets people click through automatically discovered realted photos. Of course the example is the Eiffel Tower, which I think must be one of the easiest things for computers to recognize.
  
  6:35 PM | by James Martin
  
  6:34 PM | by seth.rosenblattGoogle's Knowledge Graph and image recognition to tag a photo as Eiffel Tower
  
  6:34 PM | by James Martin
  Flip side related results
  
  6:34 PM | by stephen.shanklandGoolge+ is getting related hashtags. Google adds automatic tags to posts, and you can click Google+ cards to see related ones.
  
  6:34 PM | by James Martin
  
  6:34 PM | by seth.rosenblattAuto-tagging in blue. click a tag to flip the card and show related items
  '
  
  6:33 PM | by seth.rosenblattMenus that slide in and out, sharebox that moves from left to center, posts (cards) that flip
  
  6:33 PM | by James Martin
  
  6:32 PM | by seth.rosenblattThis basically ports the Android G+ app UI to desktops (with some tweaks)
  
  6:32 PM | by James Martin
  
  6:32 PM | by seth.rosenblattOne, two or three col spread depending on size of stream
  
  6:32 PM | by seth.rosenblattNew Google+ rolling out later today
  
  6:31 PM | by James Martin
  
  6:31 PM | by seth.rosenblattVic complaining about social streams being "flat"
  
  6:30 PM | by seth.rosenblattCrowd getting amped for Google+. Huh.
  
  6:30 PM | by James Martin
  
  6:30 PM | by stephen.shanklandNew stream, new hangouts, new photos.
  
  6:30 PM | by stephen.shanklandVic Gundotra is back on stage for some Google+ news.
  
  6:29 PM | by stephen.shanklandIn the last two years, Google gave out tablets to Google I/O attendees. This year they get a Chromebook. Seems to me like Google is shifting its developer priorities a bit. Android is certainly a healthy ecosystem, but getting developers to write Web apps -- rich user interfaces, offline capability -- is a lot harder.
  
  6:28 PM | by James Martin
  
  6:28 PM | by seth.rosenblattVic Gundotra now on stage, about to talk Google+. But first: promo video!
  
  6:28 PM | by seth.rosenblattAnd yes, I know that Google's not the only tech company in education. Those bother me, too! :)6:27 PM | by stephen.shanklandThe kids use 4G networking with the Chromebooks, which is interesting given the extra hardware cost and expense compared to Wi-Fi.
  
  6:26 PM | by stephen.shanklandThe video shows them with the cheapest one, of course, the $249 Samsung Chromebook.
  
  6:26 PM | by James Martin
  
  6:26 PM | by stephen.shanklandSundar Pichai back on stage, talking about Malaysian schools using Google Apps and Chromebooks in both primary and secondary schools
  .
  
  6:25 PM | by seth.rosenblattI agree, Maggie, I used to teach, too. But... all Google? In the schools? Makes me twitch a bit...
  
  6:25 PM | by James Martin
  
  6:25 PM | by stephen.shanklandThe big hitch for Google Play for Education will be convincing schools to buy a jillion tablets.
  
  6:25 PM | by stephen.shanklandSix elementary schools in New Jersey tried more than 500 apps in its early testing, so the idea here is getting better educational apps out to kids. Google will accept apps this summer.
  
  6:24 PM | by seth.rosenblattGoogle Play for Education launching in the fall
  
  6:24 PM | by Marguerite ReardonAs a former teacher, this education initiative sounds very cool.
  
  6:24 PM | by seth.rosenblatt"There's a huge opportunity for schools, educators, and students."
  
  6:24 PM | by seth.rosenblattNot just apps, but books, too
  
  6:24 PM | by James Martin
  
  6:24 PM | by stephen.shanklandIt uses Google Apps for Education, so teachers can deploy an app to all kindergartners' Android tablets, for example. Can charge fees against a school purchase order cash balance.
  
  6:23 PM | by James Martin
  
  6:23 PM | by seth.rosenblattNot sure how the grade-level tabs will apply to countries not on the US system
  
  6:23 PM | by stephen.shankland"Each app has been recommended by a group of educators," Yerga says. "Teachers trust other teachers."
  
  6:23 PM | by seth.rosenblattEach app has been recommended by a group of educators appropriate for age level
  
  6:22 PM | by James Martin
  Google Play for education.
  
  6:22 PM | by stephen.shanklandA slice of the Play store organized by subject matter and grade level.
  
  6:22 PM | by seth.rosenblattNot sure how I feel about a single company having such an impact on schools...
  
  6:22 PM | by stephen.shanklandNew initiative: Google Play for Education.
  
  6:22 PM | by James Martin
  
  6:21 PM | by stephen.shanklandChris Yerga returns for the sales pitch about getting Google technology into schools. "Teachers told us in education there's a huge gap between what's possible in education and what's practical. Then they told us it's Google's job to fix this."
  
  6:21 PM | by seth.rosenblatt(Dartmouth is the holdout, still on Microsoft)
  
  6:20 PM | by stephen.shanklandPichai: "We want to bring both Android and Chrome into educational institutions around the world."
  
  6:20 PM | by James Martin
  
  6:20 PM | by seth.rosenblatt25m users of Google Apps around the world, 7 of 8 Ivy League universities use Google Apps.
  
  6:20 PM | by stephen.shanklandThe Chromebook Pixel is nice, but I'll bet more developers in the audience would have preferred that unlocked, Nexus-standard Galaxy S4.
  
  6:19 PM | by James Martin
  
  6:18 PM | by seth.rosenblattPixels for everybody! (Not ready for pickup until 2pm)
  
  6:18 PM | by stephen.shanklandChromebook Pixel giveaway. The crowd cheers, of course.
  
  6:18 PM | by seth.rosenblattIt's giveaway time...
  
  6:18 PM | by stephen.shanklandWe've got a video with happy chirpy electronic music to exhort us into coding for the Web.
  
  6:16 PM | by stephen.shanklandOf course Google's ringer won the race. "He's been practicing all week." I think those five screens were glued down to the table, though, which makes aligning the track segments easier.
  
  6:15 PM | by James Martin
  
  6:15 PM | by stephen.shanklandGuinea pig: "No! Stop running into me!" The cars are synchronized using the Web Socket browser-server communication technology.
  
  6:15 PM | by seth.rosenblattWow. It may sound silly, but the multiple screen, multiple device game is really cool
  
  6:15 PM | by seth.rosenblattRacer is another "Chrome Experiment" like the OKGO Wilderness Within video or last year's Cirque du Soleil game: download.cnet.com
  
  6:15 PM | by stephen.shanklandIt's a cooperative race with a single screen spread across five screens -- now the audience is applauding.
  
  6:14 PM | by James Martin
  
  6:14 PM | by stephen.shanklandWe have some guinea pigs on stage to participate in a slot-car racing game demo. One of them is a ringer from Google. We've got five different devices here with the game. Of course it's a browser based game.
  
  6:13 PM | by seth.rosenblattGooglers have hobbies like being race car drivers, apparently:13 PM | by seth.rosenblatt"We've been talking about Chrome across all your different screens, so why not show that off?" Time for the Racer game demo on multiple screens...6:12 PM | by seth.rosenblattSome shots of mobile Google+ posts and Google Now cards in that promo.'
  
  6:12 PM | by stephen.shanklandI can't help but notice that all the cheering and applause has dried up. I guess Chrome development isn't as exciting for the audience.
  
  6:11 PM | by seth.rosenblattIt's video time!
  
  6:11 PM | by stephen.shanklandUpson has lots of nitty gritty news here. One is Web components, an "elegant UI frame work that works across all form factors, all devices." Of course, it's open-source software.
  
  6:11 PM | by seth.rosenblatt"We want this elegant UI framework across all devices"
  
  6:10 PM | by stephen.shanklandAbandonment rate of 97% for mobile purchases made online because of too many services. But with Google's approach, 3 steps. Google Wallet makes an appearance.
  
  6:10 PM | by James Martin
  Simpler payments
  
  6:09 PM | by James Martin
  Too many steps!
  
  6:08 PM | by James Martin
  
  6:08 PM | by seth.rosenblattGoogle has built a data compression proxy for Chrome on mobile
  
  6:08 PM | by stephen.shanklandThe big problem with the VP9 comparison, though, is that it'll compete against H.265, not just H.264. Also, Google has to wrestle Nokia's patent lawyers into submission.
  
  6:08 PM | by James Martin
  
  6:07 PM | by seth.rosenblattAlso uses less bandwidth
  
  6:07 PM | by seth.rosenblattVP9: 63 percent smaller than H264, for particular video being shown
  
  6:07 PM | by James Martin
  
  6:07 PM | by stephen.shanklandOn to the codec wars. VP9 is better than H.264, says Linus Upson. 50% reduction.
  
  6:07 PM | by stephen.shanklandGoogle's biggest ally for WebP is Facebook, which is testing it: news.cnet.com
  
  6:06 PM | by seth.rosenblattHere comes VP9
  
  6:06 PM | by James Martin
  
  6:06 PM | by stephen.shanklandNow we're getting the WebP image-format sales pitch. One image of a cute dog is 30% smaller than the equivalent JPEG. And of course it supports animations so we can leave animated GIFs behind.
  
  6:06 PM | by James Martin
  
  6:05 PM | by seth.rosenblattASM.js has made JS 2.4x faster in the past four weeks for Chrome
  
  6:05 PM | by James Martin
  
  6:04 PM | by James Martin
  
  6:04 PM | by seth.rosenblattShout out to Mozilla's asm.js
  
  6:04 PM | by seth.rosenblatt"JavaScript performance improved by nearly 25 percent on desktop, more than 50 percent on mobile"
  
  6:04 PM | by stephen.shanklandSpeed, simplicity, and security are the three Chrome priorities. Now Google wants to improve that for mobile browsing.
  
  6:03 PM | by seth.rosenblattBig PR push for Chrome by Linus. "we're making the Web better"
  
  6:02 PM | by James Martin
  
  6:02 PM | by stephen.shanklandLinus Upson, VP of engineering for Chrome, now on stage.
  
  6:02 PM | by stephen.shanklandTrollshaw Forest, to be clear, was on Chrome on a Nexus 10 tablet, where performance is a problem. WebGL is in some desktop browsers, but only is just arriving on mobile. (And Microsoft still publicly hates WebGL.)
  
  6:02 PM | by seth.rosenblattSays
  that WebGL big part of Google Maps, too
  
  6:02 PM | by James Martin
  
  6:01 PM | by seth.rosenblattWebGL a big part of Chrome, both desktop and Android
  
  6:01 PM | by stephen.shanklandWe're getting a look at the upcoming 3D game Trollshaw Forest game, based on WebGL (3D graphics for the Web). "This wasn't possible on the Web last year."
  
  6:00 PM | by seth.rosenblatt"
  Same experience that's on Chrome on Pixel is coming to Chrome on Android"
  
  6:00 PM | by stephen.shanklandHere's an example of how the mobile Web is evolving. Preview for the upcoming movie, "The Hobbit: the Desolation of Smaug." HTML + CSS means it works well. Works on desktop Web and mobile Web.
  
  6:00 PM | by James Martin
  
  5:59 PM | by James Martin
  
  5
  
  :59 PM | by seth.rosenblattI'm writing this from a Pixel. It does have a gorgeous screen, as Sundar says, but the killer feature is the 4G (except during Google keynotes)
  
  5:59 PM | by James Martin
  
  5:58 PM | by stephen.shanklandChromebook Pixel: highest-resolution screen ever shipped on a laptop. "Our goal was to get it into the hands of developers."
  
  5:58 PM | by seth.rosenblattSamsung, Acer, HP now Chrome OS partners
  
  5:58 PM | by stephen.shanklandChromebooks: The $249 Samsung Chromebook is #1 on Amazon's laptop section for 180 consecutive days, says Pichai.
  
  5:58 PM | by James Martin
  
  5:57 PM | by seth.rosenblattSundar says that Google can do for mobile Web what they did for desktop Web
  
  5:57 PM | by James Martin
  
  5:56 PM | by seth.rosenblatt450m+ active Chrome users worldwide
  
  5:56 PM | by James Martin
  
  5:56 PM | by stephen.shanklandWe're seeing a Google Chrome ad now. Unfortunately, it's the one I hate the most with the butchered version of Beethoven's 5th symphony. And now Sundar Pichai is back on stage.
  
  5:56 PM | by Marguerite ReardonSo I guess this means no updated Nexus 4 or Nexus 7 device. Bummer.
  
  5:55 PM | by seth.rosenblattGoofing and Memes get a shout-out in Chrome preview video
  
  5:55 PM | by Marguerite ReardonSundar is now coming back on stage and looks like we are now moving onto Chrome.
  
  5:55 PM | by James Martin
  
  5:55 PM | by Jessica DolcourtYou can buy it June 26, by the way.

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Wednesday, 15 May 2013

Live from Google I/O developer conference keynote in San Francisco