Google's New Products Reflect Push Into Machine Learning
May 18 2016 - 3:36PM
Dow Jones News
By Jack Nicas
Google on Wednesday revealed new products and software that uses
machine learning to help users better perform simple tasks, access
information and entertainment, and communicate with others.
Among the specific items unveiled at the company's 10th annual
conference for developers was an updated Android system, a new
Watch and a virtual-reality platform.
At the start of the conference, Chief Executive Sundar Pichai
revealed new products and services that use smarter software to
make decisions rather than follow instructions, part of a major
push into artificial intelligence that he said would define the
tech giant over the next decade.
Google, a unit of Alphabet Inc., said it would soon start
selling a device called Home that will answer users' questions and
complete tasks for them, like scheduling appointments, playing
music and sending emails. The device resembles Amazon.com Inc.'s
popular Echo device.
"We think of it as a conversational assistant," Mr. Pichai told
attendees at Google's annual developers' conference, held at an
outdoor concert venue near its Mountain View, Calif., headquarters.
"We want users to have an ongoing dialogue with Google."
Artificial intelligence is one of the hottest technologies in
Silicon Valley, where executives and engineers say it can enable
computers to make inferences and decisions, versus simply following
instructions programmed into them.
Google also said it would launch a new messaging app, called
Allo, that would incorporate some of the same underlying technology
as Home to create smarter conversations. Google has lagged behind
others in messaging, including rival Facebook Inc.'s two messaging
apps, Messenger and WhatsApp.
Allo can learn your texting patterns over time, to make
conversations more expressive and productive. It suggests automatic
replies to incoming messages -- even if someone sends a photo. In
addition, there is a "whisper and shout" feature that lets you use
a slider to make text giant or tiny.
Duo, a simple one-to-one video chat app, also have end-to-end
encryption. Like Allo, it is based on your phone number rather than
an account, so it is easy to connect with other people. Duo's
unique feature is "knock knock," which allows you to see a live
view of who's calling before you pick up.
Google says Duo will be able to switch between Wi-Fi and
cellular, without compromised performance. The Duo app for iOS will
compete directly with Apple's FaceTime on iPhones.
In addition, Google said it planned to release an operating
system for virtual reality, called Daydream, in the fall. The
company said it would offer a "reference design" that other
manufacturers could use to make virtual-reality headsets that will
use Daydream.
Google hopes Daydream will make it a central player in the
evolution of virtual reality, which many in Silicon Valley believe
will be an important arena for computing. Google said Daydream also
will give developers of virtual-reality programs a common system on
which to create games and experiences for a variety of
headsets.
Google is already a prolific maker of virtual-reality headsets,
with its Cardboard offering that uses a smartphone as a screen and
costs $20. Google's push into virtual reality will intensify its
competition with Facebook, which paid $2 billion for
virtual-reality firm Oculus VR in 2014.
Write to Jack Nicas at jack.nicas@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
May 18, 2016 15:21 ET (19:21 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2016 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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