Google unveils virtual reality headset and controller

The American group presented many novelties on the occasion of Google I/O, its annual conference of developers.

This year again, Google invited thousands of developers to its big event, Google I / O. The opportunity for the American group to present its latest innovations, products and applications.

● A virtual reality headset

Google finally gave reason to the rumors that were running in the American press in recent weeks. The group on Wednesday presented “Daydream”, a set of features intended to develop virtual reality on mobile. New options that will be integrated in the next version of Android. Adapted smartphones will be released in the autumn, produced by several manufacturers such as Samsung, HTC, LG or Xiaomi. Google has also developed the design of a headset and remote control for virtual reality. The first models will also be released in the fall. Google therefore adopts a strategy similar to that of Cardboard, its cardboard virtual reality headset, whose plans can be downloaded and operated for free by any company.

● New messaging apps

Google introduced two new communication apps: Allo and Duo. The first, dedicated to mobile messaging, has an artificial intelligence capable of enriching conversations. In particular, it can offer automatic reactions to respond to certain messages or photos. For example, Allo can offer ” too cute!”as an appropriate response to the photo of a dog. The application also has an incognito mode, which allows end-to-end encryption of messages, that is, to make them unreadable to anyone outside a conversation. This option echoes the conflict between the FBI and Apple over data security in March.

The other app, Duo, is dedicated to video chat. This is a direct response to Facetime, a well-known application for iPhone users.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIeMysX76pM

● A “bot”

Silicon Valley has only this word in its mouth: Google is also racing for “bots”, intelligent programs capable of holding conversations and meeting the needs of its users. This one is called “Google Assistant”. This is an enhanced version of “Now”, Google’s personal assistant for mobile. “Google Assistant” doesn’t just search online to answer a voice query. He can understand the questions and provide them with consistent answers according to his knowledge and the personal context of his user.

● An assistant for the home

Google on Wednesday unveiled Echo’s rival, Amazon’s home assistant. Called” Google Home”, it is a speaker to which one can express queries, such as reading the weather or playing music. It can also interact with certain connected objects developed by Nest, a subsidiary of Google. The “Google Home” will be released before the end of the year.