Google Announces New Services and Products

Google Announces New Services and Products

Last week, Google held a conference where the company announced what it has planned for the coming months.

Google’s 2016 I/O conference for software developers took place in Mountain View, California. The event was held just a short distance from Google’s headquarters.

This year the company talked about combining mobile and search products with new services, other products and application programs, better known as apps.

Google Assistant

Google Assistant is an example. Google Assistant is a service designed to help users get things done. It learns about you through your questions, as if you were talking to a person who knows you.

Using advanced technology, Google Assistant can communicate as if it were a real person. For example, someone is standing¹ in front of a sculpture and asks Google Assistant, "Who is the artist?" The service would know where the person asking the question was and what he or she was talking about, providing the name of the sculpture's artist as the answer.

So the user can then say, "When was he born?" and Google Assistant would know the question relates to the artist named in the earlier answer.

The service can also search a user’s photographs and videos. The user can ask to "search my photos for hugs." Google Assistant then provides all of the images of individuals hugging.

The service will be offered on wireless² devices, computers, televisions, cars and in the home.

Google Home

Google Home is a new device that provides Google Assistant using your voice. Like Amazon’s hands-free speaker Echo, Google Home can play music, perform searches and help direct projects.

Home has a speaker at the bottom to play music, podcasts and audiobooks. The top is white, but the base will be available in different colors and materials.

Users will be able to connect to Google Home in more than one place so music can be played throughout the user’s home. It can also connect to Chromecast, Google’s video streaming device, so you can ask Google Home to show you something on TV.

Home should be available in the next few months.

Allo

Google is launching a new messaging app called Allo. The app uses your phone number so it is easy to connect with your contacts.

Within Allo, users can send text messages, photos, stickers and emoji images. Allo lets users SHOUT or talk softly, changing the size of the font, emoji or sticker with a slider.

Users can add photos and draw on photos within Allo.

Google Assistant is available within Allo. Users can ask Google Assistant questions and get answers within the Allo app. For example, a user can ask, "When is my next appointment today?" and get the answer without leaving Allo.

The new app comes with a feature called Smart Reply. Smart Reply learns how you speak and suggests answers based on what you would say. The more you use Allo, the better the suggestions should become. It can even suggest emojis and stickers, if you are the kind of person who uses those.

Smart Reply works with photographs, understanding what is in the photo. For example, you receive a photo of some tasty linguine with white clam³ sauce. The Smart Replies might say, "I love linguine!" Google has found Smart Replies to be correct in interpreting photos 90 percent of the time.

Sign up at Google Play to get a notice when Allo becomes available.

Duo

Duo is Google's new video chat app. Duo is similar to Apple's FaceTime, but available only as video and only on mobile devices.

The new app will work across different devices so an Android user can call an iPhone user, for example. Like Allo, Duo’s operations are based on the user's phone number.

Duo can adjust the quality of a video based on the strength of the Internet signal. If the user has a weak Internet connection, the video will adjust to a lower quality so the chat can continue.

Duo will be available later this year on Android as well iPhone and iPad.

Sign up on Google Play to be get a notice when Duo becomes available.

Android Auto⁴

Google has signed up over 40 car makers⁵ to offer Android Auto, the infotainment system for automobiles⁶. Over 100 models of cars offer Android Auto. Google expects this number to double by the end of the year.

More than 100 apps are available on Android Auto. The service is available in 30 countries; however, not all apps are available in all countries. Google Assistant will be available on Android Auto.

"Ok, Google" will be coming to Android Auto so you can use your voice to start a search. The Google traffic app Waze soon will be available in Android Auto to provide real-time traffic and driving information. Google is also working on connecting phones wirelessly⁷ to Android Auto.

Words in This Story

sculpture - n. a piece of art that is made by carving⁸ or molding clay, stone, metal, etc.

emoji - n. a small digital image or icon⁹ used to express an idea, emotion, etc., in electronic communication

font - n. a set of letters, numbers, and punctuation¹⁰ marks that are all one size and style

slider - n. a control that is moved horizontally or vertically¹¹ to control a variable, such as the volume of a radio?

chat - v. to talk over the Internet by sending messages back and forth¹²?

adjust - v. to change (something) in a minor¹³ way so that it works better

infotainment - n. programs that present information (such as news) in a way that is meant to be entertaining

1 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

2 wireless   

adj.无线的；n.无线电

参考例句：

• There are a lot of wireless links in a radio.收音机里有许多无线电线路。
• Wireless messages tell us that the ship was sinking.无线电报告知我们那艘船正在下沉。

3 clam   

n.蛤，蛤肉

参考例句：

• Yup!I also like clam soup and sea cucumbers.对呀！我还喜欢蛤仔汤和海参。
• The barnacle and the clam are two examples of filter feeders.藤壶和蛤类是滤过觅食者的两种例子。

4 auto   

n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车

参考例句：

• Don't park your auto here.别把你的汽车停在这儿。
• The auto industry has brought many people to Detroit.汽车工业把许多人吸引到了底特律。

5 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 automobiles   

n.汽车( automobile的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• When automobiles become popular,the use of the horse and buggy passed away. 汽车普及后，就不再使用马和马车了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Automobiles speed in an endless stream along the boulevard. 宽阔的林荫道上，汽车川流不息。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

7 wirelessly   

不用电线的，用无线电波传送的

参考例句：

• I heard it on the wireless. 我是从无线电收音机里听到的。
• There are a lot of wireless links in a radio. 收音机里有许多无线电线路。

8 carving   

n.雕刻品，雕花

参考例句：

• All the furniture in the room had much carving.房间里所有的家具上都有许多雕刻。
• He acquired the craft of wood carving in his native town.他在老家学会了木雕手艺。

9 icon   

n.偶像，崇拜的对象，画像

参考例句：

• They found an icon in the monastery.他们在修道院中发现了一个圣像。
• Click on this icon to align or justify text.点击这个图标使文本排齐。

10 punctuation   

n.标点符号，标点法

参考例句：

• My son's punctuation is terrible.我儿子的标点符号很糟糕。
• A piece of writing without any punctuation is difficult to understand.一篇没有任何标点符号的文章是很难懂的。

11 vertically   

adv.垂直地

参考例句：

• Line the pages for the graph both horizontally and vertically.在这几页上同时画上横线和竖线，以便制作图表。
• The human brain is divided vertically down the middle into two hemispheres.人脑从中央垂直地分为两半球。

12 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

13 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。