Google’s I/O developer conference is back this year after being outright cancelled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  There were a few significant stories out of the I/O keynote, some of which I’m highlighting in the tech news of the past few days.

Android 12 Is the Biggest Visual Overhaul of the Platform in Years

Google has taken the wraps off of Android 12, and the OS features the biggest visual refresh we’ve seen since 2014’s Android 5.0 Lollipop.  Google calls the new design “Material You” which is a riff on the afore mentioned 2014 update, which was “Material Design.”  Material You design elements are present in Android, but will also be coming in some fashion to more of Google’s products.  I expect that over the nest year or so most of Google’s services will see some kind of visual update.

For Android specifically, what Material You looks like to me is something designed for the bigger phones most of us now carry.  UI elements are larger, there’s more white space, and everything just looks a little bigger.  Some who prefer information density on their screens won’t like it, but I think it looks striking, and very modern.  The OS also has more theming options, with UI elements picking up a colour based on the theme chose.  This could allow much more personalization in Google’s version of Android, something that had been lacking.  The widget system has been overhauled, which is great, because while widgets have been in Android since the very beginning, in some cases it looks like widgets have been around in Android since the very beginning, and it doesn’t look very good.  This should hopefully clean that up, and make widgets more visually appealing.

There is a lot more to Android 12 than the look, but there will be much more time to dig into that in the coming days and weeks.  For most people, just the visual design changes are notable enough that this should be the most anticipated Android release in years.

But the elephant in the room will remain when, and if users will see these updates.  Android 12 will hit Google’s Pixel devices in August or September, but it will be some time before it hits devices by other OEM’s.  And when it does, there will be visual tweaks, like every version of Android.  The largest maker of Android phones is Samsung, and I’ll be watching closely to see what that company does for Android 12.  Samsung has been working much more closely with Google in the last 18 months, especially for the topic of the next story, so I want to see if this will extend to how they put their spin on Android 12.  One UI on Samsung phones has evolved into a mature, light touch on Android itself, with many of the complaints now coming from Samsung’s bunding of duplicate apps.  I wonder if we’ll see something from Samsung that more closely resembles Google’s version of Android.  We shall see.  Samsung started rolling out Android 11 to phones in early December, so hopefully Android 12 comes at least on that timeline.

https://www.theverge.com/22439777/android-12-design-features-widgets-first-look-google

Google and Samsung Partner to Build New Smartwatch Platform

I don’t like to report on rumours that aren’t official news yet, but for the past several months it had been reported that Samsung’s next Galaxy Watch would be running Google’s WearOS, not Samsung’s Tizen platform as had been the case for years.  It was puzzling, as while Tizen didn’t have the app support, it was widely regarded as a better overall platform for smartwatches.  Now we know why.  Google announced that it is partnering with Samsung to create a new platform for smartwatches, currently called Wear.  Google says that the Wear Platform takes the best of Google’s WearOS and Samsung’s Tizen, and creates a platform that is compatible with everything WearOS was compatible with, but runs faster and has better battery life.  It will also work on more than just the Qualcomm line of Snapdragon Wear processors.  The company was light on details on exactly what the new platform is based on, but if the claims are true, it could be something that really helps smartwatches on Android.  WearOS had been stagnant for years, and while Tizen was arguably a better platform, it had little support outside of Samsung for app development.

I would expect that we see the first Wear watches in August, when Samsung is expected to announce the Galaxy Watch 4.  This is something I’m very interested in.

https://www.theverge.com/2021/5/18/22440483/samsung-smartwatch-google-wearos-tizen-watch

Google Photos Image Processing Getting more Inclusive, and Many More New Features

It was identified last year that the photo processing algorithms In many popular photo services are not tuned to people with darker skin.  Examples of this show darker faces being blown out as photo processing expects a lighter complexion, and is trying to accomplish that.  Photos of darker skin was also more likely to have incorrect colour balance across the photo.

Google promised to work on that, and at I/O said it is changing how it processes photos to ensure that they are processed properly for all people, regardless of skin colour.  It may seem like a small thing, but this is a big deal.

Next up is how Google Photos surfaces memories.  Photo apps have tried to help users dig up old photos for years, be it a “on this day” feature, or highlighting certain events.  Google Photos will now do that more often, and give users more control over how it creates memories, and lets users add or remove photos from those memories.  Doing that will improve the algorithm and should mean that the future “memories” are more accurate.  I like this, and hope that it works as advertised.

Google also announced that Google Photos is getting a mode where access to certain photos is secured behind a lock, be it a password, fingerprint, etc.  The company’s example as to why this is useful is that parents that are looking to buy a puppy can take a picture of that puppy and then put it in the secure photo location so the kids don’t see it.

That was the example they used.  And I personally can’t think of any other type of photo someone would want to keep private.

https://www.theverge.com/2021/5/18/22442515/google-camera-app-inclusive-image-equity-skintones

https://www.androidcentral.com/google-photos-making-it-easier-relive-your-favorite-memories

https://www.androidcentral.com/google-photos-privacy-search-history

M1 iMac Reviews

Lastly, reviews of the M1 iMac dropped today.  They are about as expected.  It’s a great computer if you are in the Mac ecosystem, though the design is very divisive, as is the two tone colour look.  I wached and read many reviews, and didn’t find one that thought the design and colours were a slam dunk.  Considering that Apple usually gets universal praise for its designs, especially among tech reviewers, to see such a… muted… response to the design of this iMac is telling.  But in terms of the acutal function, near universal praise… if you want a mac.

https://www.theverge.com/22440059/apple-imac-m1-2021-24-review