Google held its 2019 I/O conference earlier this week. There, they announced the updates and innovations the public could expect to see rolling out with Google’s products and services in the coming months. There were several exciting announcements – a more affordable version of the Pixel phone, augmented reality within Google Maps, and a focus mode that lets you turn off your most distracting apps when you need to get down to business.
Pretty cool. But here are the most practical (and positive) applications for parents.
Google Assistant
The trusted app gets a shot of adrenaline, making it the fastest AI app out there. With these changes, it will now operate 10 times faster than before (making it faster than similar AI apps like Siri and Alexa). The boost comes from taking some of the operating power from the cloud and putting it directly into individual devices.
To demonstrate, a Google representative issued Google Assistant a series of commands while on stage. Google Assistant was able to execute the entire sequence of demands — seven in total, including obtaining weather updates, ordering a Lyft, taking a photo, and checking on John Legend’s Twitter feed — all in 15 seconds. Imagine the possibilities for busy parents juggling the technological needs of their entire family.
The New Nest Hub Max
Google is bringing together all of its smart home devices into a single command center with the new Nest Hub Max. It will combine the Nest Security Camera, a Google Home Hub Smart Display, and Google Home Max Smart Speakers into a single device that you can use to run your entire home from your couch.
The benefits for parents will extend beyond replacing the small screens of baby monitors. The product will have features like the ability to pause music by raising your hand instead of having to bellow “stop” over the dull roar of giggling children. There’s also face recognition, which can alert you to the presence of a stranger in your home.
Unfortunately, you will have to wait a few more months to take advantage of these features. The product will not be available until summer.
Further Uses for Incognito Mode
With this new feature, parents can apply incognito mode to more than Chrome searches. This will allow users to go incognito when accessing YouTube and Google Maps as well, which could provide an additional layer of privacy for your family. Incognito mode prevents the details of your searches and travels from being recorded within the search features.
With the availability of incognito mode use within YouTube, you may want to talk to your tweens and teens about viewing appropriate videos online, as they can use the feature to bypass any parental control settings you have in place.
These are not the only features Google announced this month. View the full list on Wired.