What to expect when you’re expecting Google I/O 2019

It’s the most wonderful time of the year. It’s almost my birthday, which happens to be when Google hosts its annual developer conference. Isn’t that nice? This year, the last day falls on my actual birth date. So after I’m all done immersing myself in what’s coming up the pipelines from Google, I get to celebrate another year on this great Earth at a premiere screening of Detective Pikachu. It’s called living your best life, folks. I recommend it.

The thing about Google I/O is that it’s the best way to see how people—the people—are using the company’s many APIs and services to try to make the world a better place. You’re getting face time with developers, demonstrations of what’s next, and insight into the core messaging of Google’s product trajectory. I plan to soak in this week and sop it all up with a giant baguette of bread.

This year, there’s also new hardware to look forward to, like a cheaper Pixel phone that’s just as good as taking photos as the pricey one I bought last year, and a bit of strategy change from Google’s smart home camp. There is ample talk of game streaming for the masses and an improved version of Android for your car. And let’s not forget the glimpses of the next version of Android, of which few people with Galaxy smartphones will ever see the light of day.

To prepare myself for the keynote, I like to read Ars Technica’s rundown of all that’s expected to happen or be announced. It’s one of the most thorough guides. Android Police’s Google I/O tag will also net you an inside look at what’s going on. Alternatively, you can watch last week’s episode of All About Android or listen to the Material podcast to get your Google I/O theories hashed out.

What I’m looking forward to at Google I/O 2019

• The temporary tattoo station
• Taking pictures with everything
• Attempting to take a video of one or two things (I went to school for putting together physical pieces of paper, not camera work)
• All the little projects that will be on display in the Experiments tent (my favorite part of every year)
• Figuring out what’s new with the Assistant (can it gossip yet?)
• More celebrity Assistant voices (The John Legend one was okay but, you know, some fan service in the anime department sure would be nice)
• Recording the Material podcast somewhere at the Shoreline Amphitheater (let’s see where I can find enough internet)
• Hearing more about Android Q and what it’s going to be about for the rest of us (I’ll be writing up analysis of that following the keynote!)
• Recording the special edition of All About Android with Google folks, Stephanie Saad Cuthbertson and Chet Haase. Tune in Wednesday night!

I’m also looking forward to moderating my first panel at Google I/O. Mark your calendars for 12:30 PM Pacific Time on Thursday, May 9. More details to come as soon as I have them.

Be sure to follow me on Twitter beginning Tuesday, May 7 (or maybe you want to mute me—that’s fine, too). You can also follow me on Instagram for my behind-the-scenes stories or pop into my Discord server. And stay tuned here, because I’ll be posting easy-to-follow coverage of all that there is to see and hear.