Another Google I/O developer conference is upon us. As it has every year since the event started in 2008, Google will share its road map for its various software and AI platforms with the public.
If I/O 2025 was any indication, we expect updates on the progress of Android XR, the company’s AR and XR platform for smart glasses and headsets, as well as endless announcements about Gemini and the Veo video generator. Google should also have some news on the next version of its mobile OS, Android 17.
Since I/O is a developer-focused conference, it’s unlikely the company will announce major hardware. The Pixel 11 series is not expected until later in the summer. If anything, we’re more likely to see prototypes. Maybe we’ll catch Google and Xreal’s “Project Aura” AR glasses or a pair of Android XR glasses?
The Google I/O 2026 keynote kicks off on May 19 at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT. Gizmodo will be live blogging the whole thing. Senior Editor of Consumer Tech Raymond Wong will cover the event live and check out demos afterward. Definitely bookmark this page if you want minute-by-minute updates on all the latest Google news.
Ahead of I/O, Google announced a new generation of laptops called Googlebooks. No, Chromebooks aren’t going away, but these Googlebooks are the future—infused with lots of AI, of course.
There’s no official name yet, but Googlebooks will run on a “modern OS that’s designed for intelligence.” This operating system, codenamed “Aluminum OS,” combines Android and ChromeOS into one. Features like “Magic Pointer” will let you wiggle your mouse cursor to bring up AI tools to compare selected images or combine them together into one. Googlebooks will also work better with an Android phone, letting you mirror the device to its desktop or browse files on it.
Partners including Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, and Lenovo will be releasing Googlebooks, with the first ones arriving this fall. Maybe we’ll hear more about the new Googlebooks OS at I/O. —Raymond Wong
Source: Gizmodo