The 5 coolest things at Google I/O

Google shows us a world where we’ll search store shelves with our phone and use glasses to talk to people in other countries.

- MARK HACHMAN

Google has become synonymous with powerful search, incredible hardware, and quirky, fun technology. Unfortunately, that includes stretching the limits of privacy and a reputation for giving up on its product lines too soon. But these negatives notwithstanding, Google is at it again at its Google I/O event near its company headquarters in Mountain View, Calif., enticing developers and consumers alike with a number of new hardware products, software and services.

Yes, Google just revealed new Pixel phones, including the Pixel 6A and the Pixel 7. But those weren’t the coolest technologies Google showed off on Wednesday. The stuff below is even cooler.

(And for more coverage, check out our stories on Google’s new privacy controls [fave.co/3w8qGor], the new Pixel Watch [fave.co/3st2BXp], and the new Immersive Mode in Maps [fave.co/3lclFF2].)

IMMERSIVE VIEW IN GOOGLE MAPS

Google Maps began life as a two-dimensional representation of streets and highways. Over time, Google Maps has added traffic (as reported by Google Phones), Google Earth (as recorded by satellites and low-flying planes), and Google Street View (imagery from cars and cameras). Now, Google has started putting it all together with Immersive View for Maps. Immersive View layers actual imagery on top of simulated buildings it creates itself.