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On a balmy 86-degree day in Mountain View, just outside Google’s sprawling campus, I sought refuge from the bright California sun in a quiet location. Volvo EX60 – Or so I thought. Air conditioning wasn’t working.
To reduce the heat even a little, we chose to darken the transparent sunroof. All we had to do was ask twin.
“Can you make the sunroof dark?” Vivek Radhakrishnan, Google’s technical program manager, asked the car via voice command. Like magic, the photovoltaic window extending above us blocked out the beam of light from above. We didn’t have to dig through the car’s settings to find the right button.
in Google I/O At the developer conference on Tuesday, I got an early look at a bunch of New features coming to cars to support Google built-in and Android Auto. The upcoming capabilities, launching later this year, are designed to help you keep your eyes on the road while providing useful information. You can rely on Gemini AI to handle tasks like sharing your ETA, describing that landmark that caught your eye and even helping you order dinner.
Watch this: Google Car Update helps you keep your eyes on the road
The Volvo EX60 comes equipped with Google Built-in, a native operating system for car infotainment systems that allows you to directly benefit from Google services. We can ask Gemini to spot a dashboard warning light, for example, or ask him to measure whether a 65-inch TV we just bought will fit in the back.
Although we were technically parked outside the Shoreline Amphitheater, a giant TV in front of us simulated driving along San Francisco Road toward one of the city’s iconic skyscrapers. We asked Gemini: “What is this tall building in front of me, and can you tell me something interesting about it?”
Using the car’s front camera, Gemini identified the Transamerica Pyramid, “which has been the tallest building in San Francisco for 45 years.” We got some additional information, too, as Gemini said, “Nearby, on your right, you’ll find the historic copper-clad Sentinel Building, a landmark that miraculously survived the 1906 earthquake and later became home to Francis Ford Coppola’s film studio.” It was great to get so many details and learn something new.
Next, we went to the Kia EV9 (which thankfully had working air conditioning) to take a look at the upcoming Android Auto features, which are available by connecting your phone to the car. It includes a more customized dashboard design based on Google’s design Article 3 is expressiveso you can display a photo of your cat alongside custom widgets, for example.
While you were still parked, we opened YouTube and watched 4K videos at 60 frames per second, making the time spent charging your car more enjoyable. Once you start driving, these videos automatically switch to audio only so you don’t get distracted.
Magic braid It can pull information from your email, calendar, or other apps to quickly respond to texts asking you for an ETA or other event details. In our demo, an incoming text asked, “What time is the pottery class?” And Gemini automatically found the date and time: June 1 at 2 p.m. Alanna Veiga, Google’s product manager, only had to click to send it as a reply.
If you want to make sure dinner gets home when you do, you can also ask Gemini to place an order through a food delivery app. Using voice commands, we had him order two fish tacos from Pacific Catch on DoorDash. Gemini then pulled up the DoorDash app on the connected phone and added those items to the shopping cart, clicking through the steps as if he were a human. Once it was time to check out, all Veiga had to do was tap to confirm the order.
In vehicles compatible with Google built-in and Android Auto, you’ll be able to use the new Immersive navigation For Google Maps, which displays a 3D view of buildings, bridges, and surrounding terrain, as well as details such as crosswalks, traffic lights, and pedestrian crossings. This can help you get a better understanding of your surroundings and make navigation clearer and easier.
The updates are part of Gemini’s broader expansion into cars, Phones, Wearable devices and Smart glasses. And while supercharged AI features may not be able to fix your broken air conditioner, they can simplify menial tasks and help you stay focused on the road.
