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Google I/O 2015 live blog

Google's annual developers conference is underway. Watch the live stream and follow CNET's live blog here.

  • James Martin 5/28/2015 5:57:09 PM
  • Tim Stevens 5/28/2015 5:57:25 PM
    "Having access to good information can changes peoples' lives everywhere for the better."
  • James Martin 5/28/2015 5:57:27 PM
  • Tim Stevens 5/28/2015 5:57:41 PM
    However, having access to the internet isn't the end. Connectivity may be too expensive, or poor quality.
  • James Martin 5/28/2015 5:57:51 PM
  • Tim Stevens 5/28/2015 5:57:56 PM
    "It can sometimes take minutes to load a medium-sized webpage, or a map."
  • Richard Nieva 5/28/2015 5:57:58 PM
    We're talking internet connectivity now. Could we be talking about Project Loon now?
  • Tim Stevens 5/28/2015 5:58:06 PM
    So, they're working to optimize their pages for these situations.
  • Tim Stevens 5/28/2015 5:58:39 PM
    Google has created a "light" search result page that's 10x smaller, without image previews and the like.
  • James Martin 5/28/2015 5:58:57 PM
  • Tim Stevens 5/28/2015 5:59:05 PM
    Starting in Indonesia, Google is going to optimize pages. They'll load 4x faster and use 80% less data.
  • Tim Stevens 5/28/2015 5:59:12 PM
    So, a caching service? Image downgrading? Interesting.
  • Tim Stevens 5/28/2015 5:59:28 PM
    These pages also reduce memory usage in the browser, which helps for lower-power devices.
  • Tim Stevens 5/28/2015 5:59:36 PM
    She said these tweaks might come "Across the board."
  • James Martin 5/28/2015 5:59:40 PM

    \

  • Tim Stevens 5/28/2015 6:00:04 PM
    In India, there's a Network Quality Estimator being added to Chrome, which will adapt the webpage automatically based on connection quality.
  • James Martin 5/28/2015 6:00:06 PM
  • Tim Stevens 5/28/2015 6:00:21 PM
    It automatically replaced some images on the homepage for the Times of India, for example, but kept the important navigation graphics.
  • Tim Stevens 5/28/2015 6:00:30 PM
    Also, you can easily save images for offline access.
  • Tim Stevens 5/28/2015 6:00:44 PM
    YouTube, now.
  • James Martin 5/28/2015 6:00:49 PM
  • Tim Stevens 5/28/2015 6:01:19 PM
    Fitzpatrick is talking about YouTube offline, which has launched in a few nations, including Indonesia, which lets you take videos offline for up to 48 hours.
  • Tim Stevens 5/28/2015 6:01:26 PM
    I'd love to see that come to the US... I think a lot of people would.
  • Richard Nieva 5/28/2015 6:01:27 PM
    Getting users from developing countries is important to Google's business. The more reach they have, the more people use their services, and the more data they have on users.
  • Tim Stevens 5/28/2015 6:01:29 PM
    Now, Maps.
  • James Martin 5/28/2015 6:01:33 PM
  • Tim Stevens 5/28/2015 6:01:43 PM
    "We hear wonderful stories about how maps help people in their daily lives."
  • Tim Stevens 5/28/2015 6:02:17 PM
    Fitzpatrick says that helping users build and maintain maps results in better maps, better business listings, and better economies.
  • Tim Stevens 5/28/2015 6:02:40 PM
    Transit now supports Mexico City and Sao Paolo, and rail schedules throughout India are supported as well.
  • Richard Nieva 5/28/2015 6:02:47 PM
    "Being on the map made it akin to a proof of existence for these businesses," she says.
  • Tim Stevens 5/28/2015 6:02:50 PM
    Now, offline Maps.
  • James Martin 5/28/2015 6:03:03 PM
  • Tim Stevens 5/28/2015 6:03:12 PM
    We're getting a demo of Maps in airplane mode, and the map has been downloaded locally.
  • Scott Stein 5/28/2015 6:03:20 PM
    Offline maps!! this will help when I visit my relatives in rural England, where I don't use roaming. Will be seriously helpful for travel.
  • James Martin 5/28/2015 6:03:22 PM
  • Tim Stevens 5/28/2015 6:03:33 PM
    We're searching for PoIs, and even reviews and information like open hours are included!
  • Richard Nieva 5/28/2015 6:03:40 PM
    Offline maps still show reviews
  • Scott Stein 5/28/2015 6:03:47 PM
    Offline maps my second-favorite announcement from today.
  • Tim Stevens 5/28/2015 6:03:51 PM
    However, we haven't seen how to download that map, yet. The current mechanism is quite clunky.
  • Richard Nieva 5/28/2015 6:03:55 PM
    and turn by turn directions
  • James Martin 5/28/2015 6:03:59 PM
  • Tim Stevens 5/28/2015 6:04:05 PM
    Even turn-by-turn directions work completely offline, with voice.
  • Tim Stevens 5/28/2015 6:04:24 PM
    "Now I can search and navigate in the real world, online or offline."
  • Tim Stevens 5/28/2015 6:04:48 PM
    That's starting "later this year" -- nothing more specific than that.
  • Tim Stevens 5/28/2015 6:05:04 PM
    "We're most excited by the entrepreneurship, the leadership, the creativity that we see from developers in these markets," Fitzpatrick says.
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