Glympse can now track your friends, food orders from a Samsung Smart TV

Why it matters to you

You can now track the locations of your family and friends, all from the centralized hub of your Samsung TV.

Imagine that you’ve sat down to watch the game, and are waiting on your friends — or the food you ordered — to show up. Instead of having to pull out your phone to check their ETA, you’ll now be able to get live updates directly on your TV, thanks to a deal between Samsung and the location-sharing service Glympse to bring the app to select Samsung Smart TVs.

Glympse lets users send a link to their contacts via short message service (SMS) technology that enables real-time tracking of their location, and will even offer suggestions for the best possible routes for driving or public transportation. Glympse is also used by companies like Comcast to send customers updates to better gauge arrival times for technicians.

To begin getting Glympse notifications on their Samsung Smart TV, users can simply download the app to their TV and link their phone number. The TV will then display Glympse alerts received from their contacts — no more having to whip out your phone to double check if the Pizza Hut delivery is on its way. While the app is required in order to send SMS messages containing Glympse links, the links themselves can be opened without having to have the app installed.

Glympse users can also group their various devices, including their Samsung Smart TV, into Glympse family groups, which allow users to check in with their current location, sending a notification to all other devices included in the group. This can be set up directly on the TV by sending invitations using contacts’ phone numbers.

While Glympse is now available on numerous Samsung devices, including the Galaxy S7, Gear S2 and S3, and Family Hub devices, this marks the first time the service will be available on smart TVs. These devices join a growing number of other devices and services that now offer support for Glympse’s service, including Google, Verizon, T-Mobile, and Garmin, and even car manufacturers like Mercedes, Land Rover, and more.

Glympse is available now from the Samsung TV app store.

Israel’s Electroad is testing roads that will charge vehicles as they drive

Why it matters to you

Wireless-charging roads could go a long way toward cutting down on pollution from vehicles.

While plenty of attention is focused on the growing popularity of electric cars, far too little is paid to the roads the cars themselves are actually driving on. Sure, we get to cover an innovative new surface material every now and then but for the most part, roads have not changed a whole lot in the past few decades.

A new collaboration between the Israeli government and a local company is aiming to change that, however. Working to address the electric car challenge of too few charging stations, the country is beginning work on a pilot scheme to install technology that will allow electric buses to charge while driving — by way of smart technology embedded in the road.

As part of the project, the Israeli startup Electroad received $120,000 from the Ministry of Transport and Road Safety to test its technology on a half-mile stretch of road in Tel Aviv, opening next year. Provided all goes to plan, 11 miles of the smart road will then be installed between the city of Eilat and the nearby Ramon International Airport.

“We are currently testing the durability of our under-the-road infrastructure,” Electroad CEO Oren Ezer told Digital Trends, pointing out that there is heavy traffic on this stretch of road and making sure it can stand up to the constant barrage of vehicles is therefore of utmost importance.

“This is the first technology to offer cost effective and safe wireless on-the-go charging for electric vehicles,” Ezer continued. “It is exciting since it deals with the obstacles in the massive shift towards public electric transportation and thus has the potential to create a global transportation and energy revolution.”

Electroad’s technology works using electromagnets, with copper plates on the road which interact with similar copper plates under buses as they travel over them, thereby helping power the buses along.

While the first examples of this technology will be installed in Israel, though Ezer said it will not be limited to that country in the long run. “We are talking with France, Germany, Sweden, the U.S., Spain and few others,” he said. “The solution is generating great interest, and we are being approached by multiple players in the global public transport sector.”

Latest Instagram update adds face filters and more

Instagram lands another blow in the battle for social media dominance.

A new update is rolling out for Instagram today which adds a bunch of new features — including a few more borrowed from Snapchat. The big new feature is face filters, which works just like Snapchat’s version does, but will also work with other Instagram features like Boomerang. You’re able to use either the rear or selfie cam, then send your recording or pics to friends via Instagram Direct or add it to your story.

The addition of face filters comes as little surprise. Love them or hate them, it seems like every social media app is adding these face filters these days — and they’re even popping up in the photo apps of the latest phones.

Other new features added in the update include the ability to record videos and then play them in reverse (again, similar to Snapchat), as well as the ability to add hashtag stickers, or simply type a hashtag using regular text. Anyone watching your story will be able to tap the hashtags and explore other tagged posts. There’s also a new eraser tool as well as a color fill tool, so you’re able to snap a photo, cover it with a color and then use the eraser tool to creatively reveal parts of your photos.

Have you checked out these new features? Between Snapchat and Instagram, which platform do you prefer — or neither? Let us know in the comments!

Best Small Data Plan

A good small data plan does exist, even if nobody advertises them.

Unlimited plans get all the press and all the glitter, but most people don’t need one. That’s why small data plans still exist and are popular options.

Shopping for a phone plan is unnecessarily difficult, especially now that all four big U.S. carriers want to force you to the more expensive unlimited data offering. But there are alternatives if you dive deep into a carrier’s website, and some of them are a decent value.

We did the digging, and here’s what we found.

AT&T

AT&T offers unlimited and “data share” postpaid plans for customers who are buying a phone (they are required as part of the NEXT program). If you bring your own phone, you will need to use its prepaid goPhone plans.

$45 per month	6GB LTE dataUnlimited talk and text in the USUnlimited talk and text to Canada and MexicoRoaming in Mexico & Canada (Talk, Text & Data)Unlimited text to over 100 countries

Once 6GB of data is used, you’ll be slowed down to 128kbps data speeds for the remainder of the month. AT&T also offers a discount for multiple lines on one account. You save $5 for each line up to a maximum of five (a $20 total).

For comparison’s sake, this same plan with unlimited data is available for $65. AT&T also offers a $30 monthly plan with all the perks above and no bundled data allotment. Data packages are $5 for 250MB.

See plans at AT&T

Sprint

In addition to its prepaid plans, Sprint offers a postpaid option for folks who only use a small amount of data each month.

$40 per month	2GB LTE data (including tethering)Unlimited talk and textUnlimited international text

Sprint advertises its 2GB plan as “The lowest price entry plan among national carriers.” However, Verizon offers a 2GB plan for $35, and in many cases a few dollars more gets you a plan with double the data.

For reference,Sprint’s single-line unlimited data plan is $60 per month.

See plans at Sprint

T-Mobile

T-Mobile’s only postpaid plan for new customers is its unlimited offering. It does have several prepaid options available.

$45 per month	4GB of LTE data (including tethering)Unlimited talk and textMusic Unlimited (stream music without using your data)Wi-Fi calling

T-Mobile also offers the same plan with 6GB of LTE data for $55 per month. International talk and text packages are extra and start at $5 per month.

The fine print for T-Mobile’s Simply Prepaid plan has a few things that need mentioned. You are given 50MB of out-of-network roaming each month, and calling plan options only support a two-party conversation; Conference calls may cost extra.

For reference, T-Mobile’s unlimited prepaid plan is $75 per month.

See plans at T-Mobile

Verizon

$35	2GB of LTE data (including tethering)Unlimited Talk and TextRollover data (30 days maximum)Additional data for $15 per Gigabyte

Verizon offers this plan with more monthly data in two other options: 4GB of LTE data for $50 per month and 8GB of LTE data for $70 per month.

All postpaid plans allow you to continue to use data at lower speeds once your monthly allotment is reached. These postpaid plans do not include any equipment fees if you need to buy a phone from Verizon.

*See plans at Verizon

The best small data plan

There are a few things in common with all four carriers: The listed prices in all advertisements are for customers who use autopay for their monthly bill. Each carrier slows down your data to 2G speeds once you hit a cap on data, which is right around 20GB per line. And no carrier guarantees great coverage, no matter what their coverage maps might say.

Verizon offers the best small data plan in the U.S.

Overall, Verizon has the best small data plan you can buy in its 2GB for $35 option or the 4GB for $50 option. Here’s how we reached the decision.

• Which companies offer the coverage you need? Having a cheap cell phone bill isn’t so great if your phone doesn’t work where you need it to work. Verizon has the best coverage of any U.S. carrier. We’re not basing this on surveys or coverage maps; this is based on real-world use all over the country. While there are some places where you won’t have a Verizon signal but will have coverage from another carrier, these are few and far between.

• Extra data at $15 per GB makes a big difference. If you’re looking for a plan with just a bit of LTE data, knowing that you can buy more at any time is great. When paired with a $35 monthly plan and Verizon’s coverage, it’s hard to beat if you don’t use much data. With the 4GB plan for $50, you also have a great option if 2GB just doesn’t cut the mustard.

• Unlimited low-speed data and 30-day rollover for unused data are great features. While it would be nice to see Verizon refund you for unused data each month, carrying it over to the next month is the next best thing. And while low-speed data on Verizon can be frustratingly slow, it’s fast enough to let you check your email or read Twitter (or order another Gigabyte online if you need more for the month).

Coverage, coverage, coverage. Even if you only use a little bit of data each month, you need to know you’ll have a good connection when you need it. Coupled with the low cost of the entry level 2GB plan and the $15/GB buy up, this is the best small data plan you can buy in the U.S. The only time you should consider anyone else is if you’re streaming music and use a service that’s covered under T-Mobile’s Music Unlimited feature and live where T-Mobile has great service.

The best news is that everything here is subject to change at any time! Because the market has become so competitive for unlimited data, companies will constantly be adjusting prices and features. When one company makes a move the rest will soon follow with their own new pricing or other offers.

We’ll keep things updated here as changes happen and maybe next month we’ll be recommending a different company.

See at Verizon

Twitter co-founder Biz Stone returns to ‘be Biz Stone’

Six years after leaving the company he co-founded, Biz Stone is returning to Twitter to “guide company culture.” Or, as he put it in a blog post, fill a “Biz-shaped hole” he left. Stone won’t be replacing any existing executives. Instead, this appears to be a new position that’s designed to address internal culture issues “so it’s also felt outside the company.”

The turn of events leading to the return to the company sounds like it was an emotional experience for Stone. He accompanied current Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey onstage at a Friday Tea Time event, where the latter asked Stone to go back to work at Twitter. Stone said that when addressing the crowd of employees, “I felt the energy, and I was overcome with emotion. I realized in that moment that Twitter was the most important work of my life.” Sure.

This revelation follows recent news that Pinterest bought Jelly, an answers app that Stone had relaunched last year. Details are vague as to what he’ll actually be doing back at Twitter, but it is likely related to boosting morale at the beleaguered company. 2016 was a rough year for the social network, which saw it fail to address its troll problem and rampant bullying. It has since stepped up its efforts to improve its shortcomings, but its system still needs work.

2017 isn’t shaping up to be much better, either, as it continues to bleed key executives, which can’t inspire much confidence in existing employees. Stone’s return to the company may not turn things around, but this hire signals Twitter is focusing on creating a place where people will continue to want to work.

Source: Biz Stone (Medium)

Singapore’s First Apple Store Opens May 27

Apple’s first retail store in both Singapore and Southeast Asia will open Saturday, May 27 at 10:00 a.m. local time, according to an official opening date recently added to the white facade covering the long-awaited Orchard Road location.

As noted by The Straits Times, workers were seen adding the opening date on the white facade that covers the front of the store at the Knightsbridge shopping complex in downtown Singapore close to midnight on Tuesday night. Apple has yet to list the store on its website, but it likely will soon.

Earlier this month, Apple began removing construction barriers around the store, revealing a large mural and 12 smaller pieces of artwork that showcase the Apple logo, a heart, and a little red dot, referencing Apple’s love for Singapore. “Little red dot” is a widely known nickname for Singapore, home to over 5 million people.

Apple’s plans to open its first retail store in Singapore were revealed by gym chain Pure Fitness, which closed in December 2015 to make space for the Apple Store in its exact location. Apple confirmed the store and began hiring retail employees in November 2015, and construction has been underway over the past year.

The store will open daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. local time. The location will likely feature Apple’s next-generation retail design.

Related Roundup: Apple Stores
Tag: Singapore
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19 best movie and TV spaceships: The star craft that defined our childhood

Science fiction films and TV shows have graced us with some amazing spaceships over the last few decades, often becoming as iconic as the characters and stories themselves.

Now with Guardians of the Galaxy 2 and Alien: Covenant currently on the big screens, it only seems fitting to take a look at some of the biggest and best spacecraft to ever to have made it onto the big and small screens. 

The Death Star (Star Wars)

Wikia

No list about fictional spaceships would be complete without a reference to the Death Star – the moon-sized battle station built by the Galactic Empire with the sole purpose of blowing up planets with a rather unpleasant super laser.

As the Emporer’s pet project, it was akin to Hitler’s wonder weapons but, luckily for the Rebels, it had one weakness in an exhaust port that meant a cheeky and well-aimed proton torpedo could put an end to the threat. See Rogue One for the reason why it was there.

Borg Cube (Star Trek)

HD-Wallpapers

Resisting the Borg making their way into this list would be futile. These monster spaceships dwarf most other ships on our list, apparently spanning 3,000 metres on each side.

They’re the scourge of the Star Trek Universe, assimilating or laying waste to everything in their path. Equipped with disruptor beams, high-yield photon torpedoes, various tractor beams and multi-adaptive shields these ships have a heavy arsenal to fight off any foe.

Inside, the menacing Borg drones are ready to destroy or assimilate anyone and everyone they come across. A force to be reckoned with.

Martian flying saucer (Mars Attacks!)

Complex

A slightly more comical, though no less deadly, threat to the human race came in the form of the flying spaceships and their passengers from Mars in the 1996 film Mars Attacks!

Tim Burton apparently wanted to make the aliens and the special effects look as fake as possible for comedy value and as an homage to alien films from previous generations. The result was some hilarious-looking beings and flying saucers that perfectly matched the collectors’ card series it was based on. 

Max (Flight of the Navigator)

Reddit

In the 1986 classic ‘Flight of the Navigator’, a small boy called David is transported through space and time by an alien spacecraft from the planet Phaelon by a robotic commander known as Max (short for “Trimaxion Drone Ship”).

David’s journey includes a space trip to the alien craft’s home planet 560 light years away and a transport through time eight years into his future. In the meantime, his brain is used to store copious amounts of data including star charts, alien technical manuals and more.

Max and his spacecraft make it onto our list because of the comedy value of the pilot and the fascinating journey David goes on. We also can’t forget all the alien creatures he meets along the way. Cracking film for children of all ages!

Heart of Gold (Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy)

IMGUR

From the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy Universe, the Heart of Gold is a magnificent spaceship equipped with the infamous and revolutionary Infinite Improbability Drive making it capable of travelling anywhere in the galaxy in an instant. Unfortunately, that’s coupled with the danger of randomly and unfortunately altering reality in doing so.

Stolen by Zaphod Beeblebrox, President of the Galaxy and a man who had been voted “Worst Dressed Sentient Being in the Known Universe” no less than seven times, the Heart of Gold was later used to accidentally rescue Arthur Dent and Ford Prefect from an untimely death, as they floated unprotected in space. It also turned two missiles into a whale and bowl of petunias. Handy.

It’s a fantastic ship if you can cope with the sunny disposition of the automatic doors with Genuine People Personalities and the downtrodden depressing drone of Marvin the paranoid android.

Klingon Bird of Prey (Star Trek)

Pinterest

The Klingon Bird of Prey is a heavily armed warship from the Star Trek universe, first encountered by Starfleet and Captain James T. Kirk in 2153. Armed with a cloaking device and a deadly arsenal of weaponry, it’s a menacing foe in the right hands.

Not the prettiest ship to look at, but then neither are the crew. Though we wouldn’t say that to their faces.

Discovery One (2001: A Space Odyssey)

Youtube

With a graceful and sleek design, Discovery One first made its way onto our screens in 2001: A Space Odyssey.

This nuclear-powered interplanetary spaceship is particularly interesting thanks to being operated by HAL 9000 the Heuristically programmed Algorithmic computer that controls the ship’s systems and interacts with the crew.

When HAL turns bad and decides to kill the crew to prevent them disconnecting his cognitive circuits things become interesting. Another of man’s journeys into AI gone bad, the film is great and the spaceship is a corker too. Unless you’re a passenger of course.

The TARDIS (Dr Who)

Youtube

Although it might not be a spaceship in the traditional sense, the TARDIS (Time And Relative Dimensions In Space) makes it onto our list because of its sheer awesome quirkiness.

Bigger on the inside than it appears on the out and capable of travelling anywhere through space and time at the press of a button, it helps The Doctor explore the Universe and deal with everything from Daleks to Cybermen.

Better still, the inside of the TARDIS is equipped with all sorts of rooms and even boasts a swimming pool and art gallery.

Moya (Farscape)

Reddit

Moya is the name of another unusual spaceship appearing on our list thanks to being a part-organic sentient being. As if a living, breathing spaceship wasn’t impressive enough, Moya also includes a four-armed Pilot who is physically bonded to her and works as navigator, operator and companion as well as a link to the crew.

Moya offers nothing in the way of weaponry, so her only defensive manoeuvre is to activate a “starburst” which allows the spaceship to travel through space-time at incredible speeds.

Moya appeared on sci-fi cult series Farscape which sadly ended in 2003 but remains fondly in our hearts.

Serenity (Firefly)

KingofWallpapers

Serenity is a space craft from the TV series “Firefly” which only made it to 14 episodes before being cancelled (much to the dismay of its fans).

The ship was home to nine people who lived and fought on the losing side of a civil war in what is essentially a space western in a universe where Earth had been abandoned many years before.

Serenity is a basic ship, with simple fittings and fixtures and isn’t really much to write home about. But she is a place to live and a vessel of salvation for the crew who are perpetually trying to keep out of trouble. With no weapons to speak of, Serenity is another space craft on our list whose only defence is to cut and run.

Apollo 13

Apollo 13

Real-life rocket Apollo 13 made it onto the big screen in the form of a film of the same name. It tells the true story of the seventh manned space mission and the third rocket launch that was intended to land on the moon.

The real space craft was launched in 1970 and suffered an oxygen tank explosion when 205,000 miles from Earth, this resulted in the need to abandon the moon mission and an incredible, desperate struggle to get the astronaut’s home.

Apollo 13 makes it to the list, not for being a great spaceship (after all it went a bit wrong) but because of the heroic mission and safe return of the crew.

Planet Express (Futurama)

effectsfilms

The animated Planet Express ship was a ship designed and built by Professor Farnsworth – the mad scientist and owner of the Planet Express delivery service.

The ship itself is nothing particularly special, being armed with just one cannon and no sign of any cloaking device, but it makes it onto our list because of the crew.

An eccentric robot who’s prone to theft, by the name of Bender, a cryogenically frozen down-on-his-luck delivery boy named Philip J. Fry and the ship’s Captain, one-eyed mutant Turanga Leela. With this bunch of characters on board, the ship gets into plenty of scrapes, jams and accidents, but mostly always comes back in one piece.

Prawn mothership (District 9)

Pinterest

Looming over the Johannesburg skyline in the film District 9 was the crippled alien mothership belonging to the Prawns, an insectoid race of alien creatures who landed on Earth in the late 20th Century.

This alien spaceship is unusual and makes it to our list because it’s probably one of the only alien space crafts from a film which hasn’t come to Earth for the purpose of invasion, destruction or colonisation. No, the crew of the Mothership just want somewhere to live and eat cat food.

Starbug (Red Dwarf)

Reddwarf.co.uk

Starbug is the designation for the small, green, bug-like shuttlecrafts of the Jupiter Mining Corporation’s mining ship Red Dwarf.

These little robust, mistreated but much-loved spacecraft are home to the hapless crew which includes the last surviving member of the Human race Dave Lister, his loathed hologram companion Rimmer, mechanised service droid Kryten and their friend who evolved from a pet cat.

Starbug itself is nothing special to look at, but through the various episodes and series of Red Dwarf it does garner many enhancements that at various points include a cloaking device, the ability to travel underwater, laser cannon upgrades and a super tachyon-powered drive.

Crashed onto many planets and thrown into many scrapes, Starbug proves itself to be an extremely formidable craft.

The Space Cruiser (Rick and Morty)

Reddit

The Space Cruiser looks like something someone’s mad, drunk Grandfather bashed together in their garage. Which is pretty much exactly what happened.

This UFO-like flying machine was created by mad scientist Rick Sanchez in order to aid his insane adventures around the Galaxy with his Grandson Morty.

It’s not much to look at, but it does boast some pretty special gadgetry that includes a battery which houses an entire Universe (in miniature form known as a Microverse), some artificial intelligence and a vast array of hidden weaponry that appears to keep his Granddaughter Summer Safe from all threats in one episode of the show.

Rick and Morty has only seen two seasons so far, but the Space Cruiser has already been on some pretty wild rides.

Thunderbird 3 (Thunderbirds)

Wiki

Thunderbird 3 was the main spaceship in the International Rescue team’s arsenal of vehicles. Effectively a reusable, vertically launched space rocket, it was used for space rescue missions and trips to Thunderbird 5 – the team’s space station.

Boasting chemical lift-off rockets and an ion drive for use in the void of space, Thunderbird 3 was an impressive spacecraft in various ways, not least of which was the ability to be controlled remotely by a device on pilot Alan Tracy’s wrist.

USS Enterprise (Star Trek)

Dave Daring

The USS Enterprise has been on our screens, big and small, in various guises over the decades. It’s been blown up, crashed, shot at and taken on bold new missions across stretches of space that no man has been before.

Indeed, Gene Roddenberry’s spaceship became such an influential vessel that NASA even named its first space shuttle after it.

Various versions of the Enterprise were Captained by big names from the Star Trek series including James T. Kirk, Jean-Luc Picard and Johnathan Archer.

The ship itself is pretty special for various reasons, including the presence of the holodeck in the Next Generation version and a wide array of weaponry and tactical offensive and defensive capabilities including photon torpedoes, ramming speed and a detachable saucer for emergency situations.

Dark Aster (Guardians of the Galaxy)

Wikia

Dark Aster makes it onto our list for being one of the most menacing alien ships to hit the big screen.

Dark, angry and foreboding, this mammoth corkscrew-like spaceship was taken by Ronan the Accuser to destroy all Nova citizens in his path with the intended eventual destruction of the planet Xander as his end goal. But first, he’d have to get through the Guardians of the Galaxy.

The Milano (Guardians of the Galaxy 2)

Wiki

In the original film, Star-Lord Peter Quill (played by Chris Pratt) used his ship, the Milano, to enter the Dark Aster and save the Galaxy. In the process, the Milano was badly damaged. As payment for saving Xander, Nova Corps paid to rebuild and fix up the Milano for Quill.

Now back on the big screens, we’ll once again get to see the Star-Lord doing his thing in this magnificent flying bird.

Uber really wants to be your one-stop transit app

While you’d think that Uber would balk at mass transit, it’s really quite friendly to the concept. One of its best-known third-party app tie-ins, Transit, lets you hail a car from the same app that gives you real-time bus schedules. And now it’s returning the favor: an update to Uber’s Android app (iOS is coming) shows you Transit-sourced departure times within a block of your destination. If you need to catch a commuter train and are wondering whether or not you’ll reach the station in time, you won’t necessarily have to jump between apps. You’ll still need to launch the dedicated Transit app to see a wider list of departures, but it’s hard to knock the convenience.

The integration is only available in the US right now, and only for about 50 cities (Boston, Chicago, New York City and San Francisco are some of the larger examples). It won’t work everywhere that Uber and Transit are available, unfortunately.

With that said, there’s no doubt that Uber wants to see this feature expand. If it’s going to create an viable alternative to owning a car, that means acknowledging that riders can’t (or just won’t) always use its service for the entire length of a trip. You might be more likely to use Uber if you see it as part of a larger transportation picture, especially for those times when it would be cheaper to take a shorter Uber ride and bus the rest of the way.

Via: VentureBeat

Source: Uber Newsroom, Google Play

Microsoft partners with the UN to track human rights abuses

In what’s described as a “landmark” partnership, Microsoft and the United Nations are teaming up to help help predict and fight human rights abuses, among other potential projects. Microsoft is providing a $5 million grant to the UN Human Rights Office, which will support the development of new technology tools for the intergovernmental organization. That includes “Rights View,” a dashboard tool that lets the UN use big data and cloud computing to track potential human rights issues globally in real time.

“As a global company that sees the problems of the world, we believe that we have a responsibility to help solve them,” Microsoft President Brad Smith said in a statement. “We have an untapped opportunity to use the power of technology to collect data, analyze that data and equip the United Nations to advance human rights around the world.”

It was only a matter of time until the UN jumped on the big data analysis bandwagon, something Microsoft is already using to track crime in New York City. The software giant will also help the UN bring aboard other private companies to use their technology in positive ways, as well as promote the UN’s “Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.” As you can probably guess, the latter is a way to highlight potential issues that could arise from doing business around the world.

Source: The UN

What to expect at Google I/O 2017

For the second year running, Google’s massive I/O developer event will take place at the storied Shoreline Amphitheater, right around the corner from the company’s Mountain View headquarters. Last year’s conference had a host of major announcements worthy of such a high-profile venue — it’s where Google Home, the Google Assistant and the Daydream VR headset were all introduced.

But this year, things seem like they’ll be a little quieter, at least in terms of big consumer-facing hardware. It’ll probably be a year of refinement, where big initiatives continue to be polished. We’ll be there all three days this year, bringing you breaking news, analysis, interviews, videos and more. Without the benefit of a crystal ball, here’s what we think we’ll be talking about this week.

Android O

Even though Google started releasing developer previews of Android months ahead of I/O, the event is still where we get into the nitty-gritty of how the company’s mobile OS will change this year. We haven’t seen many big consumer-facing features in Android O just yet, although the revamped notification system sounds like it could be incredibly useful as more and more apps vie for our attention. Ditto that for the “copyless pasting” system that Google teased a few weeks ago — we should definitely hear more on that front.

Otherwise, we’re looking at a lot of behind-the-scenes improvements, but two of them could significantly impact the way people use their phones. Google is yet again promising to have made major advances in power-saving thanks to a new “background limit” feature that’ll restrict what apps can do when they aren’t front and center. Background services, location updates and “implicit broadcasts” will all be subject to automatic limiting by Android to help developers create apps that don’t trash your battery life — expect to hear more about how that all works during Wednesday’s keynote.

Just a few days ago, Google spilled the news about “Project Treble,” the latest attempt to make it easier for all Android smartphones to be updated to the most current operating system. Ever since it launched, phones that weren’t under Google’s direct control (like the Nexus and Pixel lines) lines have had to wait months for the latest version. And, sometimes it never arrives at all. But Project Treble’s new modular approach to Android means that from O forward, devices should receive updates much faster.

We haven’t heard too much about Instant Apps after they were introduced at I/O 2016. But the idea of being able to quickly load run a full Android app by clicking on a URL could make life a lot easier for Android users. Google did start limited testing of Instant Apps earlier this year, and we’re hoping to get some news about when they might be ready for consumers. Otherwise, we should hopefully hear about some Android O features that hasn’t been announced yet — there will almost certainly be some surprises in store.

Google Assistant

The Google Assistant was probably the biggest announcement at I/O 2016, and that’s all because CEO Sundar Pichai said he wants it available basically anywhere you use Google. And he wants it to be personalized to you. One year in and that goal hasn’t quite been met yet, although there’s no doubt that Google’s conversational AI bot can be smart and useful in the right circumstances. Thus far, the main limitation has been availability. Assistant is integrated right into the Google Allo chat app, but it’s been hard getting users to switch over from texting, Hangouts, Facebook Messenger and the plethora of other messaging apps out there. Pixel smartphone owners have it baked right in, and it’s rolling out to other Android phones as well, but there are still plenty of smartphones without it. And while Google Home is a good first attempt to take on Alexa, Amazon has a big lead here in sales and third-party compatibility.

We expect Google to address the challenges facing the Assistant head-on at I/O. We’ll likely see partnerships to get the Assistant on more smart home hardware and better ways for third-party developers to work with Google’s AI bot. We’ll surely hear about new capabilities, as well — earlier today, Bloomberg reported that Google would bring the Assistant to the iPhone and start building it into GE’s home appliances. Those would be two big ways for the Assistant to reach more customers.

Daydream VR

Perhaps the most exciting developments will come from Google’s ever-growing virtual (and augmented) reality teams. Google’s DayDream VR platform launched at last year’s event, and while it was a bid to improve the quality of mobile VR experiences, the impact has been limited. The headset only works on Google’s Pixel phones and a handful of other devices. Expect an update on Daydream, although it may be just more colored headsets rather than anything major. We’d keep an eye on Tango too: the company’s 3D-mapping phones are one of the strongest augmented reality offerings so far. Google says it’s no longer a project, which sounds like Tango is ready for prime-time.

Android Auto

Earlier this week, Google announced that Android Auto would be the default option for infotainment in new Volvo and Audi vehicles. Cars with this new software will be on display at I/O this year, so we’ll get to see what happens when Android Auto is the one and only solution for music, navigation and other voice-activated features. Google teased something like this back at I/O in 2016, when we got to see a concept Maserati where Android ran every screen in the car — it even controlled the heating and A/C. While Volvo and Audi’s cars don’t go this far yet, it’s still notable to see new vehicles where you don’t need a phone to use Android Auto. Hopefully it’ll be better than the stock infotainment system found in most cars these days.

Everything else

Android Wear: It’s been a year since Google first took the wraps off Android Wear 2.0, a major upgrade to the company’s smartwatch OS. But it was delayed far past the original fall launch timeframe, and in the last 12 months most Android Wear products were not terribly compelling. Google is almost certain to mention Wear onstage, but what exactly it’ll have to share is a bit of a mystery. With Wear 2.0 only just making its way to consumers, we don’t imagine it’ll get much of an overhaul this year.

Chrome OS: Google also announced its intention to bring Android apps to Chromebooks last year — but like Wear 2.0, the launch has been slow going. Samsung and Google announced the Chromebook Pro at CES, a laptop built specifically with Android apps in mind. Unfortunately, Samsung didn’t hit that release date, though there are signs we might see it announced before long — perhaps on stage this week, in fact. From the software end, we’re expecting more details on how Google can encourage developers to write apps that’ll work on both phones and laptops.

Fuschia: This one is a bit of a longshot. Last week, screenshots and details about Google’s mysterious “Fuschia” operating system were posted by Ars Technica. In a lot of ways, it looks like a new mobile phone OS that leaves behind a lot of the baggage that Android has accumulated over the years. That’s just what this current version looks like; it doesn’t mean Fuschia is necessarily destined for phones. Google hasn’t made any public statements about what they’re doing with it, but there’s an outside chance we’ll hear about it this week.

Android O’s name: A new version of Android means a new dessert-themed code name. Oreo? Oatmeal cookie? There aren’t a lot of mainstream treats with an O at the beginning. Last year, Google punted this to the crowd, taking suggestions for what the name would be. It wouldn’t surprise us to see them do the same thing this year.

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