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There were a huge number of announcements yesterday at Google I/O but two of them that are sparking a lot of interest are Google Allo and Duo.  Allo is the new messaging app from the company that brings a significant amount of personalization and leverages Google’s machine learning on the back end to allow you to get quick replies that are more personal to you.  Duo is the company’s new one-on-one video app that allows you to make video calls seamlessly with other people, even if they are on iOS.  While both apps aren’t expected for a few months, you can add both of them to your wishlist in the Google Play Store today.

Fitbit has made an update to their Android app that brings the ability to track your steps using your Nexus 5X or Nexus 6P without having a tracker device from the company.  The move is an interesting one as, to this point, you had to have a Fitbit device to track your steps on Android with the tracker connecting to your phone via Bluetooth.  Thanks to the Android Sensor Hub coprocessor that is in the 5X and 6P, that is no longer required.  If you have another phone, however, this new feature won’t work for you.

After months of speculation and rumor, Google has announced that Android Pay is now available in the United Kingdom.  The tap-and-pay service rolled out with support from eight nationwide banks and is supported by dozens of retailers across the country.  That support includes the Transport for London network.  Now users in the UK will be able to use their phones to make purchases without having to pull a card out of their wallet, making purchases faster and more conveniently.

As developer conferences go, Google I/O stands out for a lot of reasons.  Unlike Microsoft’s Build Conference or Apple’s WWDC, Google tends to bring to light countless projects each year, some of which never make it any further than I/O… but they get exposed.  The last few years, however, I/O has become synonymous with Android.  In 2014, we saw Android Lollipop.  In 2015 we saw Marshmallow.  Sure there were other things but fundamentally, that’s what remember these last two conferences launching.

Google I/O 2016 is going to be different.  Very different.  Starting today, we see the Mountain View company’s vision for the future.  Yes we will hear about Android N but it won’t be front-and-center.  It is, after all, already available in beta.  That vision is going to include a wide range of products, services and solutions, all of which will not only shape the future for Google but the future of everyone who touches their technologies.