Google Built an 'Android Village' to Showcase Its Latest Artificial Intelligence Features

BARCELONA, Spain—How does a tech company, even one of the biggest tech companies in the world, stand out in a place flooded with tech, tech and more tech? Donuts, buttons and an updated version of whimsy. Amid all the mobile devices being released this week during the Mobile World Congress trade show, it’s not easy to stand out inside the Fira Barcelona Gran Via convention hall. However, Google—that little underdog of a company out of Silicon Valley—has for the past several years been creating a bit of fun out of the world wide web of gadgets. This week, in an outdoor space between convention halls, Google has created an oasis of sorts that stands out from the crammed booths full of bright lights, sounds and crowds. The Android Village, as it’s called, aims to showcase some of the features of Android Oreo, its new operating system, in a way that’s less sales-focused and more interactive. Android Oreo wants to dunk in the dark and is using Mobile World Congress as its glass of milk. The Android Workshop is a follow-up to last year’s Android Garden, where people could do things like trade high fives for a smoothie. It’s also rented real estate at other major trade fairs such as January’s CES, where it built a voice-activate gum ball machine and a three-story playground. Prizes here are Android-themed pins for each complete station, which can then be traded in for a mini Android doll and a sticker pack. The village is split into a number of back-to-back stations in a long, narrow area, perhaps unintentionally representing a conveyer belt where visitors pop from one station to the next. Each station, staffed by Googlers wearing blue Converse All-Stars and workers wearing arctic-white jumpsuits, has a different theme to showcase the products in the new lineup of phones Google has unveiled this week during the event. [kickout id="1"] To promote Google Lens—a visual-recognition feature within Google’s artificial-intelligence platform, Google Assistant—one booth features a wall full of pop-culture and art references. Taking a photo at the Android Exploration Center unlocks a variety of ways to learn more or consume related content on Google or a partner service. For example, scanning a photo of Dua Lipa lets visitors listen to the English pop star on Spotify, while one of Spanish architect Antonin Gaudi triggers some of his quotes. Scanning a copy of the book Hamilton opens YouTube with scenes from the Broadway play, while a shot of a Wi-Fi password lets users click on the photo to copy even the longest login. While Lens was initially only available with Google’s Pixel smartphone, this week, the feature is opening up to a number of newly unveiled smartphones from other manufacturers including Samsung, Nokia, Huawei and HTC. [kickout id="2"] Another display, the Google Assistant Gallery, is a cube showcasing dozens of Google Assistant-integrated products. And they’re varied—thermostats, power outlets, security cams, coffee pots, light bulbs and headphones. This week, Google has added another feature for Assistant, one that lets users interact with multiple languages without toggling between them. It’s also added more languages overall, with additions including Hindi, Thai, Danish and Dutch. [kickout id="3"] As the finale, an indoor room set up like a small loft in London or New York showcases how all of these devices work together. During 10-minute presentations all week, a product manager from Google has been walking visitors through their daily routine—from waking up and turning on the lights to watching yoga on YouTube, locking the door remotely and cooking at night. Google’s way of helping people navigate their day does indeed feel like a seamless process of using artificial intelligence for convenience. However, the remaining question is how will the company (and its competitors) help train people to remember to do things with a device they never needed before. [kickout id="4"] [kickout id="5"] [kickout id="6"]