Trulia first attended Google I/O in 2010 and it is an event we’ve looked forward to every year since. It’s a fantastic few days with Google highlighting their latest wizardry while also supporting the developer community by helping with existing projects through office hours, developer sessions and demos.
When we attend conferences like this, our teams are looking for the latest technologies that make sense for our consumers and product, and this year didn’t disappoint. Here’s a look at some of the news from I/O that we’re excited about at Trulia:
Artificial Intelligence
There were several announcements on machine learning and AI, both on the technical side with Google’s TensorFlow and Tensor Processing Unit, and on the consumer side with Google Lens. The pace of development in this space is phenomenal, and the work companies like Google are doing to empower the developer community will mean better products with smarter personalization capabilities in the very near future. We have been investing in machine learning and AI at Trulia for some time now – from computer vision to recommender systems and natural language processing – and we’re excited to continue our efforts on that front.
Take Google Lens for example. It is an awesome replacement for the old Google Goggles. It integrates directly into Google Assistant and allows Google’s AI to understand what your camera sees and make smart recommendations. In our world of real estate, there is great potential. Wouldn’t it be great if consumers visiting an open house could use this technology to quickly determine how old or energy efficient specific appliances are?
Android Updates
The new version of Android promises several improvements around battery life and giving consumers better control over their data, which are always welcome advancements. I am especially interested in Notification Channels, which promise better consumer control over push notifications. At Trulia, we strive to send only personally relevant push notifications to consumers, with specific details on the homes they are searching for, and I think Notification Channels will allow consumers smart controls to fine tune their preferences even more.
VR and AR
Google has been working on Tango for many years, which is a forward-thinking system that combines depth sensors, cameras and software to create immersive AR experiences. At I/O, Google announced they are merging this technology with standalone VR headsets (no phone required!) to allow for exceptional consumer experiences without consumers having to pay a fortune for high-end equipment. Samsung also has announced they’ll be supporting the Google Daydream VR platform, so I expect to see this foster strong growth. Many companies have been working on 3D in real estate, and I’m excited to see what can further develop here. Maybe we’ll all be doing 3D walkthroughs in a virtual world in the years to come – I think that would be amazing!
To sum it up, Google I/O presented a nice blend of future focused ideas and useful products that we can dive into now. Innovation is the life blood of Trulia, and working with companies like Google accelerates our innovations that help consumers not only find their perfect home, but also their perfect neighborhood. Stay tuned here to learn which technologies we choose to use to help empower consumers in their search.
