Google announced the dates and venue for the company's annual developer conference, Google I/O. Here are some of the projects Google could provide updates on this year.

The search giant's developer conference, Google I/O 2016, will be held at the Shoreline Amphitheater in Google's backyard of Mountain View, California, beginning May 18 and finishing two days later.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai announced the conference on Tuesday with a post on (where else?) his Google+ page.

"2016 is going to be a special year for us -- we held our first developer day 10 years ago at the Googleplex," wrote Pichai. "To celebrate our 10th anniversary of developer gatherings, we'll be hosting I/O in our backyard at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, CA from May 18th - 20th. We'll have 3 full days together to dive deep into developer content, code labs, and more."

So what can we expect from Google for this special 10th year? Here are some ideas on the Google projects we might see in May.

Android N

 

Unless Google completely abandons its long-running Android development cycle and naming scheme, it's a sure bet we'll see the preview for the next Android after Marshmallow, which we'll only know as "Android N" until fall.

The unveiling is still a while away, but there have been rumors that Android N will feature split screen and multiwindow support, catching up with a feature you can currently find on iOS, Windows, and Samsung's custom version of Android.

Other possibilities, as Tech Times noted, include a system-wide "Dark" theme, a battery management settings, and built-in support for pressure sensitive touchscreen devices.

Driverless Cars

An update on Google's self-driving cars will probably get at least a quick mention, considering that Apple, Tesla, and American auto companies have been turning up the heat on their own driverless vehicle projects so far this year.

It's more doubtful if we'll see anything new, physically, on the company's advanced self-driving car project, but considering recent reports that the company plans to create a subsidiary company this year to pilot ridesharing services using driverless cars, Google could make some big news on this topic in May.

Project Tango

At CES 2016, Google and Lenovo announced a partnership to make the first 3D augmented reality smartphone for consumers, a concept previously known as "Project Tango" as dubbed by Google's Advanced Technology and Projects division.

Tango software uses an array of cameras and sensors to build a virtual 3D environment based on the real world around it. The possible applications for this technology are manifold, especially with the first consumer VR headsets hitting store shelves just weeks before Google I/O begins.

Google will almost certainly update us on the device, and we may get to see a demonstration.

Google Glass 2

It turns out Google Glass never died; it was just in hibernation for a while. As FCC documents show, there's a new model of Google Glass designed for use by businesses rather than the average consumer (or for that matter, the average "glasshole").

Could we see a new demonstration of the second generation of Google Glass? Considering the PR mess the previous iteration caused, you can't blame Google if they're a little shy on this topic, but it's a possibility.

Project Ara 

Google's futuristic modular smartphone idea, Project Ara, was supposed to begin small consumer trials in Puerto Rico in late 2015. But before it could launch, the island territory officially ran into big economic problems and Google decided to scrap its plans.

That doesn't mean Google scrapped the whole project, though Project Ara hasn't made much news since. But hopefully Google could make some news with the intriguing concept phone during Google I/O.