GoKawiilGoogle seems to think I'm far wealthier than I am. At least, that's the impression I got from just having watched this year's Android Show. The company showed off a variety of new Android 17 features, all of which seem squarely targeted toward folks with the same salary as its own CEO.
It left me thinking, what about the rest of us?
The Android Show is Google's 30-minute prerecorded show ahead of its big I/O keynote, in which it previews upcoming Android features. This time, the big news was deeper integration with Gemini AI tools, a better Android Auto interface and a build-your-own widget creator, which does things like keeping track of your upcoming flights.
The common theme to all of these things is money. Lots of money. Money that you already have and money that you're willing to spend.
Paris Hilton was the star of the show and appeared to be a "typical everyday" Android user? Andrew Lanxon/CNET
The Android Auto demo showed how well it fits on BMW's larger screens and how YouTube will play at 60 frames per second on your infotainment system's compatible display. We even got a tragic cameo by Paris Hilton in her luxury Genesis, saying how the car can turn into her own private movie theater.
I currently drive a 2007 Toyota Auris with 110,000 miles on the clock, a broken CD player, no USB inputs and covered in so much bird crap that I sometimes forget the original color. I make it "smart" by shoving my iPhone into a holder that clips onto the heating vents. My version of in-car Dolby Atmos audio is a portable Bluetooth speaker I recharge and place on the passenger seat because there's no way to connect my phone to the car.
My car is covered in so much crap, I assume the seagull that flew over had eaten some seriously nasty shellfish moments prior. My car doesn't have Android Auto. Andrew Lanxon/CNET
Later in the Auto demo, we were shown Gemini being used to explain whether a new 65-inch TV would fit in the back of a Volvo EX60. I have to be fair to Google here: I also recently bought a 65-inch telly. But not having a $65,000 (or more) Volvo to pick it up in, I just had to call a friend who owned a van.
Then there were the multiple examples of using Gemini's new agentic AI tools to book "floor seat" concert tickets, which alone can cost hundreds of dollars, depending on the artist -- or even into four figures if you went to Taylor Swift's Eras Tour.
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