Last month, I had the opportunity to attend Google IO Extended in London Google Campus. I have to say, the event was really awesome and the organisers did a great job!! The post will round up the best things we learned at Google I/O 2014 including new Android L, Android Wear news, Google Fit, Android Auto, Chromebooks and more. Oh, and don’t forget Android TV. Although Google I/O is a developer conference, like other firms with similar events Google uses the I/O event as a platform to announced and launch new products. Google was releasing new APIs and SDKs in order to encourage developers to make the apps that will encourage you to buy an Android TV, or put Android Auto in your car.
THE MOST EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM GOOGLE I/O 2014
Android L release
Android L is the successor to Android Kit-Kat. Google’s has introduced a new aesthetic and style guide called ‘Material Design’. This gives Android L a focus on object depth and animation. Android L also brings new features: improvements to notifications, a “personal unlock” feature lets you authenticate and unlock your Android phone or tablet simply by placing it near an Android smartwatch or other device. Android L won’t launch in consumer products for months. But we have the developer preview, and it really does look an amazing piece of work. More information about Android L can be found here
Android TV
Android TV is simply a means of bringing to your TV set all of the apps and features of your Android smartphone or tablet. It will allow you to play Android games on your TV set, for instance. Android TV replaces Google TV. Android TV replaces Google TV. Google launched Google TV to great fanfare in 2010. Google TV was focused on simply porting the best TV content on the web into your TV. It wasn’t a success, in part because of the paucity of content. In the UK at least, there wasn’t much of high quality to watch on your expensive Google TV device.
Android Wear smartwatches
Google gave us a further insight into Android Wear, too. The first two Android Wear smartwatches will be the LG G Watch and Samsung Gear Live, both of which are now available to pre-order.Motorola’s Android Wear smartwatch will be on sale ‘this summer,’ and there are bound to be more to come this year, as Google has made the SDK for the software available.
If you’re a developer, then you can download the full SDK of Android Wear from Google. This means you can start tailoring existing app notifications for Android Wear and create your own custom apps to work with the wearables.
Android Auto
Following the announcement of its Open Automotive Alliance back in January, Google used its annual I/O conference to unveil plans for its next step in world dominance: Android Auto. That’s hardly a new development for car tech, but it means you’ll be able to keep your hands on the wheel while choosing a new album or track; enter a destination for the satnav, reply to text messagesand emails (which can be read aloud as they arrive) or make a phone call to a contact in your address book. Basically all the stuff you would want to do while driving.
Android apps for Chromebooks
Chromebooks will soon be able to receive notifications and run applications from Android smartphones and tablets. Google is trying to bridge the gap Chromebook laptops and Android mobile devices. Users will be able to run Android applications such as Vine, Evernote and Flipboard on mobile devices or Chromebooks. In an on-stage demonstration, the applications were transferred from a smartphone to Chromebook.
Other demonstrations highlighted how the Chromebook was linked to Android smartphones. A Chromebook showed notifications about an incoming call and text message on a smartphone, and also showed an alert that the smartphone battery was low. This is similar to how smartwatches display notifications and music playlists from Android smartphones.
