This year’s Google I/O has come and gone, and, as expected, it was a whirlwind of announcements, revelations, sessions, and workshops, all spread out in two days that feels somewhat too short. That said, this year’s menagerie was relatively more subdued than the previous years, not because it was less exciting, but because it painted a more well-rounded and stabilizing vision and product line for Google For this week’s special Google I/O edition, we look back at the highlights of Google’s developer’s conference, particularly on those that touch on our favorite mobile platform.
Android M
Yes, Android M is a real thing, but while it’s preview is available now to developers and risk takers, it won’t be until the third quarter of this year before the final version is released. And then it will take no small amount of time for M, or whatever it’s sweet name will be by then, to land on OEM devices. Google hasn’t been forthcoming with much of Android M’s features, which isn’t unusual considering how early it is, though it did reveal the awaited App Permissions feature. Over at Slashgear, we took the preview version for a spin and found some interesting, and some questionable, changes. And there are definitely more waiting behind corners, so keep your eyes open and your ears up for some of those in the coming days.
Android Pay
This one was also expected and, even in the implementation, there were no hidden surprises or gimmicks. That might be well and good, painting an image of a serious mobile payment system that’s all serious business. Android Pay takes on two forms. One is a normal “Buy with Android Pay” checkout option on online stores. The other is a similarly normal NFC-based system, with all the benefits and especially the drawbacks that it entails. Google has been careful to partner with key industry players from the get go, which will hopefully help ease worries in adopting yet another competing system. Be sure to check out our hands on with Android Pay to see Google’s mobile payment vision in action.
Google Photos
Yes, there is no “Plus” in that name. Also another expected announcement, Google has truly spun out the photo-hosting part of Google+ into a product of its own. It is as you probably expected it, offering all the bells and whistles of a photo hosting and sharing service, plus all the power and fancy features that Google+ Photos once had. But more than those, Google is also injecting a bit of machine learning and intelligence into the servicer, with the ability to automatically tag and group photos so you won’t have to manually sort through them and dump them into folders yourself. The question now, however, is what Google+ will be now that it’s been divested of most of its “extra” features.
Brillo in the hosue
Google is really gunning for your house. It has now more fully jumped into the Internet of Things train with its latest platform, Brillo. Practically a version of Android slimmed down enough to fit in appliances, Brillo promises to provide OEMs and app developers with peace of mind by taking care of most of the headaches of maintaining an Iot platform, pretty much the same promise of Android for smartphones and tablets. Tying all these devices up together will be Weave, a common protocol language that will enable users to control any Brillo-supporting appliance from any mobile device or, in a more fancy hi-tech way, a single control terminal. Of course, the problem with being late in the IoT game is getting OEMs to adopt yet another “standard”, but considering Google’s clout, that might not be too much of an obstacle.
Loot bag
While those are definitely some of the biggest announcements those past two days, they were hardly the only interesting ones. Here’s a pick of some of the Android news that piqued our curiosity and vied for our attention:
• Project Ara makes a historic appearance
• Snapdragon 810 to power the upcoming Tango smartphone• Google Now on Tap https://androidcommunity.com/brillo-takes-android-deeper-into-your-homes-20150528/
• Google Now on Tap
• Projects Jaquard, Soli, and Vault
Wrap-up
While there wasn’t a single big bang at I/O 2015, there were definitely plenty of small fireworks here and there that will fill up discussions for days and weeks to come. The interface changes in Android M alone already make for some good debate fodder. And then, of course, there will be the “M” guessing game. So don’t put away that popcorn just yet. The Android world is about to get even more interesting.
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