Google has sold “millions” of Chromecasts, according to Android and Chrome chief Sundar Pichai. In addition to the sensational news of Chromecast sales, Pichai also noted at SXSW there would be an Android SDK for wearables coming soon. It fits a previously leaked timeframe, but little else was said for Google’s version of wearable software.
Though Pichai didn’t note exactly what the SDK would entail, he did say it wasn’t solely for smartwatches. According to him, Google’s idea is that the SDK will be built by them, saying it would be Gogole’s “vision for developers of how we see this market working”. but Developers and OEMs will have the option to pick and choose what to use. That makes it a more cross-platform option for wearables in general, and frees interested OEMs up to hardware development.
Pichai did give a solid timeline for a wearable SDK from Google, which is rare. Though he didn’t give specifics as to what the SDK would include, he did say it would arrive n two weeks’ time. While some expected a whole new operating system, it sounds as though there will be a simple SDK, at least for now. Many believe the smartwatch will be based on Google Now, so perhaps Developers will now have access to a Google Now SDK — something many have pined for since the launch of the Search skin.
Chromecast sales are interesting, but the little plug-in heading to more countries is much more important. The Android SDK for wearables is a potentially big deal for tiny devices, and could do for smartwatches and other wearables what Android did for smartphones. We’ll be looking forward to an announcement from Google later this month.
Source: The Next Web
