Google is pushing out some new APIs for app developers to play around with, this in relatively known and very much used app platforms like Google Calendar and Google Maps. The first API is for you to be able to attach files to Google Calendar entries, which sounds uber useful. The second one is for using Google Maps to present you with the perfect bike ride profile on an Android Wear platform, like a smartwatch.
It’s good news that apps can now leverage on a new attachment element for Google Calendar. The Calendar API will now allow for files being attached to a Calendar element – say an event you scheduled or a workout schedule you made for yourself – straight from Google Drive. This means that if you need a document or a slideshow file for your next calendar event, you can save it on Google Drive and then be able to attach that to the next item on your schedule. If you need a training video for your next workout, you can do that straight from Google Drive as well, then to your Google Calendar app.
The second development comes from the Google Geo Developers group, who are on a cross-country “Code the Road” trip. Their new development is for people who want to load a great bike ride profile – with directions and elevations patterns – onto an Android Wear platform, maybe your smartwatch. The code basically uses the Directions API to find you a bike route. Then using the Elevation API, you can get an elevation profile that you can communicate to an app. Lastly, you can then display the route and have it communicated to the rider via Google Maps on Android Wear.
Google is trying to find ways to get their apps and APIs to work together, which is all good for users. The more these apps and APIs collaborate, and the more they are used in upcoming apps being developed, the more it will feel that Android is seamless and just feels smooth working together.
SOURCE: Google Developers (1), (2)
