Back in March, Google lit the proverbial blue touchpaper to the inhabitants of the smartwatch industry with the announcement of Android Wear, a variant of its famed mobile software designed specifically for the emerging wearables market. At the time, the Mountain View company also launched a Developer Preview of Android Wear's SDK for devs to sink their teeth into, and today, at I/O, the Android Wear SDK has been launched in full.
When Chromecast first hit the scene last year, its insanely low price turned the set-top streaming market on its head. Sure, it wasn't a set-top in the truest sense, but it provided many of the same functions, and thanks to an update announced today amid the I/O keynote event, it will soon offer a few more. Notably, a new Android Mirroring feature is upon us, giving owners of the minute device a way of projecting their device's display directly over to their TV sets.
Now that the epic 3 hour opening Google I/O keynote has come to a close, the big question on the lips of many was all about the free gifts that those in attendance would receive. It's becoming something of a tradition for anyone attending Google I/O to receive at least one expensive toy to come away with, and Google's Sundar Pichair didn't disappoint this time around.
Samsung's release of the Gear Fit smartwatch back in February has really set the tone for this year. Apple's WWDC a couple of weeks back was heavily focused around the company's new HealthKit initiative, and Google has just countered by announcing Google Fit at I/O. Like HealthKit, its not so much an app as a platform, integrating with a myriad of Google services to track and log health-related data, and with Google having already named several partners including Adidas, Nike and RunKeeper, it will go toe-to-toe with HealthKit as the consumer electronics industry continues to spread its wings.
Not wanting to be left behind in the automobile space, Google has revealed its plans to invade our cars with its Android Auto initiative. More details on how it works, and when it will be available can be found right after the leap.
As expected, Google has taken the wraps off the Samsung Gear Live smartwatch running Android Wear smartwatch OS, and will be available to buy later today via the Google Play Store.
Microsoft BUILD and Apple WWDC are over and done with, and as ever, it's Google’s turn to wow us with some exciting new announcements and developments. With a new version of Android in the works along with news pertaining to Android Wear, Glass and the many other weird and wonderful side-projects that Google has going, the I/O 2014 keynote promises to be one of the more eventful show-pieces we've seen from the search giant in recent years. Below, we talk through what's next.
We may be on the eve of Google I/O, but that doesn't mean that the company is going to hold news back for its big opening keynote. Hot on the heels of the news that Glass is now available for order in the UK, Google has also announced that new units will ship with extra RAM and a larger battery, two changes that have apparently come about as part of the public beta the company has been running for quite a while now.
Motorola has established a reputation for building cheap, feature-rich smartphones of late, and the Moto G, which first hit the scene late last year, is no exception. Having launched in the United States at a cost of $179, the 4G-enabled refresh of the Moto G has just arrived on UK shores, retailing at a cost of just £160.
With Google I/O right in front of our face, speculation is understandably rife as to what the search and Android giant will have to say. New versions of Android are usually on the agenda at Google's big developer outing, and we see no huge reason why this year's event would be any different. With that in mind, the next version of Android could be just around the corner, and with the next letter in the alphabet-based naming convention used for Android being 'L,' we may have our first real look at what it is going to look like.
