Google mightn't yet have expanded the beta Explorer program of its Glass project across the world just yet, but in an announcement outlining its intention to do broaden Glass's horizons in the future, the search giant also confirmed its roll-out to folks in the United Kingdom. With the Explorer Edition now officially on sale in the UK at a cost of £1,000, though, cinemas are stepping out to to ban moviegoers from wearing them while watching the latest box-office smash, for fear that they may record and subsequently pirate films.
Google's new Android Wear, TV and Auto ventures were front and center during Google I/O, and as the dust settles on all the biggest announcements to come out of the developer event, we're now starting to find out the more interesting details about what Google will be working on this year.
If you're all ready to flex your credit card and order a brand new Android Wear smartwatch, then you might want to just take a second to make sure it's compatible with your smartphone, because unless you're running Android 4.3 or above, you're out of luck, just like over 75% of Android owners.
The Google Glass Explorer program has been running for the best part of a year now, and although the designs are still in the process of being tweaked, the progress that has been made since the start of Project Glass is really quite something. Despite this week's I/O conference has largely avoided the topic of the head-mounted device, the Big G did take the opportunity to showcase several prototype models in something of an evolutionary exhibition. Given that we're in attendance at I/O this week, we couldn't resist taking a few snaps, and below, you can see first-hand just how much progress has been made on Glass' design over the past few years.
Yesterday, in case you missed the mountain of coverage, was the keynote event of Google's I/O developers conference. Held at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, the search company made many significant announcements relating to the home, car, smartphone, and wearables. For once, though, Google Glass was off the menu, allowing the Big G's smartwatch endeavor to command most of the limelight, and with the full Android Wear SDK having just been rolled out to developers, there's now a very easy way to check if your handset is compatible with Android Wear.
At yesterday's Google I/O keynote speech, Google unveiled Android L, its new and significantly advanced version of the mobile software. Complete with a more layered approach benefiting from the company's "Material Design" initiative, it looks more fluid and immersive than it ever has, and while we were impressed by the demos, we also couldn't wait to try it out for ourselves. The Big G promised that a preview SDK of Android L was imminent, and today, those in ownership of the Nexus 5 smartphone or Nexus 7 (2013) tablet can dive right in.
When Google first brought Android Wear to the tech world's attention back in March, both LG and Motorola presented us with their respective efforts in the form of the G Watch and Moto 360. Today, with the search giant having subsequently pushed the full Android Wear SDK out to developers, Samsung has also thrown its hat into the ring with the Gear Live, a smartwatch that doesn't look too dissimilar to the recently-released Gear 2. With these three new devices all set for release in the near future, many of you will no doubt be considering one of them as a prospective acquisition, and if so, you'll definitely want to check out our videos below, where we take a closer look at each.
Google's I/O developers conference has commenced over at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, and during the opening keynote, the company introduced quite a few exciting new products. Among them, Android Auto - Google's own answer to Apple's CarPlay - and Android TV, which even in these early stages, looks a marked improvement on the failure that was Google TV. Below, we go hands-on with both, so if you want a first-hand look at what Google has been slaving over of late, be sure to join us after the break.
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.
