ThatObviousUser
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Google I/O 2013 is almost here! After an absolutely incredible 2012 showing which included a Nexus tablet, a new jank-free version of Android, a weird media ball thing that never saw the retail light of day, and jumping out of a plane over the convention center while livestreaming it through Google Glass, how can Google possibly top themselves this year? Can they even try?
Google I/O is Google's developer-focused conference, featuring a keynote to introduce new products, services, and APIs, and a copious amount of sessions detailing how to build on all of Google's various platforms (from the widely known such as Android, Chrome, Maps, and YouTube to the lesser known such as Go, Dart, Wallet, and others.) The keynote and many of the sessions will be livestreamed this year (those sessions that will be have a Hangout icon in the bottom left) so even if you can't attend, you can still expand your development skills.
Finally, this will be the first I/O that I will be attending in person! #humblebrag I'll try and live post the scoops before the blogs can, just for you guys... but no promises.
Google I/O is Google's developer-focused conference, featuring a keynote to introduce new products, services, and APIs, and a copious amount of sessions detailing how to build on all of Google's various platforms (from the widely known such as Android, Chrome, Maps, and YouTube to the lesser known such as Go, Dart, Wallet, and others.) The keynote and many of the sessions will be livestreamed this year (those sessions that will be have a Hangout icon in the bottom left) so even if you can't attend, you can still expand your development skills.
Finally, this will be the first I/O that I will be attending in person! #humblebrag I'll try and live post the scoops before the blogs can, just for you guys... but no promises.
Unlike the past couple years, Google I/O is back to a single-keynote format. Keynotes were previously split up into generally an "Android keynote" on the first day and a "Chrome keynote" on the second. This year, it seems as if Google's combined them into one massive three-hour long keynote (with break) starting at 9am PST on May 15th.
- Android is at 900 million total activations with 48 billion total app installs -- 2.5 billion of those being from the last month alone. Revenue-per-user has also doubled since last year's I/O.
- Google Chrome is the world's most popular web browser with 750 million monthly active users.
- Android Studio is a new IDE for developers based on the popular IntelliJ Studio. Google says they'll continue supporting the Eclipse plugin which the company has pushed as the official avenue for Android app development since the first SDK five and a half years ago. However, Android Studio will allow them to do things that just weren't possible with a plugin, such as automatically resolving strings and colors, and showing referenced icons in the left-hand gutter.
- Google Play Services is getting new APIs for third-party developers to plug into. New location APIs include a low-power GPS mode, geofencing (for triggering actions when a user enters a "circle" around a certain spot), and activity recognition for differentiating when the user is riding a bike or driving a car. The new Google+ sign-in API will allow users who have signed into a website using Google+ to be signed into the corresponding app automatically, even on first-run. Finally, Google Cloud Messaging now supports upstream messaging (apps sending data to Google to push back to developers' servers) and synced notifications (so that, say, clearing out a Google Voice message on your phone will also clear it out on your tablet.)
- Google Play Game Services are a set of APIs and tools that allow developers to leverage Google for leaderboards, real-time matchmaking and multiplayer, in-game chat, achievements, and more. It will be cross-platform for Android, iOS, and web.
- Google Play Music All-Access is a new subscription service for Google Play Music. For $9.99 a month (or $7.99 if you sign up before June 30), you can access Google's entire music library at no extra charge. Google will also serve up custom radio stations based on what you've listened to, and they basically act like playlists in that you can remove songs you don't want to listen to ("swipe it away, swipe it away, swipe it away!") It also includes a music discovery engine called "Listen Now" that matches you to songs you might be interested in hearing. Free trials of the service last for 30 days.
- Google+ is getting a Pinterest-esque redesign with a multi-column, card-based layout. Photos on Google+ are also seeing some massive upgrades, including "Highlights" (which pick out your best pics), "Auto Enhance" (which applies a set of corrections and improvements to photos automatically), "Motion" (which combines sets of rapid-fired shots into a single GIF), and many more.
- Google+ Hangouts is the name of Google's long-rumored all-in-one chat service, with apps for iOS, Android, and Chrome. It combines Google Talk/Chat with Google+ Messenger and Hangouts, and does not initially include SMS support or Google Voice integration. In Hangouts, messages are non-transient -- you can send messages even if the recipient(s) are offline, and they last even after the conversation has ended. Groups are fully supported, as is video chat which participants can start and partake in at-will.
- Google Play for Education is Google's bid for schools and colleges, especially in developing nations. It is essentially a customized app store with education-focused apps, launching this fall, with filters for grade and subject matter.
- Samsung Galaxy S4 "Google Edition" is Google's take on Samsung's flagship phone. It will run stock Android 4.2.2 and Google ensures that updates will be just as speedy as on the Nexus phones. It will have an unlocked bootloader, pack an SD card slot, 16 GB of storage, LTE support, and can run (carrier-unlocked) on GSM networks like AT&T and T-Mobile. It will be released on Google Play on June 26 and cost $649.
- Google Now has been updated with the ability to set reminders, send emails, search for specific Google+ photos, and access more public transportation data.
- The desktop Google search will begin integrating Google Now features when using Chrome. Saying "OK Google" will allow you to enter your query or a command, and because of what Google is calling "hot words," it will know certain contexts of what you're referring to. For example, if you search for an amusement park and then ask "how do I get to it from here?", Google will know you're referring to the amusement park and provide directions accordingly.
- Google Maps' desktop website is getting a redesign based on new web technologies like WebGL. Enhancements include a full-width map interface, routes that learn based on what you've searched for before, and the ability to zoom out to see the entire planet Google Earth-style with real-time clouds and star maps. Google Maps now includes map information for 200 countries, with North Korea users now finally dishing up some info. Redesigns for the Android and iOS apps are in the works, with Google also showing an iPad-optimized Maps for the first time.
- A new Google TV update is now based on Android 4.2.2, with work on reintegrating the platform into the mainline open source Android branch almost complete.
- Key Lime Pie or Jelly Bean à Trois
There have been conflicting rumors about just what Google will show of Android's next version at this year's I/O. While earlier this year it seemed strongly likely that Google would show something resembling a major new version (e.g. 5.0) because of Qualcomm leaking the name "Key Lime Pie" (and then hastily C&D'ing all the blogs that posted it), more recent rumors and server logs point to yet another iteration of Jelly Bean. This would be Jelly Bean's third outing after it's debut at last year's I/O and minor upgrade last October. More tweaks and polish are always welcome, but obviously a new major version would have more to be excited about.
- Google Babel / Hangout
Google's unified messaging platform has been a long time coming, and still isn't here yet. Supposed leaked screenshots of Google's next-generation chat client point to a service that merges Google Talk/Chat, Google+ Chat/Messenger, and possibly bits of Google Voice. Internally, this client has been known as Babel but when released could be called "Hangout," with apps for Android, iOS, and Chrome. But of course, with the good rumors comes the bad: more recent whispers have claimed that Babel won't initially support SMS or MMS. Bummer.
- Google Play Games
In a teardown of the Google Keep app of all things comes strong evidence that Google is building a library and API to support games with real-time/turn-based multiplayer, in-game chat, leaderboards, achievements, lobbies, the whole works. It's certainly going to be interesting to see Google's take on this, considering the tepid-at-best feelings towards iOS Game Center today. Update: The APK has leaked!
- Google Games
I did a big description on this same rumor for last year's thread, but it never came to be unfortunately. However, the possible existence of an Android "Game Center" may point to Google Games being more legitimate this go around. Basically, Google has three separate game ecosystems: Android, Chrome, and Google+. There's two ways I could see this unification going down: Google focuses full-stop on Native Client games (which aren't really supported on Android; the NDK is a pretty different beast), or Google starts pushing a new service for packaging HTML5/WebGL games for their three platforms, similar to PhoneGap. Or it could be something completely different from what I'm typing here. No matter the case, if Google wants to get serious about gaming, they need to unify their platform strategy for developers.
- Google Play News
The source code for the Google Play website has contained references to a News section for a while, and would slot in nicely with Books and Magazines (which Google launched at last year's I/O.)
- Google Wallet Card
Google Wallet (the app, not the payment service) is still hanging on despite some carriers' best efforts and NFC not really catching on. It seems as if Google will be releasing a plastic card based on the Google Wallet backend as a last-ditch effort to bring Wallet into relevance. In related news, Vice President of Google Wallet Osama Bedier left Google just this week to "pursue other opportunities." Ruh-roh. Update: Possibly cancelled.
- Google Music Subscriptions
Google has seemingly been in talks with the various record companies at building in Spotify-like functionality into Google Music. Of course, considering how long Music itself was in development hell due to those same companies not wanting to play ball, it's uncertain this feature will debut at I/O.
- Samsung Chromebook Refresh
The uber-popular $250 Samsung Chromebook is rumored to get a quad-core CPU upgrade to the Exynos Octa this month, which would line up nicely with an announcement at I/O. It's possible the refresh could boast additional updates, such as more RAM, but right now all we have to go on is code commits for the better processor.
- Nexus 7 Refresh
Various sources point to a July release of an updated Nexus 7 that ditches nVidia's Tegra 3 for Qualcomm's Snapdragon S4 Pro. Other details remain pretty standard: it'll have Wi-Fi and 3G models, and be priced at around $200. The timing of the rumored release would point to an I/O unveiling. Update: Possibly 1080p as well!
- Nexus 4 LTE
On the Nexus phone side of things, everyone's favorite inexpensive and unlocked super phone may start packing LTE and 32 GB of storage, if server logs are anything to go by. Google omitted 4G LTE in the launch model due to concerns over battery life and interoperability, so hopefully they'd have solved those issues in this version.
- Motorola X Phone / XFON
x phone
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
- Google I/O 2010 Thread of Moving to the Clouds and eating Froyo
Highlights included Android 2.2 Froyo, an initial showing of Google Music, the announcement of WebM and its support by Chrome and YouTube, and early demos of Chrome OS, the Chrome Web Store, and Google TV.
- Google I/O Live 2011 (May 10-11). Thread of Ice Cream Sandwiches and Musical Clouds
At 2011's I/O, Google showed a near-final version of Google Music, a Honeycomb-enhanced Google TV, further improvements to the Chrome Web Store including the availability of Angry Birds, and the announcement of Chromebook availability.
- Google I/O 2012 |OT|
Last year we were introduced to Google Now, a predictive information surfacer and assistant that combined all of Google's services to show you what you need to know before you need it. Google also debuted Android 4.1 (the initial version of Jelly Bean) and with it, Project Butter (keeping your apps jank-free and full of nice animations.) On the hardware-side, the first Nexus tablet, Asus' Nexus 7 and the never-actually-released Nexus Q both stunned the audience and tech reviewers (although, for entirely different reasons.) For the full list, hit up my thread from last year.
