14 DAY TRIAL // Google is holding a mysterious event tomorrow morning and will unveil some new features for its mobile operating system Android. It hasn’t said what the announcement will be but speculation ranges from a FaceTime competitor for Android, to a new Android Marketplace and finally to some low-key features.
Google has sent out invitations to tech press pundits saying only that it will be “unveiling a couple of cool new mobile features.” Google mobile product management director Hugo Barra will be leading the event and demoing the new features.
BoomTown’s sources say that it won’t be any major new feature or product announcement, but rather just some small but “slick” features. A bigger announcement would get a much larger press event.
Still, speculation is rampant as to what the announcement may entail. One popular option is a Google-branded competitor to Apple’s FaceTime video chat feature.
The feature has been making a splash in terms of ‘wow-factor’ though it’s less impressive in action. Video calls have been heralded as the great new way to communicate for the last five years now and still haven’t caught on. In any case, a feature like that would likely get more attention from Google.
The same goes for another popular option put forth, the revamped Android Marketplace with an integrated music store. We know that Google is working on getting into the music download and possibly streaming business, but the launch of Google Music is expected to come later this fall. A move into music would definitely get a much bigger launch event, as well.
The last time Google held a press event like this, it unveiled the Google Maps Navigation, a free turn-by-turn navigation app for Android devices. The tool has put a lot of strain on the already unstable GPS devices market. Interestingly, the Motorola Droid 2 is also launching on the same day as the Google event.