Mobile OS Android has become a key part of Google

Jun 23, 2014 19:55 GMT  ·  By

This week is Google’s week and that’s because its annual conference is approaching fast. Google I/O kicks off on Wednesday at 9AM PDT with a keynote, which is arguably the most awaited part of the entire two-day event.

Google’s conference includes a lot of great sessions, out of which some dedicated to design and development for Android, Docker containers, cloud computing, mobile apps, YouTube and more.

While what’s going to happen during these sessions is fairly clear simply by reading the titles and combining this with the fact that we know who the speakers are, the keynotes are a relative mystery.

No one knows who’s going to attend and, more importantly, what tools Google will be announcing. Everyone is excited about this particular segment because there are so many things the world’s biggest Internet company could be introducing.

For instance, during last year’s Google I/O conference, the company announced the introduction of Google for Education, a bunch of new features for Google+, a new version of Google Maps, including for mobile devices, Hangouts and more. The Internet giant also announced then that there were over 750 million Chrome users, and that there were 900 million Android activations.

So what does the world expect from this year’s Google I/O? Well, the list is quite lengthy.

Android OS

First off, a new Android version may be announced. This is an assumption everyone makes every time the I/O conference rolls around. Last year, there were no new Android versions unveiled, so, who knows, maybe this year will be the one.

Truth be told, the company has considerably slowed down the pace at which it introduces new Android versions, allowing more devices to have be upgraded.

It is expected, however, that Google will announce Android support for 64-bit processors that are already on the way. Since Qualcomm’s plan is to introduce the new processors sometime later this year, Google only has a little bit of time to catch up with Apple.

Another thing that’s on the list and which is strongly connected to Android is the new camera API that everyone is waiting for. Sure, Google released a camera app a while back, but the tool is still quite bad and it’s basically just a new interface and a bunch of effects, when what Android users need is higher quality, RAW support, a good burst mode and no delays.

Nexus set-top box

Nexus TV is also right up there on the list of things we’re expecting to see at Google I/O. Why? Because it would be Google’s first step into the world of set-top boxes mixing up media and gaming into a (hopefully) pretty package.

A while back, a leaked version of Android 4.4.3 indicated a few things about “Molly” – it doesn’t work with a touch screen interface, since it needs users to double click, it comes with Wi-Fi on by default and the device uses a Marvell SoC.

Android TV and gaming console

Since we’ve reached this topic, we could also mention Android TV, which is meant to replace the Google TV platform. What Google TV platform, you ask? Well, that’s the entire point of this since it’s pretty much a ghost project that barely got its 15 minutes of fame.

Android TV is said to come with a custom interface that allows users to scroll through the media, as well as voice input.

Some are also daydreaming about Google’s own gaming platform, but there’s very little clues that Google is even considering entering this particular area. Even so, the Internet giant has done far crazier stuff, so maybe its plans to purchase Twitch aren’t just so it could use its technology to help out YouTube, but also for this project.

Android Wear

This is the area that everyone is excited about. These are basically smartwatches with a little bit of twist from Google. While there are plenty of other devices out there that offer similar services, it’s Google that can offer a more integrated experience with many of its other tools, such as Hangouts, the search engine, voice search, Gmail, calendar, and more. More importantly, however, is the thing that the Android Wear ad hints at and that’s the automated house that Google seems to want to help create.

After buying Nest and Dropcam, the Internet of Things seems to be Google’s next stop. By managing to command your house to, for instance, open your garage door as you get closer, this creates a whole new world of possibilities for this area.

You can also read about what the company could unveil at Google I/O related to the famous Google X labs and the webtools that everyone uses.