Google shares Android updates, new initiatives, and courts iOS in I/O conference

Google has given a status update on Android momentum and made a number of announcements around its Android platform at the Google I/O 2015 conference in the US.

Source: Google blog.

On Thursday afternoon in the US, early Friday Singapore time, Sundar Pichai, Senior Vice President, Products, Google said at the keynote that there are now more than 1 billion Android users worldwide, with more than 400 manufacturers and over 500 carriers.

The device formats have increased, with Android not only on the phone or tablet, but also as a watch, in the car or as TV. "Many of these new form factors have arrived just in the last year. You can now choose from seven different Android Wear watches, not to mention bands, styles, and more than 1,500 watch faces built by developers," Pichai said in the blog post.

My live tweets on Android Wear.

The next version of Android, called 'M', will offer improved battery life and streamlined permissions for apps, said Pichai, as well as features like:

My live tweets on Android Pay.

• Android Pay, which lets users make mobile payments through near field communications (NFC) without opening an app.

My live tweets for Now on Tap.

• An improved Google Now to provide relevant help depending on the context.
• Locating new apps and in-app content.

My live tweets about Google Photos.

New technology has enabled Google Photos, which could potentially touch many lives through a free and unlimited storage space for pictures with intelligent sorting and easy sharing capabilities.

Another significant announcement concerns the Internet of Things (IoT). Pichai observed that while more devices are getting connected to the Internet, "they often exist independently of each other". "Our day-to-day lives will be much simpler when these technologies can talk to each other—if our recipe app, for example, could communicate with our smart oven to turn the temperature to exactly the right setting," he explained in the blog post, listing challenges such as a confusing user experience, the inability to reuse existing efforts with new devices, and a lack of interoperability.

My live tweets on Project Brillo.

Project Brillo is a new Google platform for building connected devices that includes a communications protocol called Weave developed together with Nest, known for its thermostats. Brillo will include developer APIs, schemas and a certification program to ensure device and app interoperability, Pichai revealed.

My live tweets on Cardboard.

At the last I/O, Google introduced Cardboard, which combines software, an Android phone and plain cardboard into a virtual reality experience. Pichai shared that there are more than 500 Cardboard apps available, and more than 1 million Cardboard viewers have been shipped. Google is taking Cardboard to a new level with iOS support for the software development kit (SDK), as well as larger Cardboard viewers for the larger phones which are being introduced today.

My live tweets on Expeditions.

For the education market, Google Expeditions is now available. The technology lets students take virtual trips with Cardboard, phones and a teacher's tablet, practically anywhere they choose. Teachers can create their own Expeditions, and sign up to bring Expeditions to their schools.

My live tweets about Google Jump.

One highlight was a preview of Jump, a virtual reality app which lets users "capture the world in video that you can step inside of", said Pichai. A camera rig fitted with 16 cameras takes all-round video that are then stitched together with Google technology so that a complete, seamless virtual world results.

Google is also focusing on the "next billion" Internet users. "The first billion users of the Internet came online through desktops. The next billion are taking a different path to computing—coming online through mobile and smartphones—and present a unique set of opportunities and challenges. We’re working hard on ensure these people have a great experience across our products," Pichai explained.

My live tweets about Google's outreach in emerging markets.

Google started off making devices more affordable with Chromebooks and Android One, and is turning its attention to applications where Internet connections are unstable. "We’ve launched a streamlined version of our Search results page in 13 countries, and 73 million people now use data saver mode in Chrome to browse the web more efficiently," said Pichai. Google Maps may soon be used offline as well, even for turn-by-turn directions, a disclosure that led to sustained applause.

Jason Titus, Senior Director of Engineering shared in another blog post how various announcements for developers fit into the Develop, Engage and Earn framework. Under Develop:

• Android M Developer Preview
• Google Play services 7.5 — Featuring Smart Lock for Passwords, new APIs for Google Cloud Messaging and Google Cast, and the Google Maps API on Android Wear devices.
• Android Studio 1.3 — Sports improved Cradle build speed, a new memory profiler, and full editing and debugging support for C/C++.
• Polymer 1.0 — The first production-ready release for the web components library.
• iOS & CocoaPods — Making it easier to develop on iOS via CocoaPods, the official distribution channel for Google SDKs on iOS.
• Cloud Test Lab — Building on the technology from Google's acquisition of Appurify, the Test Lab automates the testing of mobile apps with the top 20 Android devices.
• Firebase — Firebase makes it easy to build apps quickly, without spinning up servers or writing server-side code.

For Engage:

• App Indexing — Index an app’s content into Google Search, just as with with a website. Available for Android, and now piloting on iOS.
• Google Cloud Messaging (GCM) — Sends messages from the cloud to users' devices on Android and Chrome, and now also for iOS.
• Engagement on the Web — New native functionality with push notifications from a mobile website and an add to homescreen feature.
• Universal App Campaigns — Coming soon, this initiative will set up app install ads more easily.
• App Installs with Google Analytics — Measure app install campaigns based on engagement and lifetime value. On iOS, Google Analytics is now integrated with 20+ ad networks.

Under Earn:

• AdMob — Gain insights about users, drive in-app purchases and maximise ad revenue.

Other announcements include furthering Android's reach. The industry's first Android Nanodegree has been developed in collaboration with Udacity. The six-month course will cost US$200 a month. "The Nanodegree covers everything from fundamentals to advanced development skills, as well as Google Play services and Material Design," said Titus.

Interested?

Read the entire live tweet sequence on my Twitter stream (hashtag #io15).
Read Pichai's keynote speech
A comprehensive list of what was announced for developers is in Titus' blog post
Thoughts on what Google Photos means for the industry are on TechTrade Asia.