WebProNews

Tag: Google I/O

  • Recapping The Search Happenings At Google I/O

    Recapping The Search Happenings At Google I/O

    Fabian Schlup, a software engineer at Google offered an interesting recap of this years Google I/O which was held a couple weeks ago. You can read Fabian’s full post in the Google Developers Blog.

    Our summary of Google’s summary is as follows:

    1. Rich cards

    Rich Cards are Google’s latest version of its enhanced mobile friendly search results that from a site owners point of view can lead to more visitors and business if you follow the Rich Card protocol. Rich cards are a new search result format building on the concept of rich snippets, using schema.org structured markup to display content in a more engaging and visual format. Google believes that this approach provides the mobile Google searcher a better user experience.

    Screen Shot 2016-06-02 at 2.25.51 PM

    2. New Search Console reports

    Per Google – “We launched a new report in Search Console to help developers confirm that their rich card markup is valid. In the report we highlight “enhanceable cards,” which are cards that can benefit from marking up more fields.”

    On WebProNews we also wrote about Google’s launch of ‘Property Sets’ within their Search Console, allowing webmasters to combine apps and sites within a single group in order to monitor overall clicks and impressions within a single report. It will be rolling out to all users over the next couple of days. This is a great feature for those that have many subdomains as well.

    3. Real-time indexing

    Per Google – “Instead of waiting for content to be crawled and indexed, publishers will be able to use the Google Indexing API to trigger the indexing of their content in real time.”

    On WebProNews we wrote about the Google Search API getting a few updates:

    There have been a handful of updates to the Search Console API (formerly the Webmaster Tools API). This is the API that lets you add sites to a Search Console account, retrieve data and diagnostics, and submit sitemaps. One update is the addition of pagination in Search Analytics. You can request over 5000 rows of data for your site without having to iterate through filters. Additionally, crawl errors now include “linked from” info from the start.

    4. Accelerated Mobile Pages

    Google announced that they have provided an update on their use of AMP, an open source effort to speed up the mobile web. In a WebProNews article we quoted Google News engineering director Maricia Scott, “Our tests have shown that AMP documents load an average of four times faster and use 10 times less data than the equivalent non-amp’ed result. In many cases these stories will load instantly.”

    5. New and improved Structured Data Testing Tool

    Now tightly integrated with the DevSite Search Gallery and the new Search Preview service.

    6. New Stuff For App Indexing

    It’s migrating to Firebase, Google’s unified developer platform. Watch the session here.

    7. App streaming

    Per Google – “App streaming is a new way for Android users to try out games without having to download and install the app — and it’s already available in Google Search. Check out the session to learn more.”

    8. Revamped documentation

    Google is now organizing developer documentation around topical guides to make it easier to follow!

  • Sundar Pichai Announces Google I/O 2016

    Sundar Pichai Announces Google I/O 2016

    Google CEO Sundar Pichai announced the dates and location for Google I/O 2016, which will take place May 18-20 at Shoreline Ampitheatre in Mountain View.

    That’s pretty much all the information Google has made available about the event so far. The Google I/O website has yet to be updated, and still shows content related to last year’s event.

    Apparently it will be an outdoor event.

    Screen Shot 2016-01-12 at 1.39.26 PM

    Image via Google

  • Google I/O App May Have Spilled The Jelly Beans On Android 4.1

    Google I/O is coming up soon and the speculation is now higher than ever before. Will Google announce a tablet or show off those whacky AR glasses? More importantly, will we get our first look at Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean)? Well, we might have already gotten our first look thanks to the Google I/O Companion App.

    One of the major things about this year’s Google I/O is that the company really wants to get everybody watching the conference no matter where they are. That’s why they made the Google I/O Companion App which lets you search for sessions and watch live streams of the events all from your Android device. The Google Play page for the app reveals one screen that’s not like the others, and it could be a hint towards Jelly Bean. Here’s the offending screen that’s still up on Google Play:

    Google I/O Android App Jelly Bean Android 4.1

    As has been pointed out by many others, what you see is more small tweaks than radical redesign. Ice Cream Sandwich was a huge leap over Gingerbread so there’s no need to completely reinvent the wheel this soon. There always is, however, a need to make small changes towards a better aesthetic cohesiveness. That’s what this sneak peak seems to offer.

    You will notice that the search bar is the most obvious change as it moves away from the Holo theme in ICS. It’s now transparent while retaining the flat look of the original bar. It could also just be a custom search bar and we’re looking far too deeply into this.

    Speaking of looking far too deeply, Android Guys seems to think the screen’s time being listed as 25:10 is a hint towards Jelly Bean’s release date. They figure that since 25:10 is not a real time that Google must be hinting that Jelly Bean will be launching on October 25.

    Until Google I/O officially commences next week, we won’t know anything. That’s not going to stop the rabid Android fans from trying to figure it all out though. Google may have been crafty with this one and gave us an intentional leak. We’ll let you know if this really is Jelly Bean once Google I/O kicks into full swing.

  • Google Unveiling $200 Nexus Tablet At Google I/O [Rumor]

    One of the more persistent rumors coming out of the tech world these days is that Google will be announcing its own foray into the tablet market during Google I/O. The all things Google conference will be taking place from June 27-29 and would be a prime location for such an announcement.

    The recent rumors coming out of sources speaking to DigiTimes, Asustek and Google will make a joint announcement at I/O regarding the device. The Nexus tablet will be 7 inches with support for only Wi-Fi. It will not feature a back-side webcam, but will feature a front-facing webcam for video conferencing. The best part is that the tablet will only cost $200.

    All this information matches up with sources that spoke to TechnoBuffalo back in May. The May leak had some additional information in the form of the tablet being powered by a Tegra 3 processor. It seems unlikely that such a device could only cost $200, but Google may be heavily subsidizing the cost with its own money to drive sales through affordability.

    The DigiTimes report also says that the tablet is ready to go and already shipping to retailers for a July release. The Nexus tablet is expected to reach three million units in total shipments in the second half of the year. It’s a modest start that will hopefully expand as Google captures the market looking for an inexpensive entry-level tablet.

    It’s looking pretty much like Google is going to unveil their tablet at Google I/O, but they’re now playing in an entirely different ballpark. Until yesterday, the Nexus tablet was releasing to the market with only the iPad and other Android tablets to contend with. The announcement of Surface and it’s admittedly amazing keyboard cover can only steal away from any Nexus tablet announcement. It’s unfortunate because a cheap tablet that’s better than the Kindle Fire is really needed, but after Surface a cheap tablet is just that, a cheap tablet.

    I like to give company’s like Google the benefit of the doubt though. They could have some big surprises in store for us during Google I/O. We’ll have to wait and see.

    [Lead image is of Asus’ current 7-inch tablet and is not representative of whatever form the Nexus may take]

  • Google Announces The “Develop For Good” Hackathon

    It’s already a known fact that Google I/O sold out faster than Green Day, but that doesn’t mean you have to mope about it. You’re a developer – you can do so much good in the world with your skills. You can also win a ticket to next year’s Google I/O if being a swell guy isn’t enough for you.

    Google.org, the philanthropic arm of the company, announced a collaboration with the I/O Extended team to host the “Develop for Good” hackathon. The event is looking for hackers to become the Batman of the Internet with their coding skills. It’s open to anybody as long as they’re at a Google I/O Extended event. If you don’t have one near you, start your own and become a Batman in your own right.

    So what problems will you, the hacker Batman, be tackling during this hackathon? Google has selected three problem areas where they want developers to focus on:

    Google Ideas: Conflict reporting for blackout situations in repressive regimes.
    Google Politics & Elections: Citizen Engagement for Politics & Elections.
    Google Green: Help us all be a little bit greener!

    The nice thing about this hackathon is that it isn’t restricted to the event itself. Developers can start coding away now on projects to bring to their respective I/O Extended events. The only stipulation is that each entry has to be submitted to this Web site by 11:59 p.m. on June 29.

    After the event concludes, Google will select one winner from each challenge. The winning teams from each challenge will each receive up to five Google I/O 2013 tickets alongside the honorary title of Batman of the Internet Google Developer for Good 2012.

    But wait, there’s more. Google will select an additional winner that had the best Web app across all three challenges. Every member on that team will get a new Chromebook. I assume it will be one of the Samsung models, but it could be the Acer as well.

    If you feel like doing some good in the world, you can sign up for the hackathon by contacting one of the I/O Extended events. Here’s hoping that somebody makes an app that recycles all those cardboard pizza boxes stacking up by my door. I’m too lazy to carry them down to the recycling bin.

  • Google I/O Event Schedule Shows Heavy Chrome & Android Focus

    Developers for Google platforms treat Google’s yearly I/O conference like a rock concert. The tickets for this year’s event sold out in 20 minutes. At the conference, developers are treated to the best advice Google has to offer about programming and designing for Google’s many platforms, as well as major announcements about future Google products. Google has even been known to give away cutting-edge tech to attendees.

    Two months after registration opened for the conference, Google has finally released a schedule for the event. The calendar for the three-day even is up on the Google Developers website, and can be sorted by day and by tracks, which include Android, Cloud Platform, Google APIs, Google Drive, Google TV, and YouTube, among others. Clicking on a session provides a brief description of what it will be about, and allows users to add the event to a schedule that can be built on the site.

    With so many sessions and lectures on the schedule, it will no doubt be difficult for attendees to fit in everything they would want to. This is especially true for those interested in the Android or Chrome tracks, which have the most sessions scheduled, including some that overlap. Developers could spend five hours every day soaking up the expertise of Google’s Android experts and still not see it all.

    The Android track for the conference features topics such as accessibility, monetization, navigation, and Android style, as well as sessions titled “Ten Things Game Developers Should Know” and “The Sensitive Side of Android.” The Chrome track covers HTML 5, Native Client, Dart, and GRITS, a player versus player shooter game created using HTML 5.

    Those lucky few who are able to attend Google I/O will also be treated to the best machines created through Google’s fun new Chrome experiment. The experiment is so fun, in fact, that it delayed the writing of this very article.

  • Google I/O Extended And Live Details Emerge

    Remember when Google I/O tickets sold out in a mere 20 minutes with developers claiming that the whole thing was rigged? If you were one of those developers, Google at the time told you all to calm down and join up in one of the I/O Extended events. With Google I/O just a mere month and a half away, it’s time to start planning those Extended events.

    If you’re unfamiliar, Google I/O Extended is kind of like a proxy to the actual Google I/O event. It’s where a local organizer sets up a developer community meetup around the livestreaming of Google I/O events and talks. If you can’t get to Google I/O, this is your next best option. If you still really need that Google I/O experience, get everybody treadmills to replicate how your feet are going to hurt after walking around all day.

    Google has created a Web site full of planning tips for a successful Google I/O Extended event. I highly recommend checking it out so you can get your location listed on the official list. That way, more people beyond your brother who’s only there for the free cheesy poofs will show up.

    If you’re stuck out in the middle of nowhere or if that whole social thing just isn’t your cup of tea, Google will be livestreaming the keynote and select sessions through I/O Live. The livestream will be taking place on June 27-28. Google also says that they have doubled the amount of sessions that will be streamed while featuring four channels of programming.

    If you still can’t make I/O Live, Google will have recordings of all the sessions online within 48 hours of their taking place. That way you can save the sessions for when you need them the most – like when you can’t sleep and work is in three hours.

    Google will start posting more information about I/O Live and its schedule as the date of the event draws near. Keep your eyes on the Google I/O page for all the latest updates. This year might prove to be extra interesting if Google decides to use the event to publicly showcase Project Glass.

  • Google Code Jam Offering Developers Chance At Google I/O Tickets

    Google kicked off their annual Code Jam last week that sees programmers from all over the world competing to solve various algorithms. Our own Micael Marr participated in the qualification round and even live blogged his attempts to answer the questions. It seems that Google is upping the stakes for the Code Jam by offering Google I/O tickets to developers who can solve a challenge tomorrow.

    You heard that right, folks. The Google I/O tickets that sold out in 20 minutes this year and made countless developers all riled up that they couldn’t get one. Google is offering you a second chance to get your hands on some of those tickets. The only thing you have to do is be at Google Developer’s Google+ page tomorrow at 7:00 a.m PDT. Google will post a two-part challenge with the first 100 developers who solve it given a chance to buy Google I/O tickets.

    If the excitement made you skip that last sentence, let me repeat that for you. Google is only offering you the chance to buy Google I/O tickets. This is a contest where the award is spending $900 to attend a conference that sold out within minutes this year.

    Of course, there are some people who have the money and are willing to do anything to get a hold of those tickets. For those who want to participate, Google has some advice for you. First, you’ll want to register in advance. Considering how crazy people are for those Google I/O tickets, registering right now would be the best option. If you need a warm up or some help, Google also has the usual guide and questions to get you started on your quest to spend money on Google I/O tickets.

    As an aside, if this is Google’s way of getting back into developer’s good books, I’m not buying it. I’m sure plenty of people are going to take part in this tournament, but making developers buy the prize is a pretty rotten move. It’s like if Charlie found the Golden Ticket, but then Wonka forced him to pay a fee to actually take the tour of the Chocolate Factory. Sure, the rich kids who found their tickets will be able to go in, but the real dreamers, in this case developers, are being locked out of attending something that would be beneficial to them.

    Do you think Google should charge the winners for the I/O tickets? Or at least give them a discount? Let us know in the comments.

  • Project Glass: Could Google’s Glasses Appear At Google I/O?

    Google I/O is coming in June. This is the company’s big, annual developer event, where new developer products and APIs are often revealed, and Google gets to work directly with developers to help foster creativity on its platforms. It sounds like a perfect place to get developers working on awesome uses for Google glasses doesn’t it?

    A report from Nathan Eddy at eWeek suggests that Google’s Project Glass glasses, unveiled last week, could just make an appearance at the event. The report is based on a research note from Global Equity Research, which Eddy reports is based on the viewpoint of Android developers. According to Eddy, the note says:

    “This year, Google will have a new focus area ‘wearable devices,’ based on Android OS. Developers think Google extended this year’s Google I/O event from two days to three days, probably to accommodate this new focus area. Google will very likely open up Google AR [augmented reality] platform to the developers, so that the developers can write applications to Google Glasses, the wearable AR glasses.”

    Seth Weintraub wrote on 9to5Google last week, “I am told Google has a relatively small run already available internally. I asked directly if I would be able to get a set at Google I/O, but my source said that a decision was yet-to-be made. There are over 10,000 attendees at Google I/O, so that would be a significant undertaking.”

    They don’t have to be handing them out for Google to demo the glasses, or at least turn developers loose on an API. Even if there is simply an increased focus on augmented reality, it could lay some framework for glasses app potential down the line.

    There are already tons of augmented reality apps for Android. Here are some examples:

    We’re going to have to leave the possibility of Google glasses appearing at Google I/O in the rumor department, but it will definitely be on everybody’s minds as the event draws near. Based on the reported words of Google co-founder Sergey Brin, it sounds like the glasses won’t be ready for the public for a while, but developers could certainly help with that.

    There should be no shortage of developers in attendance. Tickets sold out within 20 minutes of going on sale.

    In a fascinating video from one of the Project Glass engineers, the technology’s application to contact lenses was discussed, as were the different types of apps which could be created, including: gaming, virtual reality, augmented reality, interfacing with mobile, super vision, night vision, etc.

    What are some apps you’d like to see built for the Google glasses?

  • Google I/O Tickets Sell Out In 20 Minutes

    Google I/O Tickets Sell Out In 20 Minutes

    Well, that was fast. We reported that registration was open for Google I/O this morning at 7 a.m. PDT. Last year, the tickets sold out in less than an hour. This year the tickets sold out in 20 minutes.

    Vic Gundotra, Senior VP of Engineering at Google, announced the tickets selling out on Google+. He also provided some consolation for those who weren’t able to get a ticket.

    Google I/O has officially sold out! It took just a bit over 20 minutes! (We were experiencing 6,250 qps load on our servers at 7:01am!)

    While we’re overwhelmed with the interest and enthusiasm around Google I/O, we know it can be very disappointing and frustrating when an event sells out this quickly.

    So here is what we are going to do:

    1) Keynote will be streamed live
    2) All key sessions will be streamed live
    3) All session videos will be available after 24 hours
    4) Google I/O Extended viewing parties will be happening all over the world

    So, if you weren’t able to land a ticket today, see you at I/O Live or one of our Extended locations in person!
    #io12

    As Network World points out, this didn’t sit well with many developers who were there at 7 a.m. hammering the servers to get a ticket. They feel that the ticket registration system is rigged and that Google isn’t properly serving the development community.

    What may be pushing some of the negative sentiment is that ticket scalpers are already on the scene. This is a big event and they always come out of hiding to perform their dirty deeds. It always happens and it’s hard to combat the move.

    The only ticket for Google I/O available on the Ebay marketplace right now is going for $2,700, a $1,800 markup. There will probably be more listed as the day goes on and they will be bought. People are that desperate for tickets to events like this. At least Google is offering live streams for all of the events, even if it doesn’t calm down anyone.

    While most of the comments are full of crazy conspiracy theories and people claiming Google is handing out tickets based on Google+ profiles, there are few level-headed responses from developers on how Google could do this better. Here’s one from Nate Thatcher, Xima Software, that particularly stood out:

    I might be missing something here but it really seems to me like Google is missing the boat with Google I/O. Who is the target audience for this development conference? Developers. Who pays for the developers to go to conferences like these? Employers like me. Who wants to stop investing time, money, and training into platforms controlled by a company that jerked me around this morning? Me. Look, Google does a lot of things really well but attracting and retaining 3rd party development firms to their platforms appears to me to be a weakness. It was stupid that Google made each of my developers try to register and pay for their conference individually rather than letting my company register our developers all at once. It is stupid that Google is turning away conference participants that legitimately want to participate and provide mutual value within Google’s platforms. In what world does it make sense for a company to be turning away people who are camped out waiting to give them $900? The only thing that would make any of this make sense to me is if Google is losing money on Google I/O. That would explain why the tickets are capped so far below the actual demand. That would explain why they doubled the price this year. That would explain why they turned down people wanting to give them money. That would explain why so many non-developer freeloaders registered with the intent to sell the SWAG from the conference for more than they paid for the ticket. Google, get your act together and stop jerking your 3rd party developers around. We are struggling to justify investing in your technologies when we can’t even get a spot in your conference.

    It’s highly unlikely that Google rigged the ticket registration. Ticket sell out and when the servers are being beaten like that, even people who register at the start aren’t guaranteed anything. Thatcher does have a point, however, in that Google could work harder at making the event more developer focused instead of a party full of “swag” that attracts scalpers.

    What do you think? Should Google change the way people register for I/O? Let us know in the comments.

  • Google I/O Registration Is Now Open

    Google I/O is one of the biggest developer events of the year and for good reason. It’s a place where developers can learn what Google is up to this year while learning from each other in a developer-centric environment.

    If you’re interested in the future of Google or just coding in general, the Google I/O registration is now open. You might want to act fast as Google+%289to5+Google+-+Beyond+Good+and+Evil%29″>9TO5Google reminds us that last year’s tickets sold out in less than an hour.

    Some of the stuff being shown off at Google I/O this year include App Engine, Android, Google+, Chrome, HTML5, Ajax, Maps and Data APIs and Google TV. Google told 9TO5Google that this year’s even will be “totally insane” which they interpreted as perhaps being the announcement of the much rumored HUD glasses.

    To register for the event, you will need a Google+ and Google Wallet account. You can sign in at the registration page. The event will cost you $900 to attend, but you can get a discounted price of $300 if you’re student or faculty.

    Before you hit up Google I/O this year, the search giant has started up a pre-I/O event. It tasks developers to take on their latest Chrome experiment. If you’re talented and lucky enough, your creation will be featured at the main event in June.

    Other details including the events and travel can be perused at your leisure at the official site. It’s sure to be another great year at Google I/O so you better register before it’s too late.

  • Google I/O Registration Kicks Off March 27th

    Google’s I/O developers conference will take place on June 27th – 29th at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. The annual gathering is where Google say you can come to “learn to latest web, mobile, and social breakthrough and meet the developers who are turning them into tomorrow’s businesses.” And now we know when you can register to attend.

    Google has announced that registration will kick off on March 27th at 7 am PDT. They make a note to say that “the early bird catches the worm,” which is a nice way of saying you better be online trying to get tickets at 7 am. As 9to5 Google points out, tickets to the event sold out in less than an hour last year.

    In order to register for tickets, you’ll have to have a Google+ account. And in order to pay for your tickets, you’ll have to use Google wallet. A general admission ticket to the event will run you $900, while certain academic enrollments can lessen that price to $300.

    Attendees have code labs, hackathons, and product sessions to look forward to alongside the keynote and other presentations. If you can’t make the trip (or don’t wake up early enough to buy your pass), much of the conference will be streamed live for your home-viewing pleasure.

    While you wait for the conference to kick off, you can head to the I/O site and build your own little machines as part of Google’s latest Chrome Experiment. You can then share those machines on Google+. Doing a Google+ hashtag search for #io12 is a good way to check out these machines as well as see all the latest from the Google Developers team on the upcoming event.

  • Google Announcements You May Have Missed – Google I/O [Updated]

    Google is currently holding its annual Google I/O developer event. The company has made a slew of announcements. There is a lot to keep track of, so here is a compilation of some things Google has announced since the event started.

    Google announced some new Android stats. These include (but are not limited to):

    – 100 million device activations worldwide
    – 36 OEMs
    – 215 carriers
    – 450k Android developers
    – 310 Devices
    – 112 countries
    – 200,000 apps available in the Android Market
    – 4.5 billion app installs
    – Over 400,000 devices activated per day

    They opened the presentation with this picture:

    Google announced Google Music beta, the long-awaited music offering, which is so far only focused on the music you already own. It’s already been getting some harsh criticism, and is so far only open via invitation

    Google announced the addition of movie rentals to the Android Market, which is likely to be very popular. The company also announced that the Android Market will be coming to Google TV this summer, which should in turn help the popularity of that. Vizio and Samsung are also now partners on Google TV.

    An Android update was launched in version 3.1, adding and improving upon features to Honeycomb, and that the next version of Android – Ice Cream Sandwich – will be out in Q4.

    Google unveiled the Open Accessory and Android @ Home initiatives, which will combine to get Android integrated with more electronics throughout your house (even existing appliances that you already own).

    Google is letting AdWords advertisers target tablets, beyond just the iPad. They also tweaked the traffic estimate algorithm.

    The company announced a new version of Google App Engine, and that it will the product will graduate from preview status this year.

    Google announced a partnership between EMC VNX Storage and the Google Search Appliance, which will see a new connector developed by the former.

    Google launched the Google Places API. This returns info about Places including establishments, geographic locations, and prominent points of interests for use in third-party apps.

    Google launched the Page Speed Online API. This allows developers to integrate performance analysis in their tools and web performance dashboards.

    Google announced that Google Storage for developers is open to all and has some new features.

    The company announced the general availability of the Google Prediction API. With this, developers can create apps that use Google’s prediction capabilities. Ford is already taking advantage to make smarter cars.

    Google announced that it will be publishing its “learnings and insights about digital marketing trends” at the website Think Insights with Google.

    In a session at the event, Google reportedly announced a version of Chrome Frame for IE that doesn’t require admin rights to install.

    A new phone in Google’s Nexus line is expected this year.

    The company announced that Chrome is up from 70 million users at last year’s Google I/O to 160 million active users now.

    Google announced new Google “Chromebooks” – Chrome OS-based Notebooks from Samsung and Acer coming next month. Devices will be available for order on June 15 – Amazon.com and BestBuy.com in the U.S. and at various retailers in six other countries.

    In addition, Google announced monthly subscriptions for Chromebooks for businesses and schools. These will begin at $28 per user for business and $20 per user for educational institutions.

    Also briefly mentioned was a “Chromebox” from Samsung – a device that offers Chrome OS for the desktop, which will simply be released “later”.

    Google announced that it is expanding the Chrome Web Store around the world in 41 languages for free apps. In addition, in-app payments are now available for apps in the Chrome Web Store.

    Angry Birds is now available in the Chrome Web Store as well. Google collaborated with Angry Birds maker Rovio to bring Angry Birds to the web.

    Google launched a new Books API to help developers write apps to query the over 15 million books that are searchable at books.google.com.

    The company previewed the +1 button for publishers, revealing some stats that it may show, and said that it will be available in the coming weeks.

    Google launched a new web resource for developers called the Guide to the App Galaxy.

    They’ve made new additions to the Fusion Tables API.

    They announced the availability of the ChromeVox screen reader for Chrome and Chrome OS. This is a Chrome extension that lets developers test web apps with a screen reader inside the browser so they can do better accessibility testing.

    They announced new charts and features from Google Chart Tools.

    They launched App Engine tooling for Android, giving Android developers new tools to build cloud-aware apps.

    They demonstrated P2P NFC for Android for Ice Cream Sandwich.

    They made web fonts faster with the Text= parameter for Google Web Fonts.

    Google launched the Tasks API, which developers can use to create rich apps that integrate with Google Tasks.

    They released rosjava, which is described as a pure Java port of ROS (in partnership with Willlow Garage), which is designed to enable the development of advanced Android apps for robotics.

  • Google Chromebooks Get Release Date – June 15 (Acer and Samsung Models)

    Yesterday was Android day at Google I/O, and today is Chrome day. The company announced today that Chrome is up from 70 million users at last year’s Google I/O to 160 million active users now.

    Google announced new Google “Chromebooks” – Chrome OS-based Notebooks from Samsung and Acer coming next month. Devices will be available for order on June 15 – Amazon.com and BestBuy.com in the U.S. and at various retailers in six other countries.

    In addition, Google announced monthly subscriptions for Chromebooks for businesses and schools. These will begin at $28 per user for business and $20 per user for educational institutions.

    With Chromebooks, users will be able to access Gmail, Google Docs, and Google Calendar offline.

    Google also encouraged users to jailbreak the devices (inserting another jab at Apple).

    In a blog post, Google says:

    These are not typical notebooks. With a Chromebook you won’t wait minutes for your computer to boot and browser to start. You’ll be reading your email in seconds. Thanks to automatic updates the software on your Chromebook will get faster over time. Your apps, games, photos, music, movies and documents will be accessible wherever you are and you won’t need to worry about losing your computer or forgetting to back up files. Chromebooks will last a day of use on a single charge, so you don’t need to carry a power cord everywhere. And with optional 3G, just like your phone, you’ll have the web when you need it. Chromebooks have many layers of security built in so there is no anti-virus software to buy and maintain. Even more importantly, you won’t spend hours fighting your computer to set it up and keep it up to date.

    At the core of each Chromebook is the Chrome web browser. The web has millions of applications and billions of users. Trying a new application or sharing it with friends is as easy as clicking a link. A world of information can be searched instantly and developers can embed and mash-up applications to create new products and services. The web is on just about every computing device made, from phones to TVs, and has the broadest reach of any platform. With HTML5 and other open standards, web applications will soon be able to do anything traditional applications can do, and more.

    Google announced that it is expanding the Chrome Web Store around the world in 41 languages for free apps. In addition, in-app payments are now available for apps in the Chrome Web Store.

    Angry Birds is now available in the Chrome Web Store as well. Google collaborated with Angry Birds maker Rovio to bring Angry Birds to the web.

    For more announcements from Google I/O cheek out this roundup of yesterday’s news. One other Chrome-related announcement that was actually released yesterday was the availability of the ChromeVox screen reader for Chrome and Chrome OS. This is a Chrome extension that lets developers test web apps with a screen reader inside the browser so they can do better accessibility testing.

  • Android @ Home and Open Accessory Projects Unveiled at Google I/O

    Google doesn’t just want you to have Android on your phone or on your tablet, or on your television, or just a combination of these. It wants you to have Android in your ligting, in your toaster, your washing machine, your blender, or whatever else developers can come up with.

    Google announced the Android Open Accessory and Android @ Home today, which together paint pictures of a future where your various home devices are connected via Android as a protocol, and interact with one another.

    “Essentially, Google wants users to use their smartphones and tablets to control lighting, turn on the water for sprinklers, and have a smart wake up system where the alarm will slowly increase its volume and the lights will automatically turn on to wake you up gradually,” says GottaBeMobile’s Chuong Nguyen. “Imagine, as Google says, a real life Farmville where developers can use Android @ Home to create a watering system for their garden–do a good job and your vegetables will flourish and do a poor job and your flowers will perish.”

    One company, Lighting Science, will actually be selling Android-ready lighting merchandise by the end of this year.

    This is Android @ Home, and it is reportedly designed to let users utilize the technology with their existing appliances over the electrical system.

    Google also spoke about something called Project Tungsten, which uses the newly announced Google Music beta and NFC technology to let you play physical CDs on a stereo, without actually having to insert the CD.

    Open Accessory comes in at the API level so that devices can tap into the protocol. Here’s the relevant section of Google’s I/O round-up today from the Google Blog:

    “From the beginning, Android was designed to extend beyond the mobile phone. With that in mind, we’ve developed Android Open Accessory to help developers start building new hardware accessories that will work across all Android devices. We previewed an initiative called Android@Home, which allows Android apps to discover, connect and communicate with appliances and devices in your home. We also showed a preview of Project Tungsten, an Android device for Music Beta to give you more control over music playback within the Android@Home network.”

    Google also announced partnerships with Verizon, HTC, Samsung, Sprint, Sony Ericsson, LG, T-Mobile, Vodafone, Motorola, and AT&T that will ensure devices are able to be kept up to date with the latest version of Android within 18 months.

  • Google TV to Get Android Market, 3.1, More Devices

    Among numerous other things, Google announced at Google I/O today that Google TV will get Android 3.1 and Android Market soon (as in this summer). This would make total sense, as one of today’s announcements was the launch of movie rentals in the Android Market. Perhaps this is just what Google TV needs to get going.

    Yesterday, the company announced some new partnerships to expand it’s movie offerings on YouTube, which seem to extend into the Android offerings, making for a catalog of over 6,000 movies, including new releases. According to Danny Sullivan, movie rentals purchased through the Android Market can also be watched through YouTube.

    Also new to Google TV are a couple of new hardware partnerships. Last year at Google I/O, when Google TV was first unveiled, Sony, Logitech and DISH Network were announced as partners (along with Best Buy, who would sell devices). Now, Google has announced that Samsung and Vizio have hopped aboard as new Google TV partners.

    In other words, watch for an increasing number of Google TV devices. We’ve always said that availability on more devices would be key for Google TV adoption growth, and that seems to be the strategy indeed. Now, if they can just get Sony to put it on its Playstation consoles, it would really be in business (particularly as Microsoft gets further ahead with its Xbox – and Skype integration). Granted, Playstation isn’t shining its brightest at the moment.

    Android growth continues to be phenomenal as the company pointed out today. Google TV getting more friendly with the Android platform should only help sales. A little marketing beyond one Kevin Bacon commercial might help too.

    I have a feeling the whole movie thing will be a big selling point.

  • Android 3.1 Launched as Honeycomb Upgrade, “Ice Cream Sandwich” on the Way

    Android 3.1 Launched as Honeycomb Upgrade, “Ice Cream Sandwich” on the Way

    Among its many Android-related announcements today, Google announced at Google I/O that Android 3.1 is rolling out beginning today.

    Android 3.1 features enhancements to existing honeycomb features while also bringing some new things to the table. The features, as described by Google, include:

    • Open Accessory API. This new API provides a way for Android applications to integrate and interact with a wide range of accessories such as musical equipment, exercise equipment, robotics systems, and many others.
    • USB host API. On devices that support USB host mode, applications can now manage connected USB peripherals such as audio devices. input devices, communications devices, and more.
    • Input from mice, joysticks, and gamepads. Android 3.1 extends the input event system to support a variety of new input sources and motion events such as from mice, trackballs, joysticks, gamepads, and others.
    • Resizable Home screen widgets. Developers can now create Home screen widgets that are resizeable horizontally, vertically, or both.
    • Media Transfer Protocol (MTP) Applications can now receive notifications when external cameras are attached and removed, manage files and storage on those devices, and transfer files and metadata to and from them.
    • Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP) API for audio. Developers can directly manage on-demand or interactive data streaming to enable VOIP, push-to-talk, conferencing, and audio streaming.

    Many more details about 3.1 here.

    Google also announced the next version of Android, called “Ice Cream Sandwich’ which is scheduled for a Q4 release. “Our goal with Ice Cream Sandwich is to deliver one operating system that works everywhere, regardless of device,” says Director of Android Product Management, Hugo Barra. “Ice Cream Sandwich will bring everything you love about Honeycomb on your tablet to your phone, including the holographic user interface, more multitasking, the new launcher and richer widgets.”

    Barra also shared a bunch of stats about Android’s market performance, and Google introduced Google Music in beta and movie rentals in the Android Market.

  • Android Eats Apple

    Google I/O, the company’s developer event opened with a shot at Apple. The shots at Apple are certainly commonplace these days, but it’s rare for them to jump into it so quickly. During the intro to the opening keynote, Google’s Vic Gundotra showed the above picture to the audience, before sending out Director of Android Product Management Hugo Barra.

    Of course the crowd got a big kick out of that. Apple’s Worldwide Developer conference is next month, and I’m sure we’ll see some retaliation then (if not before).

    Barra got what is commonly referred to as the “activations pissing contest” started by announcing that Google has now activated over 100 million Android devices worldwide. He also shared the following noteworthy stats:

    – 36 OEMs
    – 215 carriers
    – 450k Android developers
    – 310 Devices
    – 112 countries

    Not bad, for Android’s still relatively young existence. He also showed a timeline of the progress of daily Android device activations leading up to now, where he said over 400,000 devices are being activated “every single day.”

    Then came the Android Market stats (and this is before the new announcements of things like movie rentals and Google Music). Google has exceeded 200,000 apps available in the Android Market, and is experiencing “tremendous growth in app downloads”. Barra says that the market has seen 4.5 billion app installs up until today.

    “What really matters is that the quality of these applications is phenomenal,” he says. “Android Market is seeing stronger faster growth than ever.”

    Today’s announcements (which also include the pending release of the Android Market for Google TV this summer) should help too.

  • Google Music Beta Like Pandora for Your Collection

    Google Music Beta Like Pandora for Your Collection

    Google just announced Google Music beta at Google I/O. A Google Music service has been long-anticipated, but now it’s finally come, though it may not be exactly what you were expecting.

    As you may know, Google has had some licensing issues with record labels, which is why this service is more about the music you already own. In fact, it’s billed as “a better way to play your music.”

    With Google Music beta, you can upload your personal music and sync it to listen from the web or from any enabled device with the Music app (which is available in the Android market). Songs that you’ve recently played will even be available when you’re offline, thanks to Google’s caching.

    “Once your music is online, it’s always available. Playlists are automatically kept in sync, and you don’t have to worry about cables, file transfers, or running out of storage space,” Google says. “Upload your personal music collection to a single library, even if it’s scattered across multiple computers. You can upload music files from any folder or add your iTunes library and all of your playlists. And when you add new music to your computer, it can be automatically added to your music collection online.”

    Google Music Beta

    Perhaps the most interesting part of Google Music is that is uses machine learning to create playlists based on songs you enter. You now how Pandora works? It’s similar to this from the sounds of it, but it draws from songs from your own collection. This is the “instant mix” feature.

    “All the playlists you create and all the changes you make to them are automatically available everywhere your music is,” says Google.

    Google is rolling out Music beta in stages, and says it’s free “at least while it’s in beta”. It is only available on an invitation basis, however. You can request an invite here.

    We can only assume Google will continue to try and get deals in place to expand this into music sales as well to directly take on Amazon and Apple.

  • Foursquare Experiments With NFC at Google I/O

    Foursquare Experiments With NFC at Google I/O

    Today begins the 2011 Google I/O conference, which will bring thousands of developers to San Francisco to immerse themselves in the world of next gen applications.  Foursquare has teamed up with Google at this year’s conference to offer a look into what may well be the check-in of tomorrow.

    Foursquare and Google have worked together to allow attendees the ability to check-in using Near-field communication (NFC).  Briefly, NFC is short wave wireless communication.  It is usually invoked during the discussion of mobile payments but it has a ton of other applications.

    Basically, two NFC enabled devices are able to transmit information just by being relatively close to one another.  At the I/O conference, Google has placed NFC checkpoints all around the convention center.  Users with NFC enabled devices (most new Android phones, wink, Google) can simply tap their phones against a poster checkpoint and check-in automatically.

    From the 4sq blog:

    NFC is, obviously, a long way from being available everywhere and in all phones, but we’re excited by some of the potential. Google I/O attendees: have fun tapping in.

    NFC capabilities are not available in all devices yet, but its frequency is growing.  As the 4sq blog points out, most newer Android phones are NFC enabled.  There are rumors that both the iPhone 5 and the new Windows Phone will come capable of NFC.

    Foursquare employees have already been testing out check-ins using NFC, according to this tweet from product manager Noah Weiss:

    @noah_weiss
    Noah Weiss    Just used an nfc chip to check in. #nfc (@ foursquare HQ w/ @itsmejon @nfolkert @siobhanquinn @seanaes @ericfriedman) http://4sq.com/h793ZZ 70 days ago via foursquare · powered by @socialditto

    It seems like it is a strong possibility that NFC check-ins will become the norm in the months and years to come.  NFC “checkpoints” can be embedded in almost anything, and it would give users a more streamlined location sharing experience.  Instead of going through the current check-in process, you can just tap your phone on something and go.

    The current check-in process was recently call “clunky and heavy” by Foursquare CEO Dennis Crowley  at a Girls in Tech event.  There, he outlined the future of the company, which involves an improved check-in system where users may be prompted to check-in at places they commonly frequent or directed to go somewhere because their friends are hanging out there.

    Will NFC check-ins brighten your experience with Foursquare or other check-in services?

  • Google I/O Content Will Stream Live On Web

    Google I/O Content Will Stream Live On Web

    Google announced it will be providing a great deal of Google I/O content live, streaming on the web this year. They will provide keynotes, sessions, and Developer Sandbox content. You can find this stuff at Google I/O Live.

    Here’s exactly what will be offered, according to Google’s blog:

    • Watch livestream video feeds from our two largest session rooms from 9:00 a.m PST to 6:00 p.m. PST during both days of the conference. This will include streaming of the keynotes, as in years past, as well as—new for 2011—the addition of sessions from Android and Chrome. We’ll also aim to post HD video recordings from sessions that are not livestreamed within 24 hours.
    • Read captions from the livestreamed sessions in real-time. Plus, to make sure all our content is accessible, all remaining videos will also be captioned. For international developers, captions will be machine translated to all languages that are supported byGoogle Translate.
    • Be one of the first to know by getting your news direct from the source. The latest announcements and news will be added to our I/O Live dashboard in real-time.
    • Submit your questions to our Sandbox developers. We’ll post answers for the questions with the most votes.

     

    The event, which sold out in an hour, takes places May 10-11. Early bird tickets went for $450 each.  Google sold student and faculty tickets for $150 each.

    Last year at Google I/O, Google unveiled Google TV, among other things. What will they have in store this year?