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Google I/O was pretty amazing this year, right? We got the deets on Material design, a preview version of Android L, the formal release of Android Wear, the first manifestations of Android TV and Android Auto, and plenty of other bits and pieces. However, all of that content and all of those developer sessions can take forever to absorb, and professional developers just don't have time for that. Now that all of the videos have been posted, I've combed through every last one to narrow the list down to just the sessions that absolutely can't be missed.
Another Google I/O has passed, and with it, a slew of Android-related announcements and reveals we've only just scratched the surface of at this point. This year was all about platforms: phones, tablet, watches, TVs, and cars - Google wants Android on all the things in your life that should be smarter (well, at least some people think they should be).
Google announced Play Games at last year's I/O conference (hard to believe it's already been a year), and this year the company stepped it up a notch. They're integrating new features into the app, which includes a new Game Profile feature that exists and a sort of unified leaderboard with achievements and the like. Naturally, this lets users compare how they play with their friends. Nothing like a little competition, right?
If you happen to be in one of the 25 countries where Google offers direct carrier billing on mobile phones, good news: you'll soon be able to buy apps, movies, music, books, and the like on your tablet and have it billed to your carrier...even on Wi-Fi tablets.
There's finally a new Slides app for Android (and iOS), but that's not the end. All three of Google's office apps are getting some new features, including their own full version of tracking changes.
At this point, it's no secret that Google was going to unveil Android TV. We've already seen several leaks, and last night Vector Unit prematurely published a changelog with the words "AndroidTV" all over it. So yeah, we knew it was coming. And now it's here.
Android's L release is going to bring about a ton of new changes and improvements, and they took time to talk about a few of the most important today. That includes a new default runtime, improved graphics, and improved battery life.
During the presentation for the L release, Google talked a little bit about the new search experience in Google Now. Firstly, there's a huge focus on animations and fluidity, with animations running at a super fluid 60 FPS (this is LEGO). It looks so good.
We knew this was coming, but Google just showed off the Android L release at I/O 2014. The entire thing appears to be based off off what we've come to know as Quantum Paper, but they're actually calling it Material Design in the release. It's so sexy.
The hunt is on. Or it will be right after the main Google I/O keynote is over. If you're a registered attendee of the conference and you have some free time between sessions, the yearly location-based I/O treasure hunt will provide you with enough trivia and challenges to keep you entertained.
We've been hearing rumors about Android TV, Google's push to get Android into the set-top box market, for a while now, with the most recent leaks pointing towards a Google I/O announcement. Looks like we're definitely going to see Google take the wraps off of it tomorrow, as the Riptide GP2 dev prematurely posted a changelog that all but confirms it:
Going to Google I/O this year? Not going, but want to pretend you are? Either way, the official I/O 2014 app is now in the Play Store. It's packed with some nifty features:
Going to I/O this year and need something do to during your downtime? Lookout generally throws a little invite-only shindig for I/O attendees, and this year is no different. Just like the past couple of years, we've got 20 tickets to giveaway, which are good for one person plus a guest. Details:
We've already seen that Google is working on some pretty incredible things with Project Tango, the space-aware smartphone project that's essentially capable of capturing 3D maps of indoor locations. The team behind Tango – Google's ATAP – is already working with NASA to use prototypes in autonomous robots to aid astronauts on the Space Station, but now it looks a Tango-esque device could be coming a lot closer to home than that.
The procrastinators out there have missed their chance to (maybe) give Google $900 for a ticket to Google I/O this year. The registration window is closed, but we don't yet know who's going. That news will hit this coming Monday.
In a rare (and very amusing) fireside chat between Matias Duarte and Joshua Topolsky, we heard that I/O 2014 might put significantly more attention on great design as a topic. Today, a post on Google's Developer Blog is here to back up that declaration and adds that there will be sessions and workshops geared for designers and developers interested in improving their products. While there still hasn't been an official session list posted, this is surely meant to encourage designers to apply for registration before the window closes on Friday.
Google I/O registrations were supposed to open in just a few hours so developers and people who love free stuff could deluge Mountain View with applications. That's not happening, though. The Google Developers G+ account has posted an update stating the registration window has been pushed back to next week.