Google I/O 2015 just concluded (May 25-29) recently at the Moscone Center West in San Francisco, CA. Google has been very productive with lots of stuff battling in many fronts. Looks like almost every other similar vendor has comes out with a plethora of awesome to near awesome products/Services/fun stuff. It has been hectic everywhere.
Here are some highlights:
Android M
With emphasis on Security rather than look and feel. Finger print scanning (Windows 10 from Microsoft-finger print + facial recognition), and significant restrictions of app's data access
capability by implementing privacy controls. It is still in preview but will be released in the fall of 2015. What does M stand for - perhaps more of the same? App Links in Android M makes it easier to
link between apps by improving discoverability. Androids DOZE feature is aimed at battery consumption. If the device is inactive for a set period of time, the device goes to sleep with minimum
energy consumption making it significantly better than Android L.
Now on Tap
Bring your own pitchers-kidding. "Now" was already there but adding on TAP make it much more appealing and immediate. Does it and can it compete with Our assistant of the Web - Cortana? Let's wait and see.
One thing that makes it easier with Now on TAP is that you need not ask to get the contextual information related to whatever you are doing (this is what I understand!), it is near automatic.
Cardboard
Virtual reality enters everyday life with the Google's Cardboard gadget. Google wants to make it affordable and easy to use, It has competition in the virtual reality arena from others such as
Microsoft's RoomAlive (http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2014/10/09/microsoft-
corporations-mind-bending-plans-for-virt.aspx), Facebook, Sony (Project Orpheus). With Microsoft and Sony with their focus on Gaming, Cardboard might have a stiffer competition. Will Google's
Jump can take on RoomAlive? Wait and see.
Photo Storage
Google Photo offers unlimited storage for free. This is an insane offer that will definitely upset Apple and Microsoft who charge something in the range of $84(Microsoft) and $100(Apple)n store
images on their cloud services (http://techcrunch.com/2015/05/28/free-dollars-and-fifty-free-
cents/#.jsnmjt:akne).
Android Pay
Google wallet did not make much of a headway and now comes Android Pay which allows Android M Users to pay with their credit card information tokenized. It is not a replacement for Google Wallet
which is going to morph into a new avatar for peer-to-peer payments. This is going to vie with Apple Pay and with Microsoft's aspirations to get into this field with SoftCard (https://gigaom.com/2014/11/04/now-windows-phone-has-a-digital-
wallet-that-works-where-apple-pay-does/)
Google Maps going offline
In USA it's perhaps OK you can get connected fast to Internet but to get connected to Google Maps on the Internet is not so easy for some other countries. Going offline will help this, but how effective is it going to be notwithstanding Google's resources. This will be very similar to others operating
offline, like YouTube in some Asian countries.
Others
Brillo for home automation via Internet; Weave to establish
communication between devices; UniversalAPP and education directed
Android 101 were other announcements.
Here are some highlights:
Android M
With emphasis on Security rather than look and feel. Finger print scanning (Windows 10 from Microsoft-finger print + facial recognition), and significant restrictions of app's data access
capability by implementing privacy controls. It is still in preview but will be released in the fall of 2015. What does M stand for - perhaps more of the same? App Links in Android M makes it easier to
link between apps by improving discoverability. Androids DOZE feature is aimed at battery consumption. If the device is inactive for a set period of time, the device goes to sleep with minimum
energy consumption making it significantly better than Android L.
Now on Tap
Bring your own pitchers-kidding. "Now" was already there but adding on TAP make it much more appealing and immediate. Does it and can it compete with Our assistant of the Web - Cortana? Let's wait and see.
One thing that makes it easier with Now on TAP is that you need not ask to get the contextual information related to whatever you are doing (this is what I understand!), it is near automatic.
Cardboard
Virtual reality enters everyday life with the Google's Cardboard gadget. Google wants to make it affordable and easy to use, It has competition in the virtual reality arena from others such as
Microsoft's RoomAlive (http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2014/10/09/microsoft-
corporations-mind-bending-plans-for-virt.aspx), Facebook, Sony (Project Orpheus). With Microsoft and Sony with their focus on Gaming, Cardboard might have a stiffer competition. Will Google's
Jump can take on RoomAlive? Wait and see.
Photo Storage
Google Photo offers unlimited storage for free. This is an insane offer that will definitely upset Apple and Microsoft who charge something in the range of $84(Microsoft) and $100(Apple)n store
images on their cloud services (http://techcrunch.com/2015/05/28/free-dollars-and-fifty-free-
cents/#.jsnmjt:akne).
Android Pay
Google wallet did not make much of a headway and now comes Android Pay which allows Android M Users to pay with their credit card information tokenized. It is not a replacement for Google Wallet
which is going to morph into a new avatar for peer-to-peer payments. This is going to vie with Apple Pay and with Microsoft's aspirations to get into this field with SoftCard (https://gigaom.com/2014/11/04/now-windows-phone-has-a-digital-
wallet-that-works-where-apple-pay-does/)
Google Maps going offline
In USA it's perhaps OK you can get connected fast to Internet but to get connected to Google Maps on the Internet is not so easy for some other countries. Going offline will help this, but how effective is it going to be notwithstanding Google's resources. This will be very similar to others operating
offline, like YouTube in some Asian countries.
Others
Brillo for home automation via Internet; Weave to establish
communication between devices; UniversalAPP and education directed
Android 101 were other announcements.
