Google I/O 2013: The Greatest Hits

As discussed on this blog and many other sites, the recent Google I/O Conference 2013 was more about iteration and less about hardware-product revelation. It was a conference highlighted by the announcements of several solid upgrades and the integration of some robust tools to pre-existing platforms. A few critical new platforms were announced that will take greater shape in years to come. Many of the new enhancements integrate into what has become a very dynamic platform-hub, Google+.

Notable tracks from the I/O include Google Glass app dev, Google Play Music All Access; Android integrated development environment (IDE); GIF-image creation; hosting, sharing, and editing tools on G+ (Highlight & Awesome); smarter Google Now functionalities; upgrades to Search, Maps, Hangouts, and Google Now; and upgraded Android developer tools and consoles.

Glassy Outlook: App Releases and Software Development
Google Glass was mentioned only briefly in the marathon keynote kick-off to Google I/O on

Wednesday, but Day Two filled in the gaps with numerous sessions on Glass. With the hardware now in the hands of many developers, the apps flood is sure to follow. Official Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr apps were debuted at the conference. The sessions on Glass were reportedly packed. Interest in Glass technology is surging from a variety of sources including consumers, developers, and government. Consider the development of Glass as a real-time case study on the intersections of technology, politics, sociology, and philosophy.

Digital Self: Google Now Gets Smarter
Google Now is getting smarter, a lot smarter. Google’s Knowledge Graph-based search intelligence grows rapidly, which means a more robust Google Now interaction for users with new upgrades that seek to anticipate information requests and provide the most useful and relevant query results. Precognition via the Nexus 7.

In the era of big data, giving context to data is incredibly important. Google Now promises to

provide data in larger context, providing not only targeted results from information, but also relevant attendant data that helps build a more complete search experience. Data data data. A Google Search trial is now open for opt-in that will reportedly enhance Google Now intelligences; linking in a very deep way across your Google digital self, including access to emails, calendars, search, and appointments. Google Now is increasingly becoming a hub layer, a data transit hub, a starting point, and an all-access, easy-access path to digital self.

Writing for Time Tech, Harry McCracken reported:

"In Chrome, Google’s classic desktop version of search will get the same conversational spoken search which is already available in the mobile apps.

On all platforms, that search will get smarter about interpreting queries and sequences of queries — such as “Show me things to do in Santa Cruz,” “Show me pictures of the Santa Cruz Boardwalk” and “How far is it from here?”

You’ll be able to go into spoken conversational mode by saying “OK, Google” rather than having to press a button to go into a special mode.

The Knowledge Graph, which gives Google a better understanding of facts about all sorts of entities, will try to anticipate your follow-up questions and answer them based upon what other people search for. Ask for the population of Canada, for instance, and it’ll tell you — but it will also graph how that population has changed over time.

Google Now’s Cards — which present you with summaries of info based all kinds of stuff Google knows about you — are adding additional types of content, such as notifications about TV shows and albums you might like. In a feature which sounds similar to something Apple’s Siri already has, you’ll also be able to create reminders that pop up at the right place and time, such as one reminding yourself to pick up milk at the grocery store.”

Digi-Terra-Incognita: Google Maps

Google announced a redesign of mobile and desktop Maps that is intelligent, visually

compelling, design smart, and personalized. This is in keeping with Google’s larger efforts across platforms to make interface and visualization a more pleasurable and enduring design experience for users.

The Map experience goes deep, integrating map search with visual, social, and data tools in 3D spaces, where the map itself is the interface. Searching for local records stores on maps will include things such as friend likes, card pop-ups, images, direction information, and 360-degree interior viewing. Personalization is a cornerstone of the new Maps, allowing the user to engage in a variety of interactions with new and saved data that interlinks with web resources. Enhancements to navigation tools include easy map routing options; driving, public transit, walking, and biking directions; and public transit schedule viewing with overlays of transfers. All these features are contextualized with spatial awareness and perspective tools; get visuals from space to the coffee shop in a few clicks, in real-time.

Mobile Map upgrades include some cool features such as traffic jam pops-up, suggested routes, and major sources of traffic jams. New tablet interfaces include an “explore” feature for enhanced local search.

Picture Me Rollin’: G+, Highlight, Awesome, and Photo Interwebz Fun
It was announced that Google+ will see the integration of a robust set of photo hosting, sharing,

and editing features. One standout inclusion is Highlight, an intelligent photo search and analysis tool that can recognize photo imperfections, identify landmarks, run face recognition search, and engage in photo ID. A new photo editing tool includes features such as auto-enhancement, noise reduction, light manipulation, and exposure correction.

Awesome is another new tool that has some very cool uses. By running “auto-awesome” on photos, Google+ identifies pics in a series, blending them together into an aggregate photo comprised of the the “best” elements of the pics in the series. Images can also be linked together to create animated GIFs, be used to create HDR shots, or stitched into panoramics. Reddit prepare for the deluge.

Hit Me: Google Play Music All Access
Google has entered the music streaming service in substantial fashion in the form of Google

Play Music All Access, a platform that integrates personal libraries with the growing Google Play Music catalogue.

“Radio without rules.”

Google Play Music All Access provides many of the services currently available on similar products such as Pandora and Spotify, yet underpins the experience with Google’s superior search infrastructure and attendant platforms and products. Critical components include personalized radio stations, favorite songs or artists lists, browse recommendations, expanded search functions, easy song access, and music curation and personalization. Pricing models are competitive with current industry standards at $9.99 a month after a 30 day free trial, with an early purchase offer of $7.99 a month before June 30.

Android Developers Get New Diggs
Google also announced a new development environment, Android Studio. While details are

forthcoming, it will include multiple layout tools for a variety of devices and tablets, show changes to Android app code reflected in real-time simulations, and include additions of various developer services. These developments are in line with the improvements to the developer console that will include five new features that reportedly will increase revenue generation for developers, provide access optimization and development tips, and provide an app translation service that allows developers access to professional translations directly from the developer console. Globalizing development spaces. With an eye on revenue generation, referral tracking has also been added so developers can better promote their apps, a feature that integrates with Google's Analytics service, allowing developers to see where installs come from directly within the console itself. Two final additions will include app revenue display graphs, and (this is big) beta testing and staged rollouts of apps.

Image Source: By Tedeytan (Flickr) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Image Source: By Maciek Łempicki from Szczecin, Poland (Sign of Go...ogle!) [Public domain or CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Image Source: By User:AppleLion (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Image Source: Algont from nl [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], from Wikimedia Commons

Image Source: By Viking9173 (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Google I/O Through the Looking Glass: Developers & Software Center Stage

Google I/O, the annual developer conference, begins 

Wednesday morning, so let’s gaze into the

digital ball and speculate. The conference last year was a high-water mark: product releases dominated the agenda with the release of the highly successful Nexus 7 tablet, Android "Jelly Bean," and Google Glass, which has been one most active technology stories of 2013.

Judging from the comments made by Google's Android head Sundar Pichai in an interview in Wired, this year’s conference will likely focus on developers and software. Notably, Google is not combining Android and Chrome…yet. Pichai has effectively taken over for Andy Rubin at Android. A graduate of the Indian Institute of Technology and Stanford, he is now a key member of Larry Page’s “L-team” of top executives. On the future of Android, Pichai states in the interview:

“The scale and scope is even bigger than what I had internalized. The momentum — in terms of new phones and new tablets — is breathtaking. I see huge opportunity, because it is just shocking how much of the world doesn’t have access to computing. In his book Eric [Schmidt] talks about the next 5 billion [the people on earth who aren’t connected to the internet who soon will be]. That’s genuinely true and it excites me. One of the great things about an open system like Android is it addresses all ends of the spectrum. Getting great low-cost computing devices at scale to the developing world is especially meaningful to me.”

Last year, we saw the release of serious hardware products, the focus this year might be on the development of the software on those products and platforms. Build and iterate. 

Seeing Through Glass
Glass will have a large presence at I/O. A glance at the I/O schedule shows a Day 2 devoted to several sessions on Glass development. Many thousands of developers have been building on and experimenting with the hardware. It is likely we will see the reveal of the first round of official applications for Glass. The skydiving, X-Sport infused reveal of Glass last year might give way to geek-end development and app development presentations.

Updating the Droid
Rumors on the net have pointed toward the release of version 5.0 "Key Lime Pie," yet it is more likely we will see updates to Jelly Bean Android 4.3.

Android Game Center
Conference rumors point toward the announcement of an official “Android Game Center” — a cloud based nexus for games where players can interact, post scores, compete in multiplayer gaming formats. This is a likely development that we have already seen with traditional gaming console systems. As the mobile game market matures, so will the infrastructure around it, which will hopefully help indie developers and end-users. The future will likely see this game center linked to the broader range of Google applications and platforms, tying into G+ and Chat. This platform could provide wider standardization of tools; unite the sandbox. Eventually, this will also tie-in with Google TV…the future is seamless cloud data running between TV, mobile, laptop...and then Glass and smartwatches. The mobile gaming market is estimated to generate over $9 billion globally in 2013. In an article in Business Wire, OBJE CEO Paul Watson stated, “The mobile gaming market’s annual growth is now at 32 percent, and the revenue this industry generated in the U.S. alone increased by 16 percent year-on-year in 2012. That makes mobile games one of the fastest-growing industries on the planet.” Android Game Center could be huge; a new hub with multiplayer support, in-game chat, lobbies, leaderboards, and achievements.

Hardware
More hardware, a new phone? Not likely. Rumors have pointed toward updates to the Nexus 7 and possibly (unlikely) a Nexus 8, which might be positioned to compete directly with iPad mini. The Motorola X phone might make an appearance as an early teaser of things to come, yet from all reports, is still very much in development. Click here for a round-up of Nexus 7 possible upgrades. According to recent FCC filing paperwork, the Motorola “X” device includes the model number XT1058,  with 4G LTE, NFC capabilities, and GSM network operated on 1900/850 bands…all indicative of an AT&T device, which has been supported by earlier rumors.

Google Future Gazing
What I am most excited about is possible information coming out of Google X labs including machine learning, self-driving cars, and Google Fiber. Let’s hope some time is devoted to future tech.

Babel
All you do is talk talk. “Babble,” (the term pinging on the internet), might be debuted as a unifier of Google's chat services, providing a single communication tool across the wide range of Google platforms.

The Great Map Race
Remember the buzz around maps last year. Apple’s ill-fated entrance into maps and Google’s 3D mapping upgrades. We will likely see robust updates to map functions, improvements to map interfaces, and wider additions to indoor maps.

The last word to Pichai:

"It’s going to be different. It’s not a time when we have much in the way of launches of new products or a new operating system. Both on Android and Chrome, we’re going to focus this I/O on all of the kinds of things we’re doing for developers, so that they can write better things. We will show how Google services are doing amazing things on top of these two platforms."

Image Source: By Google (http://www.android.com/branding.html) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons