Google I/O 2014: Let’s Android All The Things!

BY Rita El Khoury

Published 25 Jun 2014

android-io-2014

The main Google I/O 2014 keynote is just over, and we’re still trying to wrap our heads around everything that was announced today. If you’re a developer involved in the Android ecosystem — ie. the target of this conference — this must feel like Christmas morning to you with so many new APIs, SDKs, and tools to play with. If you’re a consumer though, you just got a glimpse of the future, and that future is all about Android. Everywhere.

If it wasn’t clear from our deluge of posts, this keynote was all about Android. Unlike last year, where Google spent an exhausting amount of time on Google+, every single announcement today had an Android element at its heart, even the one about Chromebooks.

But in case you missed it, you should know that there’s a new version of Android, simply dubbed L at this point — the Lollipop name is not yet confirmed officially. And this version will be shipping on low-end hardware thanks to Android One, it will work with wearables through Android Wear, it will be optimized for cars with Android Auto, it will be available in your living room thanks to Android TV, and as stated above, it will play nicely with your Chromebook computer which will mirror notifications and even run Android apps.

In one sentence, the vision that was Android, when it was first announced, is coming into fruition. Android will be everywhere, on everything, and you can’t escape it. That one billion active Android users number will sure grow a lot faster now that Android is spreading its reach into every screen around you.

You will soon — well, if you can afford it — drive home in your Android Auto enabled car, while wearing your Android Wear watch, with your Android phone in your pocket, and once you get there, turn on your Android TV while browsing for new videos to watch on your living room’s Android tablet. And that is just the start. Just wait until Android Wear expands to other non-screened sensors and Android Home takes over all your appliances.

It’s an Android World!