physicalweb
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Android can launch apps based on where you are
Google really wants the apps you use to take the context of where you are into account. Thus Nearby, a feature that uses Bluetooth and your device's GPS to deliver you apps based on where you are. The post on Google's official Android blog gives a few examples of how this might work: printing photos directly from your phone when you're in a CVS Pharmacy or using the Mobile Passport app to duck the customs line at certain airports.
Chrome on Android communicates with smart devices around you
Folks running Chrome on iOS have had a chance to tap into the Physical Web devices around them since last July, but Google's finally opened that functionality up to its own ecosystem. To that end, Chrome 49 on Android will support the objects (like parking meters, for instance). The first time you encounter one there will be a push notification alerting you one is nearby, and future run-ins will populate a list of the gadgets nearby. It's starting in the beta channel, a post on the Chromium Blog notes, with wider support rolling out soon. In case you're curious of how it all looks in action, the GIF below should give you a good idea.
Chrome for iOS talks to smart devices through the web
Your iPhone just became a better remote control for the internet of things. Google has released Chrome 44 for iOS, which lets you see Physical Web devices (think smart parking meters and vending machines) in iOS' Today view -- you don't need to run specialized apps or open the browser just to see gadgets around you. It's still a worthwhile upgrade even if you don't live around compatible gadgets, since you can finally use Safari-style horizontal swipes to flip back and forth through web pages. Either way, you'll definitely want to swing by the App Store if Chrome is your surfing software of choice.
Google's Physical Web aims to make the internet of things easier to use
When it comes to smartphones, fragmentation (or as some would say, "diversity") isn't the problem it once was -- but smart objects? Well, that's a whole new issue. Most products breaking ground in the "internet of things" exist in their own walled-off ecosystem, often requiring users to download a separate app for every smart device they encounter. If physical objects are the next evolution of the web, Google says, this isn't realistic: we need an open solution. Introducing the Physical Web, Mountain View's attempt at creating a common web standard for objects. It hopes the standard will give everything from posters to rental cars a easily accessible smart experience without flooding the market with one-time-use apps.
