GoogleIO2015
Latest
What's on tap for Google at I/O 2015
We're coming down to the wire now: Google I/O 2015 is just a few days away, and we'll be liveblogging and reporting from the ground as soon as the festivities begin. Don't let its reputation as a developer bonanza fool you, though. There's going to be no shortage of workshops and code review sessions, but I/O is also where Google takes time to update its vision of the future for the people who will ultimately help build it. Of course, it's not all starry-eyed speeches and technical breakdowns -- this is, after all, the sort of show that featured a live streaming Google Hangout with four dudes who jumped out of a zeppelin. We can't account for whatever crazy, spectacular bits the folks in Mountain View might be working on, but we do have a taste of what to expect when the show starts in earnest this Thursday.
LG and Huawei are reportedly making Google's Nexus phones this year
If you were disappointed that your only choice for a new, official Google phone last year was the gargantuan Nexus 6, you'll be glad to hear that 2015 could be very different. Android Police sources have elaborated on previous rumors with word that both LG and Huawei are working on Nexus handsets this year. The LG device, nicknamed Angler, would have a 5.2-inch screen and might borrow the G4's six-core Snapdragon 808 processor -- effectively, it'd be a modernized Nexus 5. Huawei's phone, Bullhead, would pack a bigger 5.7-inch display and could step up to a Snapdragon 810 chip. Think of it as a not-so-ungainly Nexus 6.
Android's stand-alone Photos app will give you more creative control
Wondering what will happen when Android's Photos app finally makes a clean break from Google+? You should now have a pretty good idea. Android Police has peeked at a leaked copy of a reworked Photos app, and it's clear that Google is using the service split as an incentive to shake things up. The highlight may be Assistant (below), an effective substitute for Auto Awesome that gives you more creative power -- you can produce more content yourself (such as Stories) instead of waiting for it to show up. The interface should also be more intuitive across the board, with more options for viewing your photos, a better editing interface, privacy-minded sharing and pinch-to-zoom gestures for opening pictures. There's a chance these features could change or disappear before they're official, but it won't be surprising if you see this Photos redesign on the Google I/O stage this week.
Android M might have its own fingerprint login system
Android is getting a TouchID-style system of its own with Android M, according to Buzzfeed's sources. Apparently it'll act a lot like the iOS tool too, bypassing passwords for associated apps in favor of reading your fingerprint. Given that I/O is practically right around the corner (next week!) it shouldn't be long before this all gets confirmed -- Google hasn't responded to our request for comment just yet. [Image credit: Getty Images]
Google plans to play nice with Facebook and Twitter on photos
According to Bloomberg Business, Google could soon be separating its web based photo sharing and storage service from the existing Google+ platform and offering it as a standalone. Bloomberg cites Googlers close to the project who say that the announcement could come during the upcoming Google I/O developers conference later this month. Reportedly photos stored with the new service can be posted to both Twitter and Facebook with a fraction of the hassle it takes to do so currently. These rumors have been a long time coming. Bloomberg reported a similar plan early last year and Google Senior Vice President Sundar Pichai was quoted in March stating that photos and social would be operated separately.
Bloomberg: Google improving controls for Android app permissions soon
It's always a little concerning when a battery management app needs access to your location and contacts. According to Bloomberg, Google's poised to ease that anxiety by improving control over what apps can access in Android. According to its sources, an update to the operating system -- possibly coming ant Google's I/O event this month -- would allow users to switch off access to things individually, similar to how app management in Facebook works. Features like those described were discovered in Android, hidden, as far back as 2013. If you're using one of Android's most famous forks, you've had them since 2011. Google eventually removed the hidden controls, perhaps to prevent incomplete tools from interfering with apps not primed for the change, but now it seems they're ready for prime time. How will your torch cope without knowing all your friends' names, and where you are? We'll just have to wait and see.
Android developers will get to experiment with app prices
When you make a mobile app, you usually have to find out the hard way what will sell. You can't fiddle with pricing for just a few people, for instance. All that could change very shortly in the Android world, however. Sources for The Information claim that Google is introducing a feature that lets Android developers try different versions of the same Google Play Store page. You could not only see different previews of the app, but different pricing -- the creator could charge you $2 for that hot new game, but ask $3 from others to see if they'll accept higher pricing.
Google sends a Glass-like mystery device through the FCC
Google might have just hinted at the future of its Glass headsets. The company has sent a mystery "smart BLE" (Bluetooth Low Energy) device to the FCC for approval, the A4R-CAP1, and there are a few telltale signs that it's one of Mountain View's wearables. Most notably, the product's digital FCC label (shown below) not only looks a lot like a Glass interface card, but requires that you swipe to see it -- that suggests a touchstrip, as you'd use on Google's eyepiece. Mentions of an Android-like firmware revision and a battery help, too. There's the possibility that this is another gadget that simply happens to use Glass-style navigation, but that seems less than likely. Don't be surprised if you're eventually plunking CAP1 on your head.
Google holds its next I/O developer conference on May 28th and 29th
Attention, Google fans: the company's big developer conference is kicking off early this year. The internet giant has announced that I/O 2015 will take place on May 28th and 29th, about a month ahead of where it was in 2014. Sign-ups start at noon Eastern on March 17th, although the company is once again running on a lottery system that picks guests at random. As for what's going to show? Google isn't saying anything yet, but there's bound to be talk of Android's rapidly growing ecosystem, Chrome developments and internet services aplenty. What do you hope Google will show? Let us know what you think! [Image credit: Stephen Lam/Getty Images]
