Google just wrapped up the opening keynote for its I/O developer conference taking place this week, and not surprisingly many of the announced products and services are direct competitors to Apple’s. Android Pay gets an official coming out party to compete with Apple Pay, Project Brillo is Google’s answer to HomeKit, and the new Android M gets a focus on quality, much like what Apple has in store for iOS 9 at WWDC in June. The company also announced a new Photos app with unlimited photo and video syncing and iOS support, as well as a number of other iOS app announcements.
Head below for a roundup of everything Google announced today from 9to5Google:
Google announces Android ‘M’ with a focus on ‘quality end to end,’ developer preview coming soon
Google announces Android Pay mobile payment service, launching with Android M this year
Google unveils Project Brillo, its stripped down version of Android for connected devices
Google introduces Photos app with unlimited photo and video syncing on Android, iOS, and the web
HBO NOW for Android coming to the Google Play Store this summer
Test Android apps on the top 20 Android devices via the cloud
Google Cardboard VR viewer updated for bigger phones, now supports iOS
Google Maps to add offline search/navigation, Places API for iOS now available to all
Google I/O: 4000 Android devices & Wear apps, 17M Chromecasts sold, Android TV/Auto growth, 1B+ users, more
Google’s ‘Inbox’ email app now open to all, updated w/ new features
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
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This was an extremely uninspired conference. Only Google Now was new and interesting.
if the new iOS thing is even a fraction of how cool that context aware stuff was, I’d be pretty amazed.
It won’t work all the time, so people won’t use it. A simple highlight of text would work better imo.
I think they also introduced a competitor to selecting text reliably and showing a context menu…
But whatever. At this point I think both oses are pretty good. Let them converge on features. Apple will have a hard time competing on the big data stuff. Apple usually seems ahead on user experience design, while google is ahead on big data. I really wish these two companies could have just kept working together.
Me too, but honestly, I blame Google for the fall out. The history of their relationship along with the early history of Android seems to make it clear Google was the bad guy. They were supposed to work together, the first iPhone made Google maps a mobile thing. Android was supposed to compete with Blackberry and after the iPhone came out, they reworked it completely to compete directly against their partner at the time.
At least there’s room for both and at least on iOS we can really have the best of both worlds.
This one and the last I/O seem like catch-up to Apple/iOS. Before that, it was the opposite for many years.
yeh sure i’d love to sync my photos through Google …. NOT!
The who in their right mind would? Wait, don’t answer that.
“Brillo”?
Whoaaaaaaaahaaaaahaaaaahhaaaaahaaaaa [takes a breath] aaaaaahhaaaaahhaaaaahhaaahahahhahahahahahahahahah
For a stupid company you sure do dumb things.
It’s hard not to think of a) the pad, or b) Andy Warhol.
Android pay… Wonder where they came up with that one
Android Wallet would have seemed to be a better name and less copycat like.
Android Card would have been a much better name.
Google Wallet was out long before Apple pay buddy. Both Google and Apple barrow ideas from each other.
Android Pay is obviously more for marketing purposes and direct competition as unlike Google Wallet they have made deals with companies and banks as apple did.
I could talk about all the ios 7/8 features and even services and the upcoming ipad pro with samsungs and windows stylus and multi window type features rumored.
ios fanboys = forever chidlren with 5th grade Michael Moore logic.
I think he was talking about the name. It used to be wallet, as you said, now it’s pay. Not very inspired after Apple Pay.
“I could talk about all the ios 7/8 features and even services and the upcoming ipad pro with samsungs and windows stylus and multi window type features rumored.”
and those are new?? When Apple does them it will make sure they intuitively work and when that happens they will appear as obvious. (& btw: “iPad Pro”?? can you share some more info we don’t know about) Creep back under your stone.
Even more reasons to go with an iPhone because everything is being made for IOS. Then you can have the best of both worlds.
YEAH, BUT… BUT… CLOSED GARDEN, DERP!!
/s
do you really want people to see you getting dressed?
Right, I’m going to let Google have anything to do with my use of credit cards. Why don’t I just post my numbers on Facebook?
I think as well, it would be the same.
I feel like Google is becoming the Hooli of Silicon Valley, rushing to the gate to beat its competitors with unpolished products.
haha is it iPhone 4 bad?
Great series :-)
So good!
So, I haven’t watched the series yet but is the iPhone 4 really looked at that negatively? Or is it referring to the lost prototype being found?
Just wondering because I would probably consider the iPhone 4 the best iPhone ever released.
I think it’s referring to the antenna-gate thing. after the iphone 4 bad…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C08WmKiwcSs << 1:19 :)
iPhone 4 and 4S were awesome. I still use an iPhone 4S and my friend uses an iPhone 4 with no issues. Great pieces of electronics.
Guys, let’s get ready for people on the internet asking: Where did my money go?
Google copies Apple is what the title of this story should be.
The comments on here are ridiculous. Google had had it’s cloud photos capability out for a long time, they’re just detaching it from Google+. I don’t hear you people whining about how Apple/iOS came out with features that Android had waaaay before Apple/iOS did, ie OTA updates, customizable wallpapers (not just on the lockscreen), live wallpapers, wirelessly syncing music, front-facing camera (no, the iPhone 4 was not the first phone to have it), Google Wallet & NFC, a notification drawer, folders, a legitimate, powerful platform music service (unlike the crap version that Apple offers) and more. I bet you girls didn’t get your knickers all in a twist it when Apple started using all of these features that Android already had.
Hey product: If you want to sync your photos through you are the ridiculous one…
edit: through Google