Google I/O from the Consumer Perspective

Ok so today is the day of days for all things android. Today launched the first day of Google I/O, their yearly developer conference, and with it Google did not disappoint.  First and foremost this is a conference for developers so there was a lot of technical jargon that has to be waded through for the average person, to see anything useful. I will be focusing on the things that I think everybody will enjoy. So lets begin with the overall theme of the day….. Android Everywhere, from a new O/S to wearables, to TV and now in your car. Android is coming to a life near you.

Android L

First on the List is Android L, this is the next iteration of android for phones and tablets. This comes with a hefty 5000 new APIs and a complete UI change to “Material Design”

http://youtu.be/Q8TXgCzxEnw

This is a quick rundown of how the new design layout will look, as you can tell it is very flat, but has beautiful animations that seem to float over the background of the app. In my opinion this gives it a 3Dish effect that makes the cards come to life.

The next thing to talk about in Android L is the new recents shade, it has gone from a simple list of recent apps, now to cards that can be scrolled, it also has the ability to save multiple screens from the same app, for example if you have multiple windows open in chrome each web page will show up in recents as shown here

The next thing to talk about would be the improved notifications, the notifications will now appear in the lockscreen as cards that can be actioned upon.  This is one of the smaller features, but well needed and very welcome to the Android ecosystem.

Android Wear

So this comes as no big shocker to anyone in the tech world, as Google did announce Android wear in April. Now we have a first hand view of what these devices will do, they will have full Google now integration with voice commands. This means that text can be answered, directions given, restaurant ratings looked up and so much more all from the wrist.  The two android wear devices that launched today were the Samsung Gear Live, and the LG G Watch, both with square displays, the famed Moto 360 will be held off for a probable launch alongside the Moto X2 or whatever it is to be called.  http://youtu.be/0xQ3y902DEQ

This was probably the most anticipated release of the day, and I think that Google did not disappoint with Android wear.

Android TV

So this will be Google’s third foray into the TV space as a major OS. The first two, Google TV and Nexus Q were total flops, but google is counting on the success of the Chromecast that it will help propel Android TV as the third times the charm.  This will be a combination of Smart TV O/S and Set top box that continues the Material Design throughout and gives full access to all of Google TV partners and services. I think it is a great Idea I just hope it works, Google as I have said can’t seem to get this right, I hope it will this time.

Android Auto

Google also wants into your car, this is a simple O/S that brings the most important information to the forefront of the car, so that the phone can stay in the pocket.

http://youtu.be/Ht8yzpIV9M0

Most everything that is done on the OS is done from voice commands, such as play playlist Rock, or call mom, or navigate to Stone Mountain. This seems like a great stepping stone into a larger world when app developers are give the SDK to this,  I found that Android Auto was the least exciting for me personally because I won’t be able to buy a new car at least until 2018 or so.

Chromecast

I'm gonna start with chromecast here, Chromecast will get some awesome updates in the coming weeks. First is the ability to screen mirror from any android device, this is something that alot of people have been wanting since day one of the device, it is nice to see Google listening to their customers on this. Second big update is the ability for people to connect to chromecast without being connect to the same wifi network. This is huge for people that want to come over and use the chromecast and you don’t want random people on your wifi. And finally chromecast has the ability to change and personalize the splash screen on the TV.  Up until now it has been a steady stream of beautiful images from all across the web, now Google will allow users to pick themes and categories and even out their own Google Photos on the TV as the splash stream, so you might want to make sure all of your naughty pics are deleted first.

All of this was announced in a three hour Keynote that explains all of it in great detail, I will leave a link to it down below if you want to check it out. I must say that I am quite impressed with what Google has announced this year. I think that this helps bring a new level of maturity to the entire Android Ecosystem. Google is building an ecosystem of products that work perfectly with each other and have a lot of continuity and ease of use, to put it Applely “it just works”. I tip my hat to Google this year, you have won my wallet, and please TAKE MY MONEY!

http://youtu.be/wtLJPvx7-ys?t=26m56s

Dear Samsung,

Dear  Samsung,  

Ok so the Samsung Galaxy tab s just got announced.  While I love the amoled display and the updated specs on the device.  This begs the question.  Are the executives at Samsung money grubbing whores?

What I mean by that is the fact that not even five months ago Samsung released the tab pro line of tablets that were to be the best that Samsung has to offer for the year,  and now the tab s comes around and blows them out of the water.  With these new tablets  Samsung  just said fuck you to everyone who bought the tab pro basically saying, you know that tablet that we made to directly compete with the iPad?  Well we made another one that is even better than the one you just spent your hard earned money to buy.  This is a big mistake on Samsung’s part,  I don't see why they could not have just delayed the tab pro and come out with the tab pro s or something.  Maybe that is why they lead Android in tablet sales,  because they release so many tablets that 9/10 on the shelf are Samsung.

Now it looks like the s5 “prime” is to be announced sometime this month, stop, just stop. Pick one single flagship for the year and go with it, perfect it, make sure it is made of materials that will actually feel good in the hand. Make that one single flagship the best GD phone you have ever made, and stop with the active, the zoom, the prime versions of these phones nobody, and i mean nobody buys that crap. We all know you love to copy whatever apple does. Notice that they only come out with one single phone every year. This is the way to do it, not flooding the market.

With the tab pro line,  the tab s line,  the tab 4  line and the note line of tablets...  Enough is enough Samsung,  I don't care if you make a god tablet I won't buy it because it will be outdated in a week.  Samsung has lost my faith as a consumer,  and this is coming from a guy who has owned the s2,s3,and s4, I will not buy another Samsung Android device again.  Shame on you Samsung I am disappoint.  

Sincerely,

Josh Mcmurdo

P. S. Wtf is with the dimpled back?  The faux leather looked sooooooo good,  if it ain't broke don't fix it as the saying goes.

While Everyone is Going GaGa over IOS 8

While everyone is either raging or going GaGa over IOS 8, Google quietly announced one of the biggest endeavors in human history. Google announced this week that they will be launching a system of satellites that will bring the internet to the underdeveloped countries. This is an extension of Project Loon, which will do the same thing, but with weather balloons. I don’t want to talk about WWDC at all, so I'm gonna focus on this amazing project instead. The Verge was the first report on this that I saw, take a look for yourself.

This endeavor is probably one of the biggest in human history because it will finally allow the most impoverished nations to connect to the internet, and where this is internet economies grow. This is the single biggest piece of humanitarian work that a major Tech Giant has ever taken in my humble opinion.  This will allow the flow of information to reach the darkest corners of the earth, such as Africa, South American Jungles, or the poorest corners of Asia. This could help in many ways, not only in the economic areas, but also in health services as well. For example, in certain African tribes, the spread of aids is quickened by the belief that laying with a virgin will cure the carrier. This of course is the exact opposite of the truth, but with internet access the spread of deadly diseases could be slowed. Just the sharing of information is enough to topple tyrants, rebuild economies, and help the health of humans everywhere.

Now i'm sure Google is expecting a return for their investment, which if I know google it would be from ads or service fees. Im not saying Google is doing this for the good of humanity, but at least they are helping to do something other than fatten their wallets(with features android users have had for years)(had to get that in there ;).