Bringing together developers and tech enthusiasts Google I/O is one of the year’s most anticipated events in the tech world. The event allows an exchange of ideas among experts and discussions on current and upcoming technologies for web, enterprise and mobile applications. Previous years have seen the highly priced tickets get sold out very quickly and this year is no different. With tickets already sold out, successful attendees are now waiting for the anticipated date of the two days conference.
Date and location
2013’s event was held in early may which was a break from the traditional June date. This year however, it’s back to June. The event has been scheduled to take place on Wednesday June 25 and Thursday June 26. The location, once again, is Moscone Center on Howard Street in San Francisco.
What to expect
In the past, Google has used the event to announce major Android updates as well as unveil new hardware products with one of the most memorable one being Google Glass in 2012. This year it will probably be the same with various upgrade announcements expected. In contrast to other years however, Google is facing more competition in both the software and hardware areas and chances are, new and better technologies will be unveiled. With Google Glass already making waves, we can only expect even better things from the technology giant. To summarize it all, here are a few things you can expect from the event.
- Android 5 – it is time for another major update to Google’s Android OS. With the last update being KitKat 4.4 there is a high probability that we will never see KitKat 4.5. There are also rumors that the next Android will take on an L name probably Lime, Lemonade or Licorice. New features that are expected include new apps for upcoming Android Smart watches, the integration of Google voice into Google Hangouts.
- More ChromeCast Apps – It is evident that Google is facing stiff competition from the recently released Amazon Fire TV and the older Apple TV and Roku 3. To secure its place in the market, it needs more apps than the ones currently available.
- Android watches unveiling – Don’t expect to see an official Google Smart watch any time soon. In the meantime however, expect to see an unveiling of two android powered smart watches at Google IO 2014. The Moto 360 and LG G Watch are expected to make a first appearance then. They will have to compete against the recently unveiled Samsung Gear.
- Google Glass news – it’s been making both good and bad news since it was first released. Even though explorers have had a chance to get a feel of Google Glass, people want a consumer friendly version released as quickly as possible. Google will probably give a sneak preview into a cheaper consumer Google Glass and maybe even give a tentative release date.
There will undoubtedly be many other software and hardware announcements during the event in addition to the above. For those who are not lucky to attend Google IO in person, the company has announced plans to live stream the event.
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