Google I/O 2014 Day 1 had a lot happen and there’s still one more day to take in. The big focal points of todays events and speeches can probably be easily narrowed down to the Samsung Gear Live Android Wear smartwatch, and the LG G Watch. We knew that the LG G Watch would show up at I/O but the Gear Live smartwatch almost came out of left field, surprising many that it was at the event as most thought the Moto 360 might be the second Android Wear device to hit the scene. Google confirmed at least one other rumor during the keynote speech, and that was the future of upcoming “GoogleFit” , promising partnerships from the likes of Nike and Adidas.
Other notable mentions revolved around Android Auto, one of Google’s other answers to the connected car which now has 40 new carmakers added into the Open Auto Alliance. Although Android Auto is cool, Android TV is quite interesting in its own right, seeking to disrupt the living room space by offering up the what some may consider the second coming of Google TV. Android TV seeks some great changes and all could be very entertaining given what it’s promising to offer. If the consumer ready version is anything like the Devkit we saw first hand, Android TV will be small and sleek and a force to be reckoned with in the design department. The makeup is sleek yet simple and understated.
For those that are most interested in Android Wear, both the LG G Watch and the Samsung Gear Live will be available for pre-order as of now, while the Moto 360 continues to stick to its later in the summer release. Speaking of releases, Android’s latest version release draws ever closer, Android “L” as we’ll refer to it for now, will bring about lots of flashy and new graphical changes to the UI of certain Google apps. It will also bring Bluetooth BLE Peripheral mode to Android, which will end up letting any device swap any data with each other. Google also announced that they would be bringing some new features to the Google Cast API, making it so that any user that wants to deliver content to your big screen even if they’re not on the same network. This could make it hugely more open for Chromecast usage. There was lots to hear from the first day of the conference and we were able to get tons of great pictures thanks to the Galaxy Camera 2. For an Android powered point and shoot it took some surprisingly stunning photos. As we head into Day2 and the final day of Google I/O 2014, there’s still some great stuff to look forward to and plenty of more pictures to come.
