Next week is Google I/O, one of – if not the biggest – the biggest events of the year for an Android developer and while last year introduced us to all sorts of new things like Android 5.0 Lollipop and of course, Android Wear. This year, we’re expecting Google to reinforce these new technologies now that almost half of all Android devices are running Android Lollipop now. It seems that Android Wear is about to get a big boost in terms of development soon, as developers are very much looking forward to working with Google’s new “Games in Motion” initiative for Android Wear.
Games in Motion was announced earlier this month, and essentially brings your Android Wear smartwatch even closer to your smartphone, allowing movements detected by your watch to be translated into a game, not entirely unlike the Nintendo Wii. The main idea of Games in Motion is to get people moving, whether or not that’s solely through exercise or through a mix of doing a little exercise while at home playing a game, it’s basically a way of bringing data into a fully-fledged Android app on the phone. The outline from Google for Games in Motion was pretty vague, and while it detailed a number of APIs that are included in Games in Motion, we’re sure to hear some more next week during Google I/O.
Needless to say, it seems like Android developers are already pretty excited for what’s to come next week during Google I/O, as FierceDeveloper is reporting, many have been expressing their excitement on Twitter. It seems that there’s some buzz surrounding Google’s latest announcement to shore up Android Wear, and next week could be the week that we see some examples of how Games in Motion could be used on stage during Thursday’s keynote. Either way, this is yet another sign that Google is keen to get involved in the fitness movement that tech companies like Apple and Samsung have been steadily surrounding over the last few years. Google Fit has only just taken off, but with things like Games in Motion on their way the future looks bright for the next generation of fitness apps on Android.