Google I/O

Google unveils Android Wear enhancements, releases full SDK to write native apps for wearables

Google has kicked off its two-day conference for developers with a keynote address in San Francisco and we're continuously covering major announcements to deliver you important news as it happens.

Company executes took to the stage to announce changes coming to Android Wear, Google's platform for wearables based on Android that was previewed back in March...

Google announces Android ‘L’ developer preview, coming later this year

Google has just unveiled a developer preview of Android L, its latest software version for smartphones and tablets. Android L has several improvements to its design, graphics, notifications, multitasking, battery life and more. We've recapped the major new features in Android L ahead, ranging from Material Design and Project Volta to Android Extension Pack and Enhanced Notifications ahead… 

Watch the Google I/O keynote streaming live here

iDownloadBlog is providing a live video stream of the Google I/O keynote, which kicks off at 9:00 AM Pacific in San Francisco. Google's head of Android and Chrome Sundar Pichai is expected to unveil the latest version of Android, in addition to talking about the Android Wear and Android TV platforms. You can expect at least a few other announcements on top.

We'll be providing comprehensive coverage of the keynote as it unfolds, keeping you up to date with the latest news and announcements. While waiting for the special event, perhaps go back and watch the WWDC keynote or guess what you think the name of the next Android version will be in the comments section down below. Hint: it should start with an L. Join us for a chat…

Google I/O teaser: the future of Android and more

Bloomberg Businessweek has published a feature-length profile with Sundar Pichai, head of the Android and Chrome divisions at Google. After a lengthy interview that details Pichai growing up in India, getting a scholarship at Stanford and eventually working at Google, the report drops some big news: the future of Android, Android Wear and Android TV will be unveiled this week, alongside other announcements… 

Android device activations unofficially surpass 1 billion mark

A few months ago, Google announced at its Google I/O developer conference that lifetime Android device activations had reached the 900 million mark. At the time, Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt also confirmed that those activations were occurring at a rate of 1.5 million devices per day, a number that Google CEO Larry Page echoed during the search company's second quarter earnings call on Thursday.

At that rate, there have been approximately 100,500,000 Android devices activated since the Google I/O keynote on May 15th, meaning that total activations should have exceeded the 1 billion plateau as of this weekend. An important caveat to remember, however, is that Android activations presumably fluctuate each day, meaning that these numbers are just approximate measures. There has been no official word yet from Google, but this is big news…

Google takes on Spotify and iTunes with $9.99 music streaming service

The Internet giant kicked off its annual Google I/O developer conference with a three-hour long (!) keynote at San Francisco's Moscone West, the same venue Apple reserved for its own five-day event next month. During the keynote, Google executives announced a much-rumored streaming music service that's bound to give headache to the likes of Spotify, Rdio and Pandora.

Dubbed somewhat confusingly Google Play Music All Access, Google's Android executive Chris Yerga noted on stage that "music unites us" and is "universal". And with computing and mobile devices intertwined into our lives "there's potential to bring that joy together." Go past the fold for full details...

Google I/O 2013 slated for May 15-17 at San Francisco’s Moscone West

Save the date for Google I/O 2013: today, the search giant confirmed its upcoming annual developer conference will run in San Francisco from May 15 through May 17, 2013. The three-day pilgrimage, just 162 days away, is bound to garner media interest with updates to Google's key consumer products, namely Android, Nexus gadgets and the Chrome browser.

And what technology conference would it be without a few surprise announcements here and there? Curiously enough, with Google I/O 2013 the company is back to holding its biggest yearly event ahead of Apple, whose WWDC normally runs in June or July...

Did Android just outsell iOS devices?

Google I/O is underway at San Francisco's Moscone West and the company just shared a few interesting tidbits related to the momentum of its Android platform, announcing total activations of over four hundred million devices as of June of this year.

This means that a whopping 300 million new activations have been added over the past twelve months. On the surface, the number seems to compare favorably versus the 365 million cumulative iOS device sales Apple reported at WWDC earlier this month...

Google’s iPad-killer launches next Wednesday?

Piggy-backing on Google chairman Eric Schmidt's last December revelation that his company was working on own tablet, an Asian trade publication claims an Asus-engineered device marketed under the Nexus moniker launches at the Google I/O developers conference, which runs from June 27 through 29 in San Francisco's Moscone West.

It's gonna cost just $199 and feature a seven-inch display, the word on the street has it. The publication also offers tidbits regarding launch plans for Google's first branded tablet...