​http://www.t3.com/news/google-i-o-2013-roundup


The sixth annual Google I/O conference opened today, focusing on company's latest developments across Android, Chrome, search, social networking and web technologies. At the event, Google confirmed that more than 900 million Android devices have been activated around the world; almost one device per every seven people in the world. Speaking at the event, Sundar Pichai, head of Android and Chrome revealed that 500 million Android devices have been activated in the last 12 months alone.

"Two years ago, we announced we had over 100 million activations of Android," said Pinchai. "Last year, we announced with had 400 million Android activations. The momentum has been breathtaking since then."

He also revealed that 500 million of those activations occurred in the last 12 months alone.

Google Play Music All Access
It also announced a music streaming service. Google Play Music All Access launches in the US today for $9.99 a month. The company said it would announce details about international availability at a later date. The service sets the company on a collision course with streaming rivals including Spotify, Rdio and Pandora. "Music unites us, it’s universal," Google's Chris Yerga said on stage. "We set out to build a music service that didn’t just give you access to a world of music, but helped to guide you through it." The service builds a list of songs based on your interests and what you listen to. Like Spotify, you can choose exactly the songs that you listen to. It can also be used as a radio service. The service will be available on Android smartphones and tablets, as well as through a web browser. It is unclear if the company plans to launch it on rival platforms.

Custom Samsung Galaxy S4
Google also announced a customised version of Samsung's recently releasedGalaxy S4. The smartphone will run the latest version of Android, not the customised version from Samsung. "It's Google's take on Android, and it feels really awesome on the Galaxy S4," said Hugo Barra, vice president for product management at Android. The move is interesting due to the controversy surrounding Google and Samsung's relationship. Reports have suggested that fractures were developing due to increasing concerns over Samsung's influence over the operating system.

Google+ redesign
Google's failing social network is also getting a new design in an attempt to rekindle interest. The redesigned service adds a multicolumn design that changes dynamically based on the device accessing it. It also features dynamic tiles that allow people to "go deeper" into posts. This is controlled by tags. The user can either add them manually, or the Google's system will look for cues of what to tag it. Google used the example of a photo of the Eiffel Tower. While the user did not manual tag the photo, Google's systems recognised it was a picture of the Eiffel Tower and tagged it so. The new system allows people to search and view content based on similar content and/or tags. "It's very easy to see a long list of things shared with you, like a never ending newspaper," explained Vic Gundotra, senior vice president, engineering for Google. But it's nearly impossible to go deeper on a topic or interest you have. "We think we can fix that," Gundotra added.

He also announced a new standalone Hangout app, which takes aim at other cross platform chat apps, including WhatsApp, BBM, Viber and Skype. The app will be available for both Android and iOS. It will also be accessible through web browsers.

The company is also adding voice-powered search to its Chrome web browser. The service has been available for a number of years now on Android devices, and on iOS through its Chrome browser. The tool will also anticipate follow up questions. An example used by Google included asking where a themepark was based. Along with the information, it also automatically showed directions via Google Maps from a restaurant that had been booked earlier.

Photos and gaming
Google also unveiled a new cloud-based photo editing app. The photo tool is designed to help people share better pictures, Google said. When you upload your photos, the Google+ One feature automatically rejects any that are blurry or don't have people smiling, for example. It will also offer a range of tools for editing photos beyond those that are typically available through online services. Many put the service on a collision course with tools like Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom. The move comes at the perfect time for Google as Adobe looks to move to a cloud-only service offering.

A number of new video game features for Android were also unveiled.

They include the ability to connect a players progress across different devices through online multiplayer. It also allows them to compare scores on leaderboards via its Google+ network. The leaderboard feature will also be offered to iOS device owners. Such a service had been rumoured before the event.

Not everything went smoothly for Google though. A live demonstration of technical tools designed to make writing online multiplayer games for Android failed.

Google Maps
Google unveiled a raft of new features for its online maps service. The company has spent the last year collecting a huge amount of data from a variety of sources, including its Street View cars (which have no done 5 million miles across 50 countries), terrain and building data. This will allow the company to map out cities in even more detail, it said. It also announced that it was ramping up local business data and bringing it to mobile via new apps for iOS and Android this summer.

The new apps will also bring live coverage of traffic accidents and alerts in the US. Google didn't mention if this will be coming to the UK, but we imagine it will only be a matter of time before it does. Google also unveiled a redesign of its online maps, similar to those that leaked earlier this month. It claimed that they needed to re-write its mapping applications from the ground up in order to provide more personalised maps, immerse imagery, and a new user interface.

As a neat extra, the new Google Maps service will allow users to zoom out past the world map, to see the whole earth and then it's place in the solar system. A view of Earth at night is also included.

According to Google, first invites for the new version of Google Maps will be sent out on Thursday with a public release at a later date.

Wrapping up the keynote, Google co-founder and CEO Larry Page said that it is vital to get more people involved in technology. He claimed that Android is now leading the push, with smartphones a key tool in helping people get involved. "Technology should do the hard work, so you can get on and live your life," he said. He added that developments in computing had never progressed at such a fast pace. "We're only at one per cent of what's possible and we're moving slowly relative to the opportunities we have," he added. "We're just scratching the surface of what's possible and what's next."




There was actually a lot more than this. Nothing HUGE, but lots of nice upgrades. Your own online ebook library was a good one. Anyone with 1000 subscribers on youtube can now livestream, which moves us closer to a future without conventional broadcast TV. And Android TV has been updated to 4.2.