TECH SPECIAL.................. Android on its way to cars, watches and TVs

Android on its way to cars, watches and TVs



Google could soon be in your TV, your car and even on your wrist, after the technology giant announced a host of new Android products at its developer conference in San Francisco

Google is expanding its empire to cars, watches, businesses and televisions.

The technology titan laid out a sweep ing vision at the opening of a sold-out developers conference in a keynote presentation streamed online to millions of people across the world. “We are beginning to evolve our platforms beyond mobile,“ Android and Chrome teams chief Sundar Pichai said of how Google's twin operating systems are being adapted to work with one another and with new types of computing hardware.

Google's goal, according to Pichai, is to have its software be a foundation for applications, services or digital content delivered seamlessly across the increasingly diverse array of Internetlinked screens in people's lives.

ANDROID ON YOUR WRIST

A new LG G watch and a freshly-announced Gear Live watch by Samsung that both work with the “Android Wear“ platform debuted Wednesday at the online shop Google Play. Onstage demonstrations included ordering a pizza in seconds, fielding reminders and messages, and using voice commands on smartwatches.
An eagerly awaited Moto 360 smartwatch is due to join the Android Wear lineup later this year.
“These are the first three watches, but there are more on the way,“ Pichai said.

ANDROID AUTO

Android Auto software for cars, synching smartphones with in-dashboard screens and controls, is being shared with automakers, and vehicles are set to be equipped by the end of this year.

Android Auto brings apps like Google Maps and Spotify music service to an “interface built for driving,“ according to a freshly formed coalition of technology and car companies called the Open Automotive Alliance. ANDROID TV Google also announced another shot at smart televisions with Android TV software for what are typically the biggest screens in homes. Google is giving televisions “the same level of attention that phones and tablets have enjoyed,“ according to Android engineering director Dave Burke. Android smartphones, complete with voice command features, could be used to direct searches and more on TV screens, an onstage demonstration showed. Games from Google Play clould also be played on TV.

“The Google empire is trying to grow,“ Gartner consumer tech research director Brian Blau said on the sidelines of the San Francisco keynote presentation. “Google is trying to be more like Apple; create more consistent experiences with devices that work together.“

ANDROID ONE FOR INDIA

Google also announced it was working on a low-cost phone aimed at emerging markets as part of an initiative called Android One. The Android-powered handset will be built with a basic set of features including FM radio, have a screen slightly smaller than five inches and be priced at less than $100, Sundar Pichai said.

“We are going to be launching it around the world, but will launch in India first in the fall of this year,“ Pichai said. He added that Google was working with carriers in India to provide affordable telecom service packages to go with the smartphones, which could in many cases provide Internet access for the first time.

The Android One initiative sets out to work with smartphone makers and others in the “ecosystem“ to pool resources and standardise hardware platforms to provide “turnkey solutions“ for making handsets, according to Pichai.

Google also showed off steps it is taking to make Android along with its services offered in the Internet “cloud“ amenable to workplaces.
Improvements include tools for separating personal and company uses of devices, as well as better handling of files made using Microsoft Word, Excel or PowerPoint programs.

AFP