The first keynote of the Google I/O 2011 focuses completely on the Android platform. Here are some of the highlights.

Android

  • 100 million activations
  • 4.5 billion installs of applications
  • over 200,000 applications
  • Honeycomb 3.1 update available very soon
  • 3.1 can act as USB host - directly connect USB devices to your Android tablet (camera, keyboard, game controller)
  • Also coming to Google TV this summer

Next release Ice Cream Sandwich

  • Q4 2011 targeted launch
  • Focus on choice of device: available for phones, tablets, and tablets turning into laptops(!)
  • New tools to accommodate different screen sizes
  • Completely Open Source
  • Demo of feedback from position of head vs. tablet, Android’s version of Photobooth. More useful demo: on video chat with multiple speakers system focuses automatically on the person speaking.

Android Cloud services

  • Android market expanded to movies.
  • $3.99 rental for 30 days
  • Ability to make movie rentals available offline (for viewing on for example airplane)
  • Available across all devices, phone, tablet, laptop and PC.
  • Music Beta by Google
  • Makes music available across all devices
  • Instant mix based on a selected song
  • Adding music over the air - never have to use a cable again, no syncing (hey, Apple!)
  • Make Available Offline also available for music
  • When getting new phone, all that is needed is signing into Google account
  • Rolling out in beta, up to 20,000 songs, free while in beta

Industry partnership

  • New platform releases rolling out faster based on new industry partnership
  • New updates automatically for 18 months as long as hardware supports

More

  • Android Open Accessory API
  • Takes openness to a new level by allowing hardware by 3rd parties
  • Demo of exercise bike connected to Android phone, automatically starts CardioQuest application, and bike detects that CardioQuest is running and relinquishes control to phone.
  • API for Gingerbread and Honeycomb available today
  • Starting out with USB, Bluetooth available later
  • ADK (Accessories Development Kit) based on Arduino.
  • Demo of Labyrinth game where controller is an Android tablet.
  • Completely open, no NDA, no fees, no approval process.
  • Android@Home
  • New protocol to allow devices to communicate with each other and with Android - Partnering with Lightning Science - LED lightbulbs and switches - by end of year.
  • Android@Home hub - project Tungsten. Demo of music playing through multiple devices. Combination of Music and @Home to identify music cds and automatically start playing them