With this year's instalment of the Google I/O developer conference upon us, the rumour mills are buzzing about what may or may not happen. While there is a lot that is already known, over the years Google I/O has been known to surprise even the best amongst us. So, what do we actually expect from this year's I/O? Here are five things we should see.
1. Android Wear: Many an expert has said that wearables will soon oust smartphones from the market. While that remains an argument for another day, the Android Wear platform, which will make its debut at the I/O will be a big step in the direction. Formerly Google-owned Motorola and South Korean LG are both showcasing the Moto 360 and LG G Watch smartwatches at the event, respectively. Both devices will be the first ever to run on Google's Android Wear platform, which is designed specifically for wearable devices.
2. Android TV: The all but confirmed Android TV by Google is also going to be seen at the Google I/O this year. This is Google's third attempt at entering the home entertainment arena. The company took a big hit with the failure of the Google TV, but has done comparatively well with Chromecast. The Android TV is Google's attempt at taking over the set-top-box domain.
3. Web apps: This one will need some explaining. There is a chance that Google's next attempt at its smart OS will try and bring the desktop and mobile ecosystems together. Imagine a Gmail application, which looks, works and feels the same on the desktop and on your mobile. This would be the same as what open source giant Ubuntu is trying to do as well. There have been leaked reports on the above mentioned Gmail application being tested and the Google I/O could be the place where the feature is showcased for developers to build on.
4. Android Silver: Will it? Will it not? Reports have said that Google is going to scrap its Nexus line of devices, only to take back control over Android from the OEMs. How you ask? Well, Android Silver is perhaps going to be a spin on the Google Play Editions (also being scrapped) that we have seen up till now. So, you might find HTC making an HTC One (M8) Silver edition, which comes with the pure Android platform, with guaranteed first updates like the Nexus devices. This would be a good shift from hardware to a pure software focus for Google.
While the Nexus 6 is not going to be shown, there have been multiple reports pointing towards Nexus 8 and Nexus 10 tablets from Google.
5. Lollypop: Ok, the name for the next Android version hasn't been confirmed yet. But going by the trend, Android 5.0 will have a name starting with the letter 'L' and speculations have been pointing towards Lollypop being the name for the next Android version. While Google may or may not unveil the name of the version or tell us exactly what it is going to be, the company is almost sure to point towards updates that will lead up to the next version. This could involve a camera update to strengthen Android's camera performance and bring a lot more to the domain.