UPDATED 12:26 EDT / MAY 10 2013

NEWS

Nexus Q, Google Glass, and Other Gadgets We Expect at Google I/O 2013

Google I/O 2013 will be kicking off on May 15-17, 2013 at the Moscone West Convention Center in San Francisco, CA, but Google has already announced some recent changes and new services.

Google Play recently celebrated its first anniversary and it do so with special offers on games, songs, TV shows, movies and books.  Soon, it introduced Google Keep,  a service that lets you jot down notes on the go on your mobile devices which you can also access and edit on the web.  Then Google unveiled an offline language pack so even if you’re stuck in a foreign land with no network coverage or data support, you can always ask around for the right direction and understand what people are actually saying via Google’s offline language translation.

Google also upgraded its Google Play Movies & TV app so you can get additional information on what you are watching, such as the name of the actor currently on screen, the song playing on the background, other actors on the film, and even related content.  By simply pausing the video, an info card will pop up on your tablet, which runs Android 4.0 or higher, browse around the card to get the information you are looking for, and when you’re satisfied with the information, just hit play and the info card will disappear from view.

And finally, Google’s most recent change comes in the form of Google Play’s reimaging.  Google Play for Android smartphones and tablet comes with a new user interface which is image focused, meaning it features bigger images for content on the app store.

With all of those recent announcements made by Google, will there anything be left for Google I/O?  Of course there are.

What to expect at Google I/O 2013?

More Google Glass

A software update has started rolling out for Google Glass which includes a change in the device’s sync policy, crash reporting, incoming Google+ notifications for direct shares, comments, +mentions, and Hangouts. The update also adds faster transcription speed, long-press to search, inclusion of International number dialing and SMS, On-Head Detection calibration flow for improved operation, the serial number now appears on the device’s info card, and improved and more reliable estimation for battery charging time.

Though these upgrades will prove to be useful for Google Glass owners, I’m pretty sure that Google still has a lot up their sleeves which it will unveil at Google I/O.  We might finally see the commercial version of Google Glass or Google Glass for prescription glasses wearers or the exact date when it will finally be available for consumers to purchase.

New Google Maps

According to Google Operating System, the unofficial blog for Google product and services news, Google will be revealing a new interface for GOogle Maps.  The blog states that “ the update will remove the sidebar and will display everything on top of the full-screen map,” and that one of the new features will let users “restrict local search results to places recommended by top reviews or your Google+ circles.”  Google has removed its focus on the navigational elements, buttons and sidebars, and shifted its focus on the map itself by updating map colors, icons, and text styles.  Based on the screenshots, the new Google Map will look good on mobile devices.

Android 4.3 Jelly Bean

Everyone is anticipating the unveiling of the newest version of Android.  Everyone is hoping that it will be Android 5.0 a.k.a. Key Lime Pie, but recent reports suggested that KLP won’t be unveiled at Google I/O as a new version of Jelly Bean will be introduced.  Android Police was able to dig up evidence that Google employees using Nexus 4 and 7 are testing Android 4.3, which is still Jelly Bean, and not Key Lime Pie.  So why not Key Lime Pie?  Android Police suggest that Google is giving developers and OEMs a breather or a moment to adapt to this version of Android before revealing a new version that is drastically different.

New Nexus 7

According to noted technology industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, a new version of Nexus 7 may be announced at the event.  The new version is said to sport a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor instead of Tegra 3, better camera, wireless charging capability, better resolution at 1980×1200, and will sport a slimmer bezel and a sleeker design.

Nexus Q back with gaming

Google announced Nexus Q at last year’s event.  Not many were impressed with it since you can’t really call it an entertainment hub since it lacks a lot of functionalities.  So even before it shipped to more users, the device was shelved.  Sources claimed that it will be making a comeback this year and it will be gaming hub much like Ouya.


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