From wearables to next Android version, there has been buzz around what Google will showcase at the I/O this year. While a lot has already been said and written about wearables and the new Android Wear that powers it, news around the next iteration of Android has been sparse.
Now, according to a news report by Bloomberg Businessweek, Android chief Sundar Pichai told the news site that it will preview the next Android version at the I/O. According to the report:
This year, Pichai will preview the next release (Lollipop? Lemonhead?) for the first time at I/O, rather than waiting until the fall. It’s a significant shift toward greater transparency. “I want the world to understand what we are doing sooner,” he says.
ART Runtime has a full session, indicating that the big switch from Dalvik runtime may not be all that far away. ART was brought on board with Android KitKat as an option with Dalvik. It’s been said that ART will completely replace Dalvik in the future. Considering that most rumours are talking about a major Android UI revamp, this I/O may see the end of Dalvik and a shift to ART as default.
Pichai has reportedly also confirmed that he will discuss Android Wear at the conference. LG and Motorola are known to be building the first batch of smartwatches to run Android Wear dubbed G Watch and Moto 360 respectively. So, it is quite likely that these wearables could be showcased at the event. This isn’t something surprising as most tech enthusiasts and fans believe that this I/O is all about fitness wearables and also the home automation.
Moreover, the report also confirms that the company will showcase Android TV. Unlike the not-so-successful Google TV, Android TV is a version of the Android OS and yet another attempt to enter your living rooms.