Google IO 2013 thread

[pm]

Google IO (https://developers.google.com/events/io/) starts in a few days (May 15th-17th), and I figure we need a thread. I saw this today:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2418888,00.asp

Google I/O will be "different" this year, and won't focus much on major product launches, Sundar Pichai, Google's head of Chrome and Android, told Wired this week.

"It's not a time when we have much in the way of launches of new products or a new operating system," Pichai responded. Instead, the focus will be "on all of the kinds of things we're doing for developers, so that they can write better things."

This isn't sounding as exciting as I'd hoped it was going to be.

So we know about Google Play Games (thread here: http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2319230)

And I suspect there will be a text messaging thing similar to iMessage, and an improvement in speech recognition ("Project Majel") and then... well, I am very curious what they will announce next. Last time "Project Butter" was a pleasant surprise.


Links to pages to watch the keynote live:
http://live.cnet.com/Event/Google_IO_2013_keynote
http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/15/live-from-google-i-os-2013-opening-keynote/


Highlights that have been announced:

• 900 million Android activations, 48 billion app installs to date.
• Google Play game services to integrate gaming across Android, iOS and the web
• Google Cloud Messaging now part of Google Play Services
• Google updates Maps and Location APIs
• Android to get new geofencing and low power location services
• Google discloses new IDE enviroment for building apps called Android Studio
• Google launching "All Access" music-streaming service
• Announces new Android tablet apps portion of Google Play
• Google unveils Samung Galaxy S4 running stock Android Jelly Bean
• One click check out of apps

 

[dlock13]

I'm holding out some hope for a hardware revision of sorts, but I feel as though they're going to try and pull an Apple by migrating all of their hardware releases to late in the year and focus mostly on software, services, and such at their I/O event.

Even though it is looking to just be software, I'm looking forward to Play Games and Babel/Hangouts. Hopefully, they incorporate text messaging and don't make it an internet only chat messenger. That would be so very upsetting to me.

Other than that, I'm not sure what they have up their sleeves.

 

[zoiks]

I tried so damn hard to reserve a spot but wasn't able to do so (was using a mobile phone to do it) . Going to have to change my strategy next year.

 

[s44]

We knew it wouldn't be exciting when the 4.3 JB news leaked out...

Still, I'm hoping for *something* unexpected.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

I tried so damn hard to reserve a spot but wasn't able to do so (was using a mobile phone to do it) . Going to have to change my strategy next year.

I had 2 laptops doing it with multiple screens open. No go. Change in strategy might help, but 99% of the fault is on Google's horrible reservation system timing out.

 

[mosco]

I wasn't able to get a ticket originally either. I got to the "we have a ticket reserved for you" at least twice, but both time the Google Checkout phase timed out and I ran out of time.

Luckily, we reached out and Google provided my company a ticket.

 

[mosco]

I had 2 laptops doing it with multiple screens open. No go. Change in strategy might help, but 99% of the fault is on Google's horrible reservation system timing out.

That was your problem.

https://developers.google.com/events/io/help#reg_tips

Please don't open multiple tabs or use multiple browsers. Each time you open a new connection, your ticket search will restart.

 

[Red Storm]

That was your problem.

https://developers.google.com/events/io/help#reg_tips

lol got gamed trying to game the system.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

That was your problem.

https://developers.google.com/events/io/help#reg_tips

I had 2 accounts trying to register, hence two laptops. I never had two simultaneous connections running for the same account. Once I got a try again on Firefox, I'd retry using Safari just to make sure it wasn't my web browser.

The issue isn't how I did it, it's how Google's ticketing system worked. The queue system was extremely slow at getting me a ticket to check out. Then after that, the checkout system would overload. It's the Google Wallet server that could not handle the load despite having a gatekeeper, the queue system, working.

 

[Ravynmagi]

I just hope they do announce a new Nexus 7.

 

[mosco]

I had 2 accounts trying to register, hence two laptops. I never had two simultaneous connections running for the same account. Once I got a try again on Firefox, I'd retry using Safari just to make sure it wasn't my web browser.

The issue isn't how I did it, it's how Google's ticketing system worked. The queue system was extremely slow at getting me a ticket to check out. Then after that, the checkout system would overload. It's the Google Wallet server that could not handle the load despite having a gatekeeper, the queue system, working.

That makes sense, although that is still against the spirit of the rule. I also have two google accounts (personal, and my company uses google apps) but I only used one.

Anyway, the system was pretty bad. At one point during the checkout process, I noticed that the UI wasn't updating and the timer was still going while it was trying to submit to the payment gateway. I checked the javascript console, and noticed that the payment gateway had already timed out and it wasn't trying to make another one unless I closed the model window and tried again.

At least with WWDC this year, Apple reached out to people that had gotten to the checkout page and were prevented from getting a ticket. Google has some work to do with their ticket reservations system.

 

[bearxor]

Yeah, anyone waiting on some kind of hardware announcement is going to be sorely disappointed.

I might hold my breath for a new 7" tablet, but I don't even think it's really necessary right now. They could totally hold on to that until the fall.

 

[dagamer34]

We know there will be an updated Nexus 7 with 1920x1200 screen released sometime this year. Want to know how I know? LG already said so at CES when they also showed off the Chromebook Pixel display (12.5" 2560x1700).

The question is not if, but when. But since we haven't seen any hardware leaks, my guess is that the shipping date is a bit away from now.

 

[A5]

As a N4 owner, I'd like for them to say something about the T-Mo LTE on this thing. Either come out and say "we're never enabling it" or "here you go, the 4.3 update is turning it on", but let people quit speculating about it.

Other than that, 4.3 needs more improvements to the camera app and mobile Chrome needs to be a bigger push.

 

[OBLAMA2009]

I tried so damn hard to reserve a spot but wasn't able to do so (was using a mobile phone to do it) . Going to have to change my strategy next year.

sounds like they arent going to have much to give out anyway....

 

[Bateluer]

As a N4 owner, I'd like for them to say something about the T-Mo LTE on this thing. Either come out and say "we're never enabling it" or "here you go, the 4.3 update is turning it on", but let people quit speculating about it.

Other than that, 4.3 needs more improvements to the camera app and mobile Chrome needs to be a bigger push.

Some one may correct me on this, but unless they release a new hardware revision on the Nexus 4, that simply isn't possible as the radio lacks the necessary hardware components. Its not a software resolution.

 

[bearxor]

Some one may correct me on this, but unless they release a new hardware revision on the Nexus 4, that simply isn't possible as the radio lacks the necessary hardware components. Its not a software resolution.

The N4 contains all the necessary parts for band 4 (1700/2100) LTE. While practically useless on AT&T in the US, TMobile is rolling out LTE on AWS and several Canadian carriers offer LTE on AWS.

The ability to switch to LTE mode was disabled a couple software versions ago. I'd suspect for them to reenable they'd have to file an addendum with the FCC.

 

[bearxor]

But I should note that last I looked there is a way to flash your radio baseband back to a version that enables LTE, so you should be able to use it with or without Google/TMobile's blessing.

 

[s44]

But I should note that last I looked there is a way to flash your radio baseband back to a version that enables LTE, so you should be able to use it with or without Google/TMobile's blessing.

Doesn't this require manually switching it on from the menu on every reboot?

I guess without a switchable battery it doesn't get rebooted much.

 

[bearxor]

I dunno. A small price to pay for unofficial LTE?

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

I dunno. A small price to pay for unofficial LTE?

I believe using the pre 4.2.2 radio with 4.2.2 also messes up your sensors such as AF and proximity. Or you could stick with 4.2.1 I suppose. I wouldn't call it a small price.

 

[Bateluer]

http://www.geek.com/android/samsung-galaxy-s4-google-edition-to-be-announced-at-google-io-1555174/

The list of phones running the pure Google version of Android is about to increase by one as Samsung prepares the Galaxy S4 “Google Edition”.

Google’s big yearly conference is often the stage for new products, and this year is promising to be bigger than any other. Despite shifting from two smaller keynotes to one larger keynote, Google is ready to put on quite a show tomorrow. Part of the big day will be to announce a new version of Samsung’s latest flagship, the Galaxy S4. While Samsung’s phone is an incredible piece of hardware, many users find themselves less than pleased with Samsung’s version of Android. To resolve this once and for all, a pure AOSP version of the Galaxy S4 is being prepped for launch and will be unveiled during the IO keynote.

Not to be confused with a Nexus phone, which is a piece of hardware made with Google’s guiding hand, the Galaxy S4 GE will feature stock Android inside the familiar plastic casing. According to sources on hand at Google IO, this Google Edition phone is a collaboration between Samsung and Google to address a growing group of users that prefer stock Android on something other than a Nexus. In order to accomplish this right now, users would need to install custom versions of Android like CyanogenMod. Complete with removable battery and expandable storage with the MicroSD card slot, this phone could certainly address this growing niche.

This Google Edition S4 is expected to be made available starting in June and will be available on T-Mobile bands. At this time we are unaware of pricing or whether more bands will be made available. It’s also unclear if Samsung will be selling the phone or if it will be available through the Google Play Store.

Pipe dream for page hits?

 

[OBLAMA2009]

the new nexus 7 is supposedly going to have snapdragon 800, lte and possibly klp, which is mo betta than espectid

 

[zerocool84]

I just hope they do announce a new Nexus 7.

Me too, I love the size of the 7 but sometimes would rather use my phone since my phone is faster than the 7 and doesn't studder like the 7 does.

 

[OBLAMA2009]

Me too, I love the size of the 7 but sometimes would rather use my phone since my phone is faster than the 7 and doesn't studder like the 7 does.

if you axe me 7 is too small, i wish they would upgrade to 8 inches.we need built in lte badly too and not on carriernexus/tmobile