IOS

Last year, Google I/O -- Google's annual event for the developer community -- treated us to skydiving, arena-cycling Google Glass wearers, and a whole crazy landscape of wearable tech. This year, Glass is finally in the hands of thousands of developers, tech journalists, and other early adopters, but as we head back to another Google I/O, there's a lot about Glass that's yet to be discovered.

The present of Google Glass is intriguing, embryonic, and very bare-bones. Here's what I hope we see in the near future, starting this week.

Apps, apps, apps There … Read more

Google's media streaming ball, the Nexus Q, won't be getting an update or a re-debut at this year's annual Google I/O, according to a new report.

Citing sources, All Things D says the $299 spherical device, which was first shown off at last year's I/O and scrapped just a month later, will be absent from the proceedings. That's despite a pledge from Google last year to reintroduce the product after retooling it.

Google did not respond to a request for comment. We will update this story if we get a response.

The Nexus … Read more

Google I/O 2013 kicks off this week, and you've probably got a few questions. What are the next Nexus phone and tablet going to be? Why should we care about Google Now? Is Google+ an atonement -- or punishment -- for Google Wave?

CNET's Eric Franklin, Stephen Shankland, and myself spitballed what we think is coming next from the Googleplex, and why.

The Google+ Hangout lasted around thirty minutes on CNET's Google+ page, and we talked about everything from a Google Watch to hardware to Google+.

Missed it? Don't worry, you can watch the whole … Read more

There are a lot of businesses that pay for office suites, but two days before the Google I/O show, Microsoft spotlighted three that picked its Office 365 after trying Google Apps.

Google got a head start with Google Apps, the online service that includes Gmail, Docs, Sheets, and Slides. But Microsoft has a massive customer base using its old-school Office products who are natural candidates for moving to Microsoft's online suite.

Three customers -- Sensia Halsovard, Sepco III, and Arysta LifeScience -- all picked Office 365 "after having deployed or piloted Google Apps," Microsoft touted Monday. … Read more

Every time one of the tech giants holds its developers conference, the blogs tend to cycle through all the rumors we've heard associated with a company, like say Google, in the immediate lead up to an event, like say Google I/O.

In the past few weeks we've been hearing about new Nexus tablets, super smartphones and of course, some major software updates. But now that it's down to the wire, it's time to get crazy. Time to dust off that Google smartwatch rumor we first heard in March and throw it against the side of the Moscone Center to see if it's still sticking around by the end of the week.… Read more

With newer technologies such as Android and more recently Glass, the scope of Google I/O has expanded dramatically since the first show in 2008. But Google, born on the Web, is keeping the browser at the heart of the show.

Five years ago, Google wanted to advance what Web-based software could do. The company could take steps such as improving interfaces to its own online services so developers could build better sites, and it promoted the Gears browser plug-in designed to beef up browser abilities with features like offline app support and the ability.

Two things make that different … Read more

Google's hotly anticipated annual developer conference will kick off in just a couple days in San Francisco. And conference-goers and Android fans are excited about the possibility of new products the company may announce and/or give away.

But Android fans may be a bit disappointed if their expectation is brand new hardware. While the 2012 Google I/O conference saw the introduction of the new $199 Nexus 7 seven-inch tablet and the Nexus Q streaming media hub, the 2013 conference is likely to feature no brand new Android hardware. Instead, it's likely that Google will refresh some … Read more

"Are you still jumping out of windows in expensive clothes?" asks Tom Waits in his song, "Who are you?"

It would be beyond surprising to see Google fling more of its hardware out of low-flying dirigibles, strapped to wingsuits and courageous stuntmen, at this year's Google I/O, which begins on Wednesday.

But make no mistake: Google knows exactly "who" it is, and it's taking the confidence earned from a year of solid hits and few misses, and a strong first quarter of 2013, to define the parameters that it wants other … Read more