Google announced at its developers conference Google I/O a preview of the latest version of its Android mobile operating system. Android M comes with the new service Android Pay to make payments from the smartphone. Android Pay will support both in-store purchases and app purchases and include fingerprint authentication on Android M devices. Mastercard said Android Pay will be possible for holders of Mastercard credit and debit cards from this summer in the US. Users will need a NFC phone running Android KitKat or higher for in-store payments.
The latest version of Android also comes with further integration of the personal assistance service Google Now. App developers will now be able to incorproate 'Now on tap', allowing Google to make suggestion also within apps and third-party services. Google also promises better battery performance with Android M with the new feature 'Doze'. This senses when the phone is no longer moving and reduces background activity to save on battery. In addition, Android M comes with a new Photos app from Google to help store, edit and share photos. The free app, also available for iOS, offers unlimited online storage for photos and videos, including photos up to 16 megapixel resolution and HD 1080p videos.
Google also confirmed at I/O its new Internet of Things development platform, called Brillo. The platform derived from Android helps developers and manufacturers build connected devices. As part of Brillo, the company introduced a communications protocol (Weave) developed in partnership with Nest Labs, maker of smart home devices. Weave will allow devices made on Brillo to communicate also with other operating systems. In addition, Google plans a set of developer APIs, a core set of schemas and a certification program to ensure device and app interoperability.
Both the new version of Android and Brillo are expected to launch later this year. A developers preview of Brillo will be available in the third quarter and Weave is expected to launch in Q4. The Android M SDK is available now for preview by app developers. Google said there are now more than 1 billion Android devices in use in the world, while its search engine already receives more requests from mobile devices than desktop computers.
At I/O, Google also gave an update on progress with other products. Android Auto, which just launched on its first car with Hyundai, will be available on 35 vehicles by the end of this year, Google said. Chromecast, the streaming video adapter for TVs, has reached sales of over 17 million units. Google said the amount of content streamed by a Chromecast user has grown 66 percent since the device's launch two years ago, and the 'Cast button to stream content from a mobile phone has been used over 1.5 billion times in total.
The company also presented a preview of a new offline version of its Maps service. The offline Maps will include a full range of features, including turn-by-turn directions. This is part of Google's efforts to bring more services to new internet users and emerging markets with limited broadband access. It's also testing in 13 countries a streamlined version of its Search results page for use with low-bandwidth connections.In cooperation with GoPro, Google is also working on new products for 3D video such as Jump, a circular array of 16 cameras to create 3D videos. Google uses a series of algorithms to stitch together the video from the cameras to create 360-degree, 3D films. These will be presented first an YouTube. In addition, Google is extending its Cardboard programme for virtual reality apps to the iOS platform.
