Google I/O

[apollo1444]

Thats because you can buy an S4 for $199, root it and get "pure" Google in about 20 minutes. Whos dumb enough to pay $650?

people who don't want contracts or live overseas? I'm sure the real S4 google version will be a better experience than a modyfied galaxy plastic 4 without the bloatware "features".

 

[thehustleman]

Do you guys think many SGS4 users are pissed? I would be, specially if bought under contract.

Why?

 

[Essenar]

Do you guys think many SGS4 users are pissed? I would be, specially if bought under contract.

They have no one to blame but themselves. Plus a GS4 with stock Android is essentially just a 1080p Nexus 4 with a 10% faster processor. Is it worth the price of two Nexus 4's?

Most of the GS4's features are embedded in their bloated, heavy, thick TouchWiz UI. You take that out, you lose most of the features that sold the phone to begin with. Good luck translating how to find a bus stop from English to really bad Chinese and then taking a picture with a stamp of your face in the corner on it, on stock Android. Unfortunately Larry Page didn't add those features to the agenda.

 

[Sensamic]

Why?

Its been out only for a month or so and now a better stock version appears, with no need to wait months for updates. Why do you think?

 

[kenypowa]

Kind of a disappointing I/O. Music streaming, an update to maps and bragging about numbers? Even Apple isn't arrogant enough to hold an entire event for such frivolous things. As a Nexus 4 user, I take solace in the fact that my device is going to last that much longer.

All the people who waited to buy a Nexus 7 wasted their time and the Nostrodamus of tech news, Kuo, adds another miss to his notch belt.

Apple is going to steal the show at the WWDC this year.

I think you are missing quite a few points.

1) IO is meant for developers. The fact that all these Google services receive significant updates, from search, map, music to Android and Chrome, is so much more important in the long run than mere hardware upgrades.

2) There is never going to be Nexus 4 successor announcement; Nexus phone line has an annual cycle, and it's only midway now. Same goes for Nexus 7, it's only been 10 months since it's available. A refresh is coming, but it's not significant enough to be announced today.

3) There is a reason why Goog is over $900 while Aapl is down to $420. iOS is stale, and boring. With today's announcement, Google is so much better than Siri, and Google Maps is not even in the same league. The gap is only being widen as we speak. New iPhone hardware will be better, but iOS is just so dated it's embarrassing.

4) One more thing, this year's theme is cross platform synchronization. While Google is attacking on all fronts, Apple is stuck in its walled garden. WWDC will be boring, sorry to burst your bubble.

 

[skratch77]

Nope, because any difference in currency will disappear once 23% VAT is added

So at best I'm looking at €650 at worse €700...

That sucks man and it makes me feel bad for getting one in nh where there is no tax at all

 

[Michael Goff]

Kind of a disappointing I/O. Music streaming, an update to maps and bragging about numbers? Even Apple isn't arrogant enough to hold an entire event for such frivolous things. As a Nexus 4 user, I take solace in the fact that my device is going to last that much longer.

All the people who waited to buy a Nexus 7 wasted their time and the Nostrodamus of tech news, Kuo, adds another miss to his notch belt.

Apple is going to steal the show at the WWDC this year.

I think you forget that this conference was focused on developers. They even said so. >_>;

 

[daneoni]

3) There is a reason why Goog is over $900 while Aapl is down to $420. iOS is stale, and boring. With today's announcement, Google is so much better than Siri, and Google Maps is not even in the same league. The gap is only being widen as we speak. New iPhone hardware will be better, but iOS is just so dated it's embarrassing.

4) One more thing, this year's theme is cross platform synchronization. While Google is attacking on all fronts, Apple is stuck in its walled garden. WWDC will be boring, sorry to burst your bubble.

Oh brother...the reason why Apple stock is down is because of trigger-happy, fear-mongering, analysts who like predicting Apple's impending demise (after setting unreasonable expectations as Michael says below).

But please keep drinking that Google Kool-Aid.

 

[Michael Goff]

Oh brother...the reason why Apple stock is down is because of trigger happy fear mongering analysts who like predicting Apple's impending demise.

But please keep drinking that Google Kool-Aid.

Apple is down because of unrealistic expectations.

Google's price will fall as well.

 

[Sensamic]

An HTC One Google Edition would still have the dissappointing ultrapixel camera.

 

[s1nge]

I think you are missing quite a few points.

1) IO is meant for developers. The fact that all these Google services receive significant updates, from search, map, music to Android and Chrome, is so much more important in the long run than mere hardware upgrades.

2) There is never going to be Nexus 4 successor announcement; Nexus phone line has an annual cycle, and it's only midway now. Same goes for Nexus 7, it's only been 10 months since it's available. A refresh is coming, but it's not significant enough to be announced today.

3) There is a reason why Goog is over $900 while Aapl is down to $420. iOS is stale, and boring. With today's announcement, Google is so much better than Siri, and Google Maps is not even in the same league. The gap is only being widen as we speak. New iPhone hardware will be better, but iOS is just so dated it's embarrassing.

4) One more thing, this year's theme is cross platform synchronization. While Google is attacking on all fronts, Apple is stuck in its walled garden. WWDC will be boring, sorry to burst your bubble.

When we strip away the idea of product launches, yep I/O was very impressive! Maps is absolutely in a class of its own and is only getting better, but comparing it to Apple maps is a bit unfair as it seems Google's had a lifetime to get it right.

Google Now succeeds in providing information cleanly and quickly. And providing relevant information to the user. I think Siri is in a different category all together (even though Forstall kept harping on sports scores). Siri does handle some basic functions a lot better, but Google Now obviously presents information on a different level. Google Now is also a bit invasive which to some is a turnoff.

And hangouts is a step in the right direction, but it only bridges Google users who are on multiple platforms instead of solving the problem of having multiple platforms. Again, great first step, but lots of work to be done here.

 

[Shadow Puppy]

Apple is down because of unrealistic expectations.

Google's price will fall as well.

Google has a tremendous amount of market share, and it is steadily increasing. #1 search engine, #1 browser, and #1 Mobile OS all play a key role in the stock price steadily climbing. With these things in place, and no reason they should change any time soon, there is little reason to believe the price will take a significant drop. If anything, there is potential for it to climb higher, as Glass is due to release next year, and there will be more hardware releases later this year.

 

[rtomyj]

Kind of a disappointing I/O. Music streaming, an update to maps and bragging about numbers? Even Apple isn't arrogant enough to hold an entire event for such frivolous things. As a Nexus 4 user, I take solace in the fact that my device is going to last that much longer.

All the people who waited to buy a Nexus 7 wasted their time and the Nostrodamus of tech news, Kuo, adds another miss to his notch belt.

Apple is going to steal the show at the WWDC this year.

Yessir. Nothing but catchup here. I honestly thought I was missing something from Android being on iOS. I do have a Nexus 7 but its pretty unusable for me other than Android development.

 

[Shadow Puppy]

Yessir. Nothing but catchup here. I honestly thought I was missing something from Android being on iOS. I do have a Nexus 7 but its pretty unusable for me other than Android development.

You call yourself a developer, and you think this was catch up? I would expect someone who doesn't understand api's to say that, but a dev should know better. The things they announced are hardly what one should call catch up. For example, an api that allows the phone to know what type of activity the user is doing, is hardly catch up.

 

[mattopotamus]

Is there a way to force update to hangouts? My talk app still looks the same and when I go to the Play store it just opens the same talk I currently have.

 

[Essenar]

You call yourself a developer, and you think this was catch up? I would expect someone who doesn't understand api's to say that, but a dev should know better. The things they announced are hardly what one should call catch up. For example, an api that allows the phone to know what type of activity the user is doing, is hardly catch up.

Why would this event require a conference, thousands of dollars in plane tickets and thousands of dollars in admission tickets? If it's news for developers, it could be in an email. If this event is ONLY for developers and API's, why bother with all the theatrics? This is like when my managers at Best Buy wanted us all to come in for a meeting on Sunday at 7:30 in the morning so they could tell us about the exciting new extended warranty programs.

All it did was make me hate extended warranties. To build up something like that and then throw a bone that's only useful to one dog out of a hundred, it's asking for trouble.

Google is getting arrogant. And if IO is all about developers, why did they announce the Nexus 7 at last year's IO? In fact, let's tally up against 2012's IO so you can see first hand that 2012's IO is a landslide better than this:
They announced Chrome on iOS and Android.
They announced Google Glass which will be ready in 2014. (Device reference)
They announced the Chromebook and the Chromebox. (Two devices)
They announced Jelly Bean. (Major OS release)
They announced the Nexus 7. (another device)
They showed off Google Now to be better than Siri (Wait... they did that already?)
Sergey Brin said "I'll let you finish in a minute but uh... I've got the greatest glasses of all time!" with Google Glass (Yet ANOTHER device)
Finally, Google announced the Nexus Q. (The fifth device).

This year.... Well you get the point. The only aspect of the 2012 IO that was aimed 'solely' at developers was Jelly Bean.

They're getting arrogant and this, combined with Samsung's weird release of the GS4 is giving Apple a golden opportunity to land an overhand right at the end of the 9th round.

 

[rtomyj]

You call yourself a developer, and you think this was catch up? I would expect someone who doesn't understand api's to say that, but a dev should know better. The things they announced are hardly what one should call catch up. For example, an api that allows the phone to know what type of activity the user is doing, is hardly catch up.

Alright I'll bite.
Hangouts - catch up
Music - catch up
Maps - cool
Google Now Reminders and whatnot - catch up
Beta testing - neat
IDE - catchup and still in beta and not launching for me. Uninstalled and reinstalled twice >_>

API's
Google Games - catch up and useless to me
Unified notifications - good
Cloud Save - catch up
Google plus stuff - catch up and unnecessary
Geofencing - catch up

The API you mentioned is creepy and if Apple where to implement that they would be sued... I don't like double standards. (I'm assuming it can send info to servers since, I didn't hear about it on the keynote).
It played a lot of catch up today. Insulting me is funny though.

----------

Is there a way to force update to hangouts? My talk app still looks the same and when I go to the Play store it just opens the same talk I currently have.

That's the beauty of it all. Tablets are not supported yet. They where talking about tablet support for apps too... SMH

If you don't have a tablet you might have an unsupported device or Android version.

 

[Krimsonmyst]

Its been out only for a month or so and now a better stock version appears, with no need to wait months for updates. Why do you think?

This isn't iOS we're talking about man - this is Android. The software on the 'stock' GS4 will be available for download and flashing onto regular GS4's within 2 weeks. The hardware will more or less be identical.

Although, at least for me, stock Android is a pain for me because it removes so many of the great camera features available in TouchWiz.

 

[mattopotamus]

Alright I'll bite.
Hangouts - catch up
Music - catch up
Maps - cool
Google Now Reminders and whatnot - catch up
Beta testing - neat
IDE - catchup and still in beta and not launching for me. Uninstalled and reinstalled twice >_>

API's
Google Games - catch up and useless to me
Unified notifications - good
Cloud Save - catch up
Google plus stuff - catch up and unnecessary
Geofencing - catch up

The API you mentioned is creepy and if Apple where to implement that they would be sued... I don't like double standards. (I'm assuming it can send info to servers since, I didn't hear about it on the keynote).
It played a lot of catch up today. Insulting me is funny though.

----------



That's the beauty of it all. Tablets are not supported yet. They where talking about tablet support for apps too... SMH

If you don't have a tablet you might have an unsupported device or Android version.

I'm using a nexus 4 =/

 

[tjl3]

Is there a way to force update to hangouts? My talk app still looks the same and when I go to the Play store it just opens the same talk I currently have.

Works beautifully on my iPhone =D Funny that I was talking to someone who had GChat opened and was frustrated getting Hangouts to install on his Galaxy Nexus.

 

[Michael Goff]

Works beautifully on my iPhone =D Funny that I was talking to someone who had GChat opened and was frustrated getting Hangouts to install on his Galaxy Nexus.

Yeah, the update process has been a bit stupid. I had to make it install via the web version of the store on my GNexus.

 

[rtomyj]

I'm using a nexus 4 =/

Oh... ;-(

 

[Dontazemebro]

Is there a way to force update to hangouts? My talk app still looks the same and when I go to the Play store it just opens the same talk I currently have.

Uninstall talk first then download hangouts. Worked for me.

 

[tech4all]

Oh brother...the reason why Apple stock is down is because of trigger-happy, fear-mongering, analysts who like predicting Apple's impending demise (after setting unreasonable expectations as Michael says below).

But please keep drinking that Google Kool-Aid.

At least Google's "Kool-Aid" see's new flavors. Apple is still stuck on cherry flavor; tasty, but it's getting stale.

 

[Kashsystems]

I said this earlier and this thread has been going really fast so in case anyone missed it:

Offering more stock Android options is, in many ways, the only way to "fix" fragmentation.

You'll never truly eliminate fragmentation on Android. That's a pipe dream. But try to put stock Android into more people's hands? This is good.

I think a better solution is annually Google forces some sort of standard.

It drives me nuts that the HTC One and S4 are basically the same specs internally but the One has an older version of Android.