Google I/O 2012: What to expect

After Apple and Microsoft, Google is now geared up to put its best foot forward at the Google I/O event that begins on June 27 and will run up to June 29. Apple flaunted the new iOS 6, Microsoft finally pulled the wraps off the new Windows 8 for tablets and Windows Phone 8, and now Google is all set  bring to the table its new advancements to the Android OS along with a few other announcements. There is a lot of buzz about the newest iteration of the Android and also the new Nexus tablet, so going by the latest buzz on the Internet, we decided to put what all we could possibly expect at the Google I/O event under one roof.

Jelly Bean
Apple just showed off the iOS 6 and its arch rival Google is speculated to put forth the Jelly Bean operating system at the Google I/O event. Google apparently plans to call the Jelly Bean its 4.1 version and not Android 5.0, as many may be expecting. This nomenclature is likely to make it a true successor of the Ice Cream Sandwich. This also leads to the speculation that Jelly Bean could just be a minor update to ICS and the possible reason why ICS didn’t make it to many handsets. However, it is clearly unjustifiable why ICS didn’t reach handsets and waited for its successor which emerged almost after 8 to 9 months. So, we can expect the next major update to the Android operating system to feature on the Google Nexus tablet. Then there may be some smartphones which might receive the Jelly Bean update too.

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Taste of the Jelly Bean

Google Nexus Tablet
The Google branded tablet seems to be the highlight of the event. But if you were thinking that the Nexus will be manufactured by Samsung, then it’s time to change your mind. The new Google Nexus is said to be a result of a Google-Asus partnership. Called the Asus Nexus tablet, it is likely to run on Jelly Bean. The tablet is expected to be a usual 7-incher and powered by Nvidia’s Tegra 3 quad-core 1.3GHz Cortex A9 processor and Nvidia ULP GeForce GPU. It is likely to come with support for 768 x 1280 pixels and priced roughly around 12,000.

If reports are to be believed then the Google Nexus isn’t a competitor of the iPad, infact it is expected to be a low to mid range tablet affordable for most segments of the tech society. So, it’s neither competition to the Surface. Nvidia recently talked about how “Project Kai” will change the way we think about cheap Android tablets and how Kai is a platform, more than a piece of hardware and along with Tegra 3 and a mix of low-cost components; it’s very much possible to deliver a sub-$200 tablet, without having to compromise on performance. And what better way to launch this than with Google’s Nexus tablet.

Nexus tablet to be unboxed soon…

Nexus smartphones
Last year, Google showed the Galaxy Nexus running the Android Ice Cream Sandwich. This time around also the company plans to flaunt the Nexus smartphone. However, news has it that it won’t show just one, but up to five Google Nexus smartphones. These smartphones will come under various brands including Samsung and Motorola. Though, there is no confirmation on this, we wonder why Google would opt for multiple devices for the Nexus range. Apparently, the aim is to take the Nexus smartphone brand to varying price segments and they are also expected to hit markets by November.

New Cloud service
At the Google i/o this year, the search giant is also expected to expand its cloud services. The company is said to be building an ‘infrastructure as a Service cloud computing platform.’  Reports claim that Google i/o could witness the announcement of this service. Furthermore, reports also claim that the company is expected to offer its current app engine and storage with the forthcoming service. The new cloud service aims at competing with the popular Amazon EC2 cloud and also Microsoft’s upcoming cloud service.

Google Assistant
Apple’s Siri created waves last year and even compelled Google to work on its own voice assistant, which was earlier called the Project Majel. We also saw Iris (absurdly which reads Siri when spelt backwards) hit the Android Market aka Google Play. Google was reported to launch the Google Assistant later this year, and so this brings in the possibility of the company launching it at the upcoming Google i/o. It is expected to be a voice-powered ‘do-engine’, which will be powered by Google’s own search engine, Google+ social network and Google +1.  Here, we can just hope Google shows the new voice enabled assistant feature.

Competitor to Siri?

Besides, we also hope Google shows off the new new Google Glass, in case you remember the Google Glass Project. Though Sergey Brin had maintained that the Glasses are likely to be be launched next year, we wouldn’t be surprised if it grabs a certain amount of the limelight at the Google I/O event. Moreover, Google is also said to be broadcasting the event through YouTube, so even if you can’t make it to San Francisco, we are sure you won’t miss any part of the event.