Google I/O 2011 recap: Chromebooks, Music Beta, Movies and more
And that, as they say, is a wrap. We've departed a shockingly sunny San Francisco, but not without a huge helping of Google news to mull over on the long ride home. In typical Goog fashion, the outfit served up a double-dose of keynotes this year, both of which seemed to delight both developers and media alike. Sure, no new superphones used the show as a launching pad, but plenty of other nuggets were unearthed. From the reveal of Music Beta to the official introduction of the world's first commercial Chromebooks, the 2011 edition of Google I/O packed plenty of punch. If you missed even a second of our continuous coverage, we've got you covered -- the best of the best is recapped below. We'll see you next year, I/O... you bring the tiramisu, we'll bring the Ice Cream Sandwich.
Keynotes / liveblogs:
Day 1: Music Beta, Android 3.1, Ice Cream Sandwich, Open Accessory, ADK
Day 2: Chrome, Angry Birds, Chrome OS, Chromebooks
Editorials / previews:
Google Music Beta walkthrough: what it is and how it works (video)
Editorial: Engadget on Google Music and Movies for Android
Google Music Beta versus the titans of the streaming music space: a chart
Editorial: Google clarifies Chromebook subscriptions, might have just changed the industry
Hands-ons:
Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Limited Edition (white) hands-on from Google I/O!
Samsung Series 5 Chrome OS laptop hands-on at Google I/O
Fossil Meta Watch wrists-on at Google I/O (video)
Hasbro's experimental Nexus-powered robot toy hands-on at Google I/O (video)
Lighting Science demos Android @ Home bulbs, promises dead-simple home automation (hands-on)
Google's Arduino-based ADK powers robots, home gardens and giant Labyrinth (video)
LifeFitness exercise bike interfaces with Nexus S, makes fitness marginally enjoyable (video)
iRobot Ava mobile robotics platform hands-on at Google I/O (video)
Groupme's group messaging app demoed at Google I/O, complete with data / location (video)
Head on past the break for more!
Major Google product / software announcements:
Google announces Android 3.1
Google TV getting Android 3.1 and Market this summer
Google Ice Cream Sandwich coming in Q4 2011 to smartphones and tablets alike
Android Market launches movie rentals, thousands of titles available to your PC, phone or tablet
Google Music Beta to stream 20,000 songs for free
Google partners with OEMs and carriers to guarantee timely Android updates
Google announces Android Open Accessory standard, Arduino-based ADK
Google announces Android@Home framework for home automation
Google clarifies 18 month Android upgrade program, details far from solidified
Google adding Netflix, Hulu support, offline Gmail, Calendar and Docs to Chrome OS this summer, prices hardware at $20 per month
Google unveils Acer Chromebook: $349, 11.6-inches with 6.5-hour battery
Official: Samsung reveals Chrome OS laptop -- the Series 5
Google teases Samsung-built Chromebox, desktop version of Chrome OS
The rest:
Google reaches 100 millionth Android activation, 400,000 Android devices activated daily
Google gives away 5,000 Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablets to devs at I/O
Google makes Chrome Web Store available worldwide, adds in-app purchases and flat five percent fee
Angry Birds gets a web version, coming to Chrome Web Store
Google announces new ways to discover apps on Android Market, more tools for developers
Google TV shows off new Honeycomb UI, plans for Market, SDK; opens up remote app source code
Google: 'no plans' for Chrome OS on tablets, any other form factors
