Google IO Keynote
Wow, the Windows Phone crew I follow on Twitter sure are haters on Google and Android.
There are a few things I had to agree with though. The usage of the words "Fast and Fluid" which heard in that exact sequence at least 3 times (and I put my headphones down a few times) are echoes of Microsoft talking about their modern design. Amusingly, I felt their revamped GMail app looked exactly like a re-themed version of Mail on Windows 8.
But, all of that out of the way, there was a lot more good coming out of this keynote than the Apple one when they announced Swift. Even if some of that good sounded a lot like ideas ripped off from other systems. I mean, lets face it, many of the seemingly innovative things Apple and Microsoft do don't tend to originate in either company. People just seem to jump behind whichever of the big 3 delivered it first.
New API's are always a good thing. Expanding the platform to new form factors is always a good thing.
The wholesale ignoring of Microsoft platforms was perhaps not unanticipated, but remains a baffling strategy.
Google TV is an interesting item. But the value remains to be seen. I'm more interested to see what the non-TV vendors will bring to the market though. Smart TV's are just one long stream of failures. Even Apple TV, Roku, Chromecast and other solutions largely seen as being successes that border on this realm are actually relative failures. Why? I don't know a single person who owns ANY of those devices. True, that is situational and anecdotal, but I should be able to name a friend or family member who owns at least ONE of those solutions. And I can't.
I've also NEVER heard anyone choose to buy a TV on the basis that it was a Smart TV, let alone that it ran a particular piece of software. Now, Android is actually a known brand and may turn things around. But I'm still skeptical that the market will widely adopt the practice of buying a TV specifically because it is a Smart TV, even when that "smart" tech is Android powered. But the market has proven me wrong before, and frankly I think if anyone could succeed in this, it is Google/Android.
But the most interesting thing I saw was related to something I talked about with bridging Cortana across Microsoft products. And while this was a REALLY SMALL demo, it underlines exactly what I'm talking about. If more people jump on board with this on Android, it will put Apple and Microsoft to shame. And that simple tech demo was, when using a smart watch paired to your phone, if the watch is close enough to the phone, the lock screen is bypassed since it "knows" it is you using the device.
It isn't a feature I care about. But it is a feature that makes the combination of a smart watch and smart phone more than simply a smart watch and cell phone. It is a 1 + 1 = 3 scenario. And it is the sort of functionality I was hinting I would love to see come about as a result of expanding Cortana across devices. And Google did it without a digital assistant. That is the piece that makes the competition look bad. Why isn't there any of these sorts of interactions between my phone, PC and Xbox? Or between iPads and MacBooks? These are small things, but they highlight the reasons to buy into a particular eco-system. It is more than just paid services that span devices. It needs to be functionality unique to a combination of device types.
There are a few things I had to agree with though. The usage of the words "Fast and Fluid" which heard in that exact sequence at least 3 times (and I put my headphones down a few times) are echoes of Microsoft talking about their modern design. Amusingly, I felt their revamped GMail app looked exactly like a re-themed version of Mail on Windows 8.
But, all of that out of the way, there was a lot more good coming out of this keynote than the Apple one when they announced Swift. Even if some of that good sounded a lot like ideas ripped off from other systems. I mean, lets face it, many of the seemingly innovative things Apple and Microsoft do don't tend to originate in either company. People just seem to jump behind whichever of the big 3 delivered it first.
New API's are always a good thing. Expanding the platform to new form factors is always a good thing.
The wholesale ignoring of Microsoft platforms was perhaps not unanticipated, but remains a baffling strategy.
Google TV is an interesting item. But the value remains to be seen. I'm more interested to see what the non-TV vendors will bring to the market though. Smart TV's are just one long stream of failures. Even Apple TV, Roku, Chromecast and other solutions largely seen as being successes that border on this realm are actually relative failures. Why? I don't know a single person who owns ANY of those devices. True, that is situational and anecdotal, but I should be able to name a friend or family member who owns at least ONE of those solutions. And I can't.
I've also NEVER heard anyone choose to buy a TV on the basis that it was a Smart TV, let alone that it ran a particular piece of software. Now, Android is actually a known brand and may turn things around. But I'm still skeptical that the market will widely adopt the practice of buying a TV specifically because it is a Smart TV, even when that "smart" tech is Android powered. But the market has proven me wrong before, and frankly I think if anyone could succeed in this, it is Google/Android.
But the most interesting thing I saw was related to something I talked about with bridging Cortana across Microsoft products. And while this was a REALLY SMALL demo, it underlines exactly what I'm talking about. If more people jump on board with this on Android, it will put Apple and Microsoft to shame. And that simple tech demo was, when using a smart watch paired to your phone, if the watch is close enough to the phone, the lock screen is bypassed since it "knows" it is you using the device.
It isn't a feature I care about. But it is a feature that makes the combination of a smart watch and smart phone more than simply a smart watch and cell phone. It is a 1 + 1 = 3 scenario. And it is the sort of functionality I was hinting I would love to see come about as a result of expanding Cortana across devices. And Google did it without a digital assistant. That is the piece that makes the competition look bad. Why isn't there any of these sorts of interactions between my phone, PC and Xbox? Or between iPads and MacBooks? These are small things, but they highlight the reasons to buy into a particular eco-system. It is more than just paid services that span devices. It needs to be functionality unique to a combination of device types.
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