What Will Google Announce At I/O?

This is a big week for those of us in the Internet space as Google’s I/O conference kicks-off tomorrow in San Francisco. There are plenty of rumors about what Google will announce and while some of us rely on Google for traffic, many of us don’t, however that doesn’t mean the announcement won’t impact all of us. What Google does has a major impact on how people use the Internet so as someone whose income comes 100% from the Internet, I’m interested!

Google IO Conference

For those who don’t know the conference actually sold out in 49 minutes which has to be some kind of record. The funny thing is that many people complained about payment problems, with Google’s own Google Wallet. That being said the #1 complaint was the Google Wallet registration process taking too long which is why some people missed the ticket train to I/O.

Mashable did a great article covering what they think Google will be talking about this week and most of the time I’ve found them to be spot on. The highlights are likely to be:

  1. Google Glass – this is my favorite new tech gadget of the decade and it’s just getting started. There is no doubt that Google will be announcing some improvements to Google Glass and developers will be geeking-out walking around the conference like the Borg. If you want to learn more about what might be announced CNET did an awesome article about the 11 Google Glass improvements they’re hoping for.
  2. Android Update – I’m a Mac geek so I could care less about Android…but since 75% of the smartphones sold are Android-based phones this is definitely a big deal. There are also plans to announce an official Android game center. Not only am I not an Android user, but I’m also not a gamer, that being said, it looks like people do play video games and they will be happy about this.
  3. New Google Maps – I love Google maps and am excited about this if it happens. Fingers crossed, oh and I hope they update the iPhone app alongside the Android app.
  4. Android Tablet – a new Android tablet or two are sure to make news at I/O, once again, I’m a Mac geek and am too in love with my retina-display iPad to care about this.
  5. Overall Product/Service Updates – Chrome, Google Wallet, Google TV (say what!?! that still exists?) and many of the other Google products we’ve learned to love, or hate, might be getting a refresh. As an avid gMail user I’m hoping for more cool gMail features and enhancements.
  6. Babel – get ready for competition Skype, Google is looking at making a big move in the messenger space however it doesn’t look like they’ve bothered to get the .COM. Then again, Google is fine with just doing Google.com/babel which is what they’re most likely to do.

Notice that gTLDs aren’t on this list? That’s because while we might think they are a big deal, the rest of the world does not, in fact nobody even know what a gTLD is. Stay-tuned as I will be covering the conference from sunny LA and sharing all the latest-and-greatest with you, my fellow Internet geeks!

Have your own predictions? Comment and let your voice be heard!

Photo Credit: Pat Hawks via Compfight cc

Morgan Linton

Morgan Linton