Innovation fest at Google I/O

Google previewed upgrades to an array of its existing products during its developers' conference keynote yesterday.

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Google yesterday previewed an array of new developments for its platforms at its annual developers' conference, Google I/O, in San Francisco, ranging from new features, existing products and software, to the launch of new services.

Google CEO Larry Page made a surprise appearance at the conference. During his 45-minute speech, he focused on the importance of making it easier for developers to make apps for its open platforms, Android and Chrome.

"Everyone today is excited about technology. Android is being adopted faster than anything else in the past. There is so much focus on Android and Chrome. It's really important in helping developers and Google build great user experiences across different devices."

He added that even though the rate of change in computing is tremendously high, it's not yet where it should be. "We as Google and as an industry really are only at 1% of what's possible - probably even less than that. And despite the faster change we have in the industry, we're still moving slow relative to the opportunities that we have. And some of that I think is due to the negativity."

Page also briefly touched on the competition within the industry. "Every story I read about Google is us versus some other company and I just don't find that very interesting. We should be building great things that don't exist. Being negative is not how we make progress."

Here are the biggest announcements from the keynote:

Google announced it will release a Samsung Galaxy S4 that will run on an unlocked version its Android operating system.

Hugo Berra, VP of product management at Google, made the announcement and revealed the special edition S4 would also be bootloader unlocked. "This is a Samsung Galaxy S4 running Android 4.2 Jelly Bean with the same software experience that ships on our Nexus devices. It's Google's take on Android."

He added that the handset would be LTE-enabled with 16GB of memory. It will be available on 26 June from Google Play in the US for $649.

World Wide Worx MD Arthur Goldstuck says the handset is appealing mainly to two categories of user: "Those consumers who want a high-end device, but a simplified interface; and those who want a high-end device that allows them to customise it from the start."

He adds that for the average user, though, it doesn't make sense to get this device. "Instead get the standard S4, as the Samsung implementation of Android includes a wide range of features and functions that add up to a futuristic device of immense appeal."

The search giant launched its own streaming music service at I/O, kicking dust in Apple's face by being the first major corporation to do so.

For just $9.99 a month, the Google All Access service allows users to customise song selections from a wide range of genres, stream individual playlists and tune into a radio-like stream that can be altered.

The service will be launched in the US first, then introduced to several other countries.

Echoing what Page said in his speech, Goldstuck says users have to stop thinking of it in terms of Google versus Apple. "Services like streaming music and music download subscriptions must eventually be offered on all platforms, on all devices, or user needs and expectations will not be met.

"The fact that Nokia has a highly competitive offering in this arena, and that you can get similar services by having specific apps on any phone, means it is not a game-changer or a dramatic differentiator," he says.

Google's Voice Search will be made available to desktop users. The service that has been available to Android mobile users will make it possible for laptop and desktop users to receive spoken answers from Google in Chrome.

Google's answer to Apple's Siri will also provide the ability to set reminders by voice.

Goldstuck, however, says users shouldn't get too excited about this. "Voice search remains largely a gimmick. It's great while you're driving, but otherwise less efficient than almost any other form of search."

He says that's the reason why Siri was such a disappointment. "Not only because it started out being clunky, but also because it turned out not to be the game-changer that Apple portrayed it as, and keeps becoming more ordinary as other manufacturers catch up, thanks to the Google options."

Google overhauled its Maps service to make it a visually richer experience by removing some of the current clutter and integrating it with other services to make it more intuitive to its users.

The search tab is no longer a sidebar on the left, but rather on the map itself. Information cards about the places you search for also pop up below the search bar. Street View can also be accessed through the search bar.

Google has integrated Google+ into the Maps service, allowing it to make recommendations of restaurants and places based on a user's friends.

It also provides 3D images of places that have been uploaded by other Google users.

Unfortunately, the service is not available to the public yet, with limited invitations offered by Google.

Lead designer of Google Maps, Jonah Jones, added that Google really wants to make the upgraded version available to the public. "We're not planning on leaving this thing in preview for five years or something. We want to get it out there."