I won't be writing in-depth about what was announced yesterday at Google I/O and what happened...etc, because I just watched the livestream and I surely can't compete with Engadget, The Verge, and others, though I can tell you about my thoughts about the event, announcements and where I see Google is going.
First of all, it was clear that Google is trying to connect everything around us and make the connected world/environment a reality, for example, look at the products they announced the their inter-connectivity:
Android Wear - Android on your body and connected to your smartphone.
Android Auto - Android in the car connected to your smartphone.
Interconnectivity between Android and Chromebooks.
Android TV - another attempt to get into the living room after the failed Google TV.
Chromecast - Chromecast now can cast the screen from the phone/tablet and has become more open and feature-rich.
All these announcements reveal two new trends at Google:
Connectivity
Simplicity
The whole idea seems to be easing the management of the digital interactions of users by connecting everything together, and to be honest, I like this idea, though I personally will refrain from using most of these features for two reasons:
1- I find it unnecessary and at times useless to have all this connectivity.
2- We shouldn't forget the Snowden revelations, and how they showed the HUGE potential of abuse of this non-free/proprietary software and how it could affect us all.
So, in conclusion, I guess that there were many interesting announcements and new products that could benefit consumers, but the biggest two questions remain:
1- Is this new technology really necessary?
2- Is the privacy trade-off and abuse potential worth it at all?
Expect more posts soon...
Wael Karram
First of all, it was clear that Google is trying to connect everything around us and make the connected world/environment a reality, for example, look at the products they announced the their inter-connectivity:
Android Wear - Android on your body and connected to your smartphone.
Android Auto - Android in the car connected to your smartphone.
Interconnectivity between Android and Chromebooks.
Android TV - another attempt to get into the living room after the failed Google TV.
Chromecast - Chromecast now can cast the screen from the phone/tablet and has become more open and feature-rich.
All these announcements reveal two new trends at Google:
Connectivity
Simplicity
The whole idea seems to be easing the management of the digital interactions of users by connecting everything together, and to be honest, I like this idea, though I personally will refrain from using most of these features for two reasons:
1- I find it unnecessary and at times useless to have all this connectivity.
2- We shouldn't forget the Snowden revelations, and how they showed the HUGE potential of abuse of this non-free/proprietary software and how it could affect us all.
So, in conclusion, I guess that there were many interesting announcements and new products that could benefit consumers, but the biggest two questions remain:
1- Is this new technology really necessary?
2- Is the privacy trade-off and abuse potential worth it at all?
Expect more posts soon...
Wael Karram
