# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
There were excuses last time. When unveiled the original X range of Android phones in February many thought it was a contingency plan in case the sale of its handset division to didn't come off. But now the deal has gone through Microsoft has just announced a second generation of Android phones - the X2 - which isn't just odd, it is dangerous and stupid .

But first let's see if we can understand Microsoft's logic.

The most common proposition is emerging markets. Microsoft wants to hop aboard the momentum has for the so-called 'next billion' customers and leverage Nokia's huge economies of scale it has in place from its Asha budget platform. Microsoft then skins Android handsets to look like Windows Phone to steal Google's thunder.

Also widely promoted is that Microsoft wants access to Android's wealth of apps. Familiarity with the platform may lead to making Android apps compatible with Windows Phone (as BlackBerry OS, Tizen, Sailfish OS and others have attempted) and Microsoft can experiment away from its more high profile sales regions.

Lastly defenders say Microsoft is just being realistic. Despite outselling the iPhone in 24 countries, Windows Phone clearly remains in a distant third place behind Android and iOS. Making an Android handset gives Microsoft experience with a potential back-up plan should Windows Phone fail and it ties in with Satya Nadella's grand plan to put the Cloud first.

And to all three arguments there is a simple answer: NO, NO and NO! Let's break this down:

1. Reskinning Android to look like Windows Phone is akin to the cheap Android-based iPhones knock-offs you see in China. If you attempt to fool people into thinking this mess is Windows Phone you will only give Windows Phone a bad name.

2. Porting Android apps to different OSes never works well. Different hardware buttons and menu layouts make the experience jarring for owners used to how Windows Phone apps work and all it does is see Microsoft admit its OS lacks app support, which hardly inspires developers to see it in a new light.

3. Backup plans are fine, but they can be tested in private away from public scrutiny. Much like using Android apps, making an Android phone merely communicates the message Microsoft doesn't have faith in its OS which alienates potential customers and developers creating a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Instead this is what Microsoft should be doing:
Push affordable Windows Phone handsets to developing countries - Not Android
Windows 8.1 already scales brilliantly to slower hardware and it delivers a silky smooth experience on the Nokia Lumia 630 - a $159 handset (without contract) that is every bit as good as the much heralded Motorola E. After all Microsoft is using Android 4.3 on its X Series anyway and this doesn't even have the performance efficiencies introduced in Android 4.4.
Unite the Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 app stores to create developer momentum
Updates to both platforms mean apps are almost fully compatible, but while a unified store is planned Microsoft is moving far too slowly in making it happen. Separately neither platform has inspired developers, but combined the market reach is huge. Driving its own app development is a far better plan long term than scavenging off Android.
Take the backup plan in-house
Currently Microsoft is giving Google a huge PR win while killing confidence in its platform. This needs to stop. Nokia X phones should be an in-house experiment, not something Microsoft toys with in public. Microsoft doesn't need to give the impression it is headed down this path yet. Besides if it were such a strong long term strategy why is Samsung be migrating to Tizen?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Why Microsoft Adopting Android Is Dangerous And Stupid

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
There were excuses last time. When unveiled the original X range of Android phones in February many thought it was a contingency plan in case the sale of its handset division to didn't come off.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Tania Gonzalez/CNET

In January at CES, Google announced the Open Automotive Alliance, a consortium of automakers formed to develop Android integration for cars. Tomorrow at Google's I/O developer conference, signs are looking good that we'll see the fruit of this effort.

Tomorrow's I/O conference is likely to feature our first look at an interface for Android in the car, called Google Auto Link during development, according to reports. A story in Automotive News cites sources saying that Auto Link will be shown at I/O, although Google itself is offering no comment.

Watch CNET's live coverage of the Google I/O 2014 keynote on Wednesday.

Google's moves in the vehicle space fall hot on the heels of Apple, which made a similar announcement last year for its iOS 7 mobile operating system, then followed it up with a demonstrations of at the Geneva auto show.

Automotive News notes that Google Auto Link will work similar to Apple's CarPlay, in that the phone will serve as the computing platform for navigation and other functions, while the car's touchscreen and dashboard controls will serve as the interface.

Audi, which is part of Google's Open Automotive Alliance, advised CNET that it will hold a press conference Wednesday at around 11:30am PT, announcing new technology. This conference will come after the Google I/O keynote, suggesting that Audi is onboard with the Google Auto Link technology. The German automaker has a previous history of working with Google, offering Google Earth and Street View integration with its connected navigation systems.

A story on Digital Trends also suggested that Nvidia would provide the hardware platform for Google Auto Link, but an Nvidia spokesperson told CNET that the story was incorrect. As with Apple CarPlay, it is unlikely that Google would specify hardware for vehicle manufacturers.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Google to debut in-car Android integration tomorrow, says report - Roadshow

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In January at CES, Google announced the Open Automotive Alliance, a consortium of automakers formed to develop Android integration for cars. Tomorrow at Google's I/O developer conference, signs are looking good that we'll see the fruit of this effort.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Benjamin Rasmussen for Bloomberg Businessweek

At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January, Samsung introduced new software for its tablets, called the Magazine UX. This was a revamped interface that resembled the table of contents in a magazine, allowing users to click directly into videos and articles. Manufacturers often apply their own design flourishes to Android, and this one looked good-not groundbreaking, maybe-but slick, intuitive, and completely unobjectionable.

Behind the scenes, though, the announcement enraged executives at Google, the company that owns and administers Android. Magazine UX hid Google services such as its Play apps store and required Android users and application developers to learn an entirely new set of behaviors for Samsung devices. The South Koreans were relegating Google to the background.

Defusing the situation fell to Sundar Pichai, the tactful, tactical new chief of Google's Android division. Pichai set up a series of meetings with J.K. Shin, chief executive officer of Samsung Mobile Communications, at the Wynn hotel on the Vegas strip, at Google's offices in Mountain View, Calif., and again in February at the Mobile World Congress convention in Barcelona. Pichai says they held "frank conversations" about the companies' intertwined fates. A fragile peace was forged. Samsung agreed to scale back Magazine UX and, signaling a new era of cooperation, the two companies announced a broad patent cross-licensing arrangement. "We now work together more closely on user experience than we ever have before," Pichai says.

Ten years ago, the Indian-born Pichai, 42, was a product manager at Google, and his domain consisted of the search bar in the upper right corner of Web browsers. He then persuaded his bosses to wade into the browser wars with Chrome, which in time became the most popular browser on the Internet and led to the Chrome operating system that runs on a line of cheap laptops called Chromebooks. Pichai took over Gmail and Google Docs in 2011. In 2013, CEO Larry Page put him in charge of Android, making him one of the most powerful technology executives in the world. Page says Pichai "has deep technical expertise, a great product eye, and tremendous entrepreneurial flair. This is a rare combination, which is what makes him a great leader."

Google doesn't discuss Android's profitability, and analysts have had a notoriously difficult time making estimates. Yet the operating system is vital to Google, whose revenue was $60 billion in 2013. Android runs on 1.2 billion devices around the world. It drives users to the company's hugely profitable search engine and the ads on its maps service. Google search and maps are available on phones made by Apple and Microsoft, too, but Google pays those companies referral fees. The more people use Android, the more Google can keep that revenue to itself.

Managing Android might be the hardest job at the company. Every phone maker that joins the Android world has to balance its interests with those of Google. The software is open-source, so anyone can adapt the code for his or her own purposes. Google distributes the latest versions free under the agreement that device makers will highlight profitable Google services-especially search and maps-while their own brands and services take a back seat.

Samsung isn't the only company whose relationship with Google is complicated. Companies such as Amazon.com, which recently introduced its own phone, the Fire, and Nokia have created custom variations of Android that use older versions of the software and leave out Google services entirely. HTC and LG Electronics have taken the deal but make little money from their Android devices and hold negligible shares of the smartphone market. Meanwhile, developers complain about the complexity of making applications for the varied world of Android phones and tablets, all with differently sized screens and processors, particularly compared with the relative ease of developing for Apple's more orderly universe of iPhones and iPads.

"The openness and flexibility that Android created is a double-edged sword," says Dave Feldman, co-founder of Emu, which makes a mobile messaging service. "Because carriers and manufacturers can modify Android, the task of creating and debugging an app can be far more time-consuming than for iOS. That is Android's big challenge."

Tim Cook, Apple's CEO, used the stage at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference in June to call Android a "toxic hellstew" of security vulnerabilities and fragmentation, running on so many kinds of devices that it fails to offer the latest features to users. Pichai calmly mounts a defense of Android's security features and its relationship with developers, but it concludes as less of a retort than a sigh of envy. "It must be liberating [for Apple] to wake up and think about your device, your software-and hey, 'I can even call the chip-set guys and say what the chip should be,'" he says. "I have to think about building a platform and bringing as many people along on this journey and getting it right. I believe that ultimately, it's a more powerful approach, but it's a lot more stressful as well."

Photograph by Benjamin Rasmussen for Bloomberg Businessweek

Pichai's colleagues talk up his affability and skills as a diplomat, how he bucks the contemporary image of technology executives as vainglorious, out-of-touch men-children. "I would challenge you to find anyone at Google who doesn't like Sundar or who thinks Sundar is a jerk," says Caesar Sengupta, a vice president who has worked with Pichai for eight years.

In person Pichai is soft-spoken and self-deprecating. He warns that without proper care, Android's future might resemble a surfing lesson he recently took in Hawaii with his 11-year-old daughter: It seemed like a triumph when he got up for the first time, but then he fell badly. In a series of interviews in conference rooms at Google's Mountain View, Calif., and San Francisco offices, he peppers his conversation with idiosyncratic tics, abusing the word "internalize," and inserting "et cetera" at the end of many phrases. A recently grown, gray-flecked beard adds gravitas to his boyish face. He says not shaving saves time and "reflects the state of mind of having more responsibility."

Pichai was born in Chennai, a city of 4 million in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. His mother worked as a stenographer before she had children; his father was an electrical engineer for the British conglomerate GEC and managed a factory that made electrical components. "I used to come home and talk to him a lot about my work day and the challenges I faced," recalls Regunatha Pichai. "Even at a young age, he was curious about my work. I think it really attracted to him to technology."

The family of four lived in a two-room apartment, with Sundar and his younger brother sleeping in the living room. During much of his childhood, the Pichais didn't have a television or a car. For transportation, the choice was either one of the crowded, stifling city buses or the family's blue Lambretta scooter. All four would pile on-Regunatha driving, Sundar standing at the front, and his younger brother perched on the back of the seat with their mother.

The Pichais got their first telephone, a rotary, when Sundar was 12. The phone revealed to him the magical conveniences of technology, as well as an unusual gift: He could remember every number he ever dialed. "My uncle would call up and say, 'Hey, I lost this phone number, but you once helped me dial it,' and I would be able to tell him," Pichai says. "I wasn't so sure that was useful." (It is now: Google executives marvel at Pichai's powers of numerical recall. Alan Eustace, vice president for engineering, says that during a recent meeting, Pichai produced a statistic related to the increase of voice-activated searches. "That's my area," Eustace says, "and he knew a number I did not know.")

Pichai excelled at school and won a coveted spot at the Indian Institute of Technology in Kharagpur, where he studied engineering. After graduating, he won an additional scholarship to Stanford University to study materials science and semiconductor physics. Pichai's father tried to take out a loan to cover the cost of the plane ticket and other expenses. When it didn't come through in time, he withdrew $1,000 from the family's savings-more than his annual salary. "My dad and mom did what a lot of parents did at the time," Pichai says. "They sacrificed a lot of their life and used a lot of their disposable income to make sure their children were educated."

Upon arriving at Stanford in 1993, he tried to buy a new backpack and "was in an absolute state of shock" to learn it cost $60. He later bought a used one on an online bulletin board. Pichai lived with a host family during his first year and spent much of the time miserably lamenting the absence of his girlfriend, Anjali, who later joined him in the U.S. and is now his wife.

Pichai planned to get a Ph.D. at Stanford and pursue an academic career, but he briefly panicked his parents by dropping out to work as an engineer and product manager at Applied Materials, a Silicon Valley semiconductor maker. After getting an MBA from the Wharton School of Business in 2002 and spending a stint as a consultant at McKinsey, Pichai arrived at the Googleplex on April 1, 2004. On the day of his job interview, Google launched Gmail, the free e-mail service. Pichai says he thought it was one of the company's famous April Fools' pranks.

Pichai joined the small team working on Google's search toolbar. It gave users of Internet Explorer and Firefox, the dominant browsers at the time, easy access to Google search. He proposed that Google build its own browser and won the support of the company's co-founders, though he faced an objection from then-CEO Eric Schmidt, who thought that joining the browser wars would be an expensive distraction. Chrome eventually proved fast and painless to use while ensuring that Web users had direct access to Google's search engine and its immensely profitable advertising system. Chrome now holds 32 percent of the browser market on phones and desktop PCs, ahead of Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Apple's Safari, according to Adobe.

Even Pichai's effort to develop the Chrome operating system for laptops is showing promise amid an overall slump in PC sales. Chromebooks route users directly onto the Internet, where they store all their information, instead of on a hard drive. When Chrome OS was introduced in 2011, such a stripped-down system that kept data "in the cloud" seemed preposterous; now 21 percent of commercial laptops sold in the U.S. last year were Chromebooks, according to the NPD Group. Pulling that off was a managerial feat: Pichai assembled a large, well-funded group inside Google that was serious about building hardware and forging strong relationships with retailers such as Best Buy and PC manufacturers such as Dell, Lenovo, and Samsung. Those skills would come in handy running Android.

The first Android device came out in 2008, more than a year after the first iPhone. The G1 smartphone, made by HTC, ran only on T-Mobile in the U.S. and had a sliding screen that revealed a physical, BlackBerry-like keyboard. It met with lukewarm reviews. Within three years, boosted by the proliferation of varied, inexpensive Android devices made by Samsung, HTC, and others, Android had become the most popular smartphone operating system in the world. IDC, a tracking firm, expects Android to run on 80 percent of the smartphones that will be sold this year, blowing away Apple's 15 percent market share. Android now powers everything from Samsung's new Galaxy S5 smartphone ($650 without a contract) and Motorola Mobility's smaller Moto E phone ($130) to a universe of connected devices such as smart-watches, refrigerators, and a $3,000 treadmill from NordicTrack.

Andy Rubin deserves much of the credit for Android's success. A charismatic technologist and repeat entrepreneur, Rubin founded a startup called Android in 2003 and sold it to Google in 2005. Then he guided the chief product-the mobile operating system-for the next eight years, building its huge ecosystem of device makers and developers while successfully preventing Apple from utterly dominating the next stage of computing with the iPhone. Rubin kept handset makers off balance by selectively sharing information and choosing a different company each year for early access to the newest version of the software. That approach fostered competition among phonemakers, which outdid each other with faster processors, higher resolution screens, and other improvements.

Rubin's style also grated. Hardware manufacturers, vying for special treatment, viewed him as Machiavellian and difficult to work with, according to many executives at these companies. As the operating system gained popularity, every division of Google wanted to plant its flag on Android smartphones. Rubin closed Android's ranks, and Google employees were fond of saying that it was easier to work with rival Apple than Android. "Part of it was just the phase of the project," says Brian Rakowski, an Android vice president. "The team really needed to just ignore everybody." Rubin also fought to keep the platform neutral, giving outside developers as much of a chance on Google phones as internal services such as social network Google Plus. One person close to Google's management team, who was not authorized to speak publicly, says Rubin's reluctance to work openly with other parts of Google was responsible for the only shouting matches he's witnessed in the upper ranks at the company.

In 2012, Google announced a version of Pichai's Chrome browser for Android, which would replace the mobile browser Rubin had developed within his own group. It seemed a perfect model for friendly collaboration within Google. Yet the relationship between the divisions was so strained that they wouldn't work together without a term sheet, a contract normally required between two companies that stipulated the responsibility of each side.

"There was nothing ever personal," Pichai says, when asked whether he got along with Rubin. "We had a good sense of friendship, though we weren't particularly close, but we never had any major disagreements. We had passionate debates about certain courses." He allows that their styles differed. "Andy kept a lot about how he thought about things to himself. My sense is that at a base level, that is how he functioned. Andy had a plan and a strategy, but it was inside his own head." Google declined to make Rubin available for comment, and Pichai says he doesn't consult with him.

By 2013, Android was winning the smartphone war but lagging in newer markets. Apple's iPad dominated tablets, while Google-led efforts were struggling. An early attempt to develop Android-based software for TV set-top boxes, called Google TV, also failed.

At the beginning of 2013, CEO Page told Rubin he had to integrate Android with the rest of Google. Rubin agreed at first, then changed his mind and decided he couldn't do it. He resigned his position, though he remains at Google, working on a skunk works robotics project. A person close to Google's management says that forcing Rubin's hand was the most difficult decision Page has made since reclaiming the CEO spot at Google three years ago. Page then handed responsibility for Android over to Pichai.

Benjamin Rasmussen for Bloomberg Businessweek

Pichai says his first task was to do no harm. "I was worried about disruption," he says. "This was a small team executing well." Others at Google say he quickly started opening doors between Android and other product groups. He pushed Google Now, the Android feature that sends users customized, intuited information such as driving times and the sports scores of favorite teams. Rubin had introduced it, but Pichai created an interdisciplinary team with the search group, which had voice search technology and algorithms that could discern what information might be most important to users. "Sundar helped me to formalize a relationship," says Johanna Wright, the product manager who runs Google Now. "Because search and Android sit in two different buildings, we ended up doing a people swap." It was a kind of Google glasnost that would have been unlikely to happen under Rubin.

Pichai threw extra resources at a project called Svelte, a slimmed-down Android intended to run well on cheap, low-powered devices. It means developers don't have to create multiple versions of their apps to compensate for old operating systems run by budget phones. And Pichai killed a project to develop a version of Android for touchscreen laptops-it overlapped with Chromebooks-shifting attention toward tablets and new categories such as smart TVs and wearable computers. Deciding that the coming age of connected home appliances needed a separate focus, he helped orchestrate the $3.2 billion acquisition of smart thermostat maker Nest in January. Then he shuttered several smart-home projects inside Android and handed responsibility for connected appliances to Nest because, he says, "I felt it was far enough out and different enough from what we were doing." Nest has drawn good reviews for its original product, a connected thermostat, but had to temporarily take its newer smoke detector off the market to correct a safety glitch. Nest recently acquired Dropcam, a maker of wireless security cameras, for $555 million and announced it would allow outside developers to link into its devices. (The smoke detector went back on sale on June 17.)

Pichai has tried to improve relations with other companies as well. In April 2013, he took Page and Chief Business Officer Nikesh Arora on a trip to South Korea to visit Samsung executives and tour a factory. He says the intent of the trip was to convey respect. "I felt there was more distance than I would like in a partnership," he says. "I wanted a closer, more direct line of communication." Page also shook hands with South Korean President Park Geun-hye without causing an international stir by keeping one hand in his pocket, as Bill Gates had done the previous week.

Pichai is still walking a tightrope with Samsung, balancing the needs of the Android superpower while keeping rival manufacturers in the fold. Samsung still touts its own rival Linux-based mobile operating system called Tizen, suggesting it may be planning for a day when it decides to reduce its dependence on Android. Pichai shrugs off that possibility. "I view Tizen as a choice which people can have," he says. "We need to make sure Android is the better choice."

For now, Samsung uses Tizen primarily to run its Galaxy Gear smartwatch and a new phone, the Samsung Z, which is being introduced later this year in Russia. Gene Munster, an analyst at Piper Jaffray, believes Pichai has quelled the threat. "The relationship is never going to be perfect, but I think it's in good shape," he says. "They both need each other is the bottom line."

On June 25 and 26, 6,000 developers and members of the media descended on San Francisco for Google's high-profile annual conference, called I/O. Really, though, it was the Sundar Show. (Page and Google co-founder Sergey Brin were not in attendance.) Pichai served as master of ceremonies, pitching Android's suitability for the workplace and for the coming age of connected televisions, automobiles, and wristwatches.

Pichai had been preparing for I/O since early June, which isn't a lot of time as major Silicon Valley events go. Google typically plans these things at the last minute-a week before the conference, Pichai had yet to make several big decisions about whether certain projects were ready to be unveiled. No doubt there was a lot of pacing during the prep meetings: Colleagues say Pichai likes to walk when deep in thought and will occasionally wander away during a meeting, only to reappear with an answer to a problem.

When the day arrived, Pichai made a change that seemed small and technical but is actually a huge deal. In the past, Google often waited until the fall to announce the next annual version of the operating system, each named for a different sweet beginning with the next letter of the alphabet (in the last three years, Ice Cream Sandwich, Jellybean, and KitKat). Android hardware makers hated that, complaining that the announcement came too late for them to get ready for the holidays. It also put them at a disadvantage to the one company selected each year to develop a phone in conjunction with Google.

This year, Pichai previewed the next release for the first time at I/O rather than waiting until the fall. The updated Android-as yet unnamed-includes a design that adds more depth and richer animations to the screen and allows people to more easily unlock their phones based on the proximity of devices such as a smartwatch. Introducing the new Android early in the year is a significant shift toward greater transparency. "I want the world to understand what we are doing sooner," Pichai says.

Android executives also talked about Android Wear, a version of the operating system for fitness trackers and wearable computers, and announced new smartwatches from Samsung, LG, and Motorola. The watches serve up notices about pending appointments and health data such as the wearer's heart rate. They also run a range of their own applications, so users can order takeout and call taxis from their wrists and not have to pull out their phones.

Google is racing against Apple, which will introduce its iWatch in the fall. Pichai says it's "crazy" that people visit their doctors once a year at most to have their heart rate and blood pressure measured. "You obviously need to be able to measure these things so many more times and then apply more intelligence to it," he says.

Television was also on the agenda. Google has struggled when it comes to the living room, with the failed Google TV effort in 2010. It's had more success with a $35 piece of hardware called the Chromecast that allows users to run video and apps from phones or tablets on their HDTVs. Seeking to avoid the inconsistent approaches of the past, Pichai has brought everyone at Google working on TV software into one group within Android. The new software lets gamemakers and other developers easily transfer their apps over to televisions. Owners of Google TV devices, which are coming later this year, will be able to use their voices to search for shows and films and use their phone or watch as a remote control.

Pichai explained that Android TV is meant to give "TV the same level of attention that phones and tablets have enjoyed." Samsung, LG, Sharp, and others make smart TVs that run their own proprietary software; presumably none of them want to cede control over their customers to Google, as they already have in smartphones and tablets. Pichai's job will be to persuade them to bet on Android all over again.

( Corrects the price of the Chromecast hardware in second-to-last paragraph. )

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Google's Sundar Pichai Is the Most Powerful Man in Mobile

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January, Samsung introduced new software for its tablets, called the Magazine UX. This was a revamped interface that resembled the table of contents in a magazine, allowing users to click directly into videos and articles.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Google Readies TV Set-Top Box in Race With Apple, Amazon

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Google is to unveil a new television set-top box on Wednesday as it races Amazon.com, Apple and others to control digital content in the home.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Following 's announcements earlier this month, will unveil the next big update of its own mobile operating system, Android, at Google I/O - its developer conference that kicks off tomorrow morning in San Francisco.

Android is indeed due for a major update, as the latest one happened over 8 months ago - Android 4.4 (KitKat).

Google's latest Android "L" update is likely to be called Lollipop, keeping with the company's confectionary-based alphabetical naming convention (Cupcake, Donut, Éclair, Gingerbread, Honeycomb, Ice Cream Sandwich, Jelly Bean, KitKat).

Similar to the way Apple is rolling out iOS 8, Android 5 will also be available this fall, giving hardware makers enough time to include the mobile operating system in their holiday product lineup.
New in Android 5: revamped UI, 64-bits, wearable integration, Google Now, Kill switch and Nexus 9
The major overhaul - at least for end-users - will be visually, as Google has been working on a complete makeover of the user interface across Android, iOS, and the Web (desktop and mobile) - with a flatter design à-la Apple, making it clearer and more consistent.

A total revamp which is the result of a new design framework, code named " Paper," and similar in spirit to Microsoft&#039;s Metro design language in Windows 8 or Bootstrap, a collection of Web UI components.

In addition, Project Hera represents Google's effort to improve multitasking, enabling users to execute tasks without actually opening that app. An example will be receiving an alert about a new email, opening that email and send a reply, without actually opening Gmail.

Google will also unveil its own health service Google Fit - in direct response to Apple's HealthKit in iOS 8 - that will collect and use the data from fitness trackers and other connected devices, including devices running Google's own wearable platform, Android Wear.

A move that the Mountain View, Calif. company hope will create a seamless, better connected and more interactive user experience for all the devices (smart watches, smart home, car) tethered to your smartphone or tablet.

Expect also to see a new version of Google Now, Google's answer to Apple's Siri and Microsoft's Cortana, with support of more services which currently includes sports, public transport, meetings and stocks.

Under the hood, the new OS will finally enable 64-bit processing with support of more RAM - a year after Apple launched the iPhone 5S, the first ever 64-bit smartphone.

Finally, Android 5 will include the much talked about kill switch, as well as improvements in how Android uses power to help improve battery life.

And, if it gets in on time, developers might be able to use as early as this week Android 5 on the upcoming Google Nexus 9, dubbed "Volantis." Detailed specifications related to this 8.9-inch tablet built by Taiwan-based which integrates Nvidia's 64-bit Logan processor, were revealed earlier this week by Android Police.

All in all, Google I/O this week will look a lot like a remake of Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference earlier this month, aside from the free devices!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Google To Unveil Android 5 'Lollipop' At I/O Conference

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Following Apple's's announcements earlier this month, Google will unveil the next big update of its own mobile operating system, Android, at Google I/O - its developer conference that kicks off tomorrow morning in San Francisco. Android is indeed due for a major update, as the latest one happened over 8 months ago - [...]

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Screenshot by Michelle Starr/CNET

Automated processes can help deliver news -- as demonstrated by the LA Times earthquake reporting algorithm -- but sitting in front of a camera or audience to read it aloud is traditionally the job of a human. That may be changing -- at least in Japan.

At an exhibition called Android: What is a Human? at the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation in Tokyo, Professor Hiroshi Ishiguro, director of the Intelligent Robotics Laboratory at the Osaka University Graduate School of Engineering Science, has unveiled his latest project: a pair of android newscasters.

The two androids take the uncanny valley form of a girl called Kodomoroid (kodomo meaning "child") and a woman called Otonaroid (otona meaning "adult"), who can interact with humans, read the news and read Tweets in several different voices -- although their silicon skin and limited facial movement makes them appear somewhat strange.

Kodomoroid and Otonaroid will become part of the museum's collection, interacting with visitors to help collect data for Professor Ishiguro's research into human-robot interactions. Professor Ishiguro, who has been developing robots for over 20 years, hopes that his research will help develop more intelligent robots to be used in a large range of potential roles.

Professor Ishiguro also has a robot built in his own image, which he sends overseas to give lectures, and had previously developed the Telenoid R1, a robot designed for telepresence communications, which is also on display at the exhibition.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
World's first android newscasters unveiled in Japan

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Automated processes can help deliver news -- as demonstrated by the LA Times earthquake reporting algorithm -- but sitting in front of a camera or audience to read it aloud is traditionally the job of a human. That may be changing -- at least in Japan.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Google's biggest event of the year begins on Wednesday

The Google I/O conference is ostensibly meant for developers, but the reality is that there are always important products announced there. Every year we expect big things from the company that has become much more than a search giant. Two years ago we witnessed the wild hijinks of co-founder Sergey Brin leaping out of a zeppelin to demonstrate Google Glass, while last year brought us an array of incremental updates to Google's products and CEO Larry Page's whispered dreams of a private, unregulated utopian island.

This year, expectations are high for Android, the phone operating system that's taken the world by storm. It seems pretty clear that Google is looking beyond the phone, with plans to put it on your wrist, your TV, and in your car. But Android is just one of the many things Google works on. There's Chrome, there's search; there are web apps and internet-delivering balloons and mysterious plans to get humans to live forever.

There's no way that Google can cram all of that into June 25th's two-hour keynote, but the year's biggest nerd party will nonetheless be an assault of new technologies and, hopefully, new products. Here are 11 things to watch out for at Google I/O this year.

Android Wear is here: Google has already said quite a bit about Android Wear, its new platform for wearable devices. Though fitness bands will be able to work with the new system, you should expect I/O to be a huge coming out party for smartwatches. The Moto 360 is the most exciting one we've seen so far, but we're guessing that LG's G Watch will probably be more front and center at the event, and could possibly even be given out to attendees. Android Wear allows for Google Now-style notifications and alerts, turn-by-turn directions, and voice control. There's also Google Fit, which could be Google's take on Apple's HealthKit and will probably involve wearables in some way. Last but not least, recent rumors suggest that Samsung may debut a smartwatch running Android Wear this week.

The next version of Android is coming: Sundar Pichai confirmed to Bloomberg Businessweek that the next Android release will be previewed at I/O. It's been nearly three years since Android 4.0 "Ice Cream Sandwich" fundamentally overhauled the design and Android 4.4 "KitKat" came out last October. It might start with an L (Lollipop?). Don't be surprised if we end up hearing quite a bit about the enterprise - Google has some catching up to do there.

The spate of leaks and rumors from Android Police have us expecting a very big visual change. The details are unclear, but signs are strong that we might see a UI overhaul that brings Google's web apps and Android apps closer together, an update rumored to be based on a design framework called "Quantum Paper." That visual change might even be mirrored by a functional one: the so-called "Hera" leak could be Android's answer to iOS 8's app extensions - only it would use web technologies to allow deeper integration between (and within) apps.

Will Google finally figure out how to make Android better on television?

Android TV is getting rebooted: Google's attempts to take over the television have historically been, well, pretty terrible. Google TV has been an out-and-out disaster, but the company did finally manage to salvage some success with the Chromecast. Google is probably going to try to build on that success with Android TV, which we detailed in April. The Wall Street Journal says to expect at least one Android TV-powered set-top box announcement at I/O. Interestingly, a version of Android TV was demonstrated at CES in January of this year. Hisense's Pulse Pro was touted as running Android 4, and though it looks slightly different than the later leak, it's at least another sign that Google is planning to support more traditional set-top boxes. Whether or not having both Chromecast and Android TV in the market will cause consumer confusion is still very much an open question, but hopefully the company has finally figured out that simpler is better when it comes to the living room.

Android is coming to the car: So far we've seen Android on your phone, tablet, wrist, face, and TV, but that's apparently just the start. The next place is in your car. Google launched the Open Automotive Alliance in January, and it's high time GM, Honda, Audi, and all the rest began announcing something. Right now signs point towards a system that allows you to control your phone from your dashboard, much in the same way that Apple's CarPlay acts as a remote system. The battle for the car is on.

Home automation could be a focus: There's also the Android@Home group, focused on home automation. The initiative has pretty much been missing in action of late, though perhaps we might see some new announcements. Google's brand-new Nest division just went out and acquired Dropcam, but don't assume that means we'll see movement here. It's much too early for any deep integration and Nest still operates like an independent entity within Google, but it's clear that this space matters a great deal to Google and it's willing to put its money where its mouth is.

Google Glass needs to become official: We're overdue for a consumer version of Google Glass, something that doesn't cost $1,500 and maybe doesn't look quite so nerdy. The Glass group has made steady progress over the last year or so, working with designers on new frames and software developers on new apps. But Google really needs to get Glass out of the "Explorer" phase and move on to an official launch. That won't necessarily happen at I/O, but at the very least the company ought to provide an update on what's next.

Android Silver is unlikely: The Nexus program has created some pretty great phones, but none of them have really been seen as massive retail successes. If rumors of the Android Silver program pan out, we could see that change. The idea behind Silver is for Google to aggressively support certain flagship devices that run the latest version of Android and have minimal customization - which would mean that retail and carrier stores would be more likely to carry top-tier phones without manufacturer or carrier cruft. Rumors suggest it may not launch until next year, though, so an announcement at I/O this year may be premature.

A new Nexus tablet probably won't happen until later: A new version of Android, if it comes, will probably launch on new hardware - keep an eye out for new Nexus tablets. The Nexus 10 is starting to feel a little long in the tooth, but there may be a curveball this year: a Nexus tablet with an 8.9-inch screen. It's alternately been codenamed "Flounder" and "Volantis," and supposedly it's being manufactured by HTC with an aluminum body and styling that looks quite a bit like the Nexus 5. It also might run on the ridiculously powerful Tegra K1 processor, which could make it very interesting for gamers. Unfortunately, current rumors have it pegged for Q4, so it's not likely we'll see it as soon as I/O.

Chrome OS could become touch-friendly: Chromebooks are getting awfully close to being good enough to become your primary computer, but the operating system still has a ways to go before it can truly compete with the likes of Windows or OS X. It seems like every year we ask if Google's Sundar Pichai will finally bring Android and Chrome OS closer together, but this year the chances seem better than ever.

The aforementioned "Quantum Paper" UI might have something to do with it. There are rumblings of something called "Project Athena" that could finally make Chrome OS more touch-friendly, and given the multitude of touchscreen Chromebooks, it would be none too soon. Wrapped up in all this is a relatively nerdy thing called "Polymer," a next-gen framework for creating the bits that make up web apps. Google gave some hints at what Polymer could mean for web apps last year at I/O, and this year we expect to see what it all means.

Google+ needs some focus: Though it has its fans, Google+ has had a very rough year. It's the social network that everybody loves to hate, thanks in no small part to Google's aggressive efforts to make it the backbone of the company's entire ecosystem. On top of that, executive Vic Gundotra left the company and even co-founder Sergey Brin admitted he probably should have been less involved. The one bright spot in all this is photos - Google has offered automatic uploading and lots of nifty features for your images, making Google+ a surprisingly good place to archive your pictures. It's always been hard to figure out what Google+ is supposed to be and we'd love for Google to finally make it all clear this year at I/O, but don't count on it. We'd be happy with continued advancements in Google Photos and a continued de-emphasis on foisting Google+'s social features on every corner of the web.

Robots and cars and balloons, oh my

Weird Google will be fun: The number of crazy and ambitious projects that come out of Google are almost too numerous to count. Project Ara is a modular smartphone. Project Tango has a tablet that can map rooms in 3D. Google Fiber is spreading high-speed internet throughout the country. Google Glass puts a computer on your face. Project Loon is launching internet-providing balloons around the world. Calico wants to cheat death. Google has been snapping up robotics companies at a heady clip. It's investigating artificial intelligence. It's building its own, impossibly cute self-driving cars. And those are just the projects that we know about.

Google loves to show off just how wild and weird it can be at I/O, and if it wants to impress (or scare) us, it has plenty to work with. Even if it's not some wild project out of Google X, there's always the chance that we'll see new hardware like an updated Chromebook Pixel or Chromecast. Google loves to surprise us with the unexpected, and we'll be there live and in force to see what happens. The event begins with the keynote on June 25th at 9AM PT / 12PM ET.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Android everywhere: 11 things to watch for at Google I/O

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Google's biggest event of the year begins on Wednesday The Google I/O conference is ostensibly meant for developers, but the reality is that there are always important products announced there. Every year we expect big things from the company that has become much more than a search giant.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Meet the Nokia X2, the first Android-based smartphone being made by Microsoft.

Yes, you read that right: Microsoft has just made a new Android -based handset.

It's also still using the Nokia name at this point, despite previously saying it didn't plan to trade on that name for long. (Evidently Microsoft's marketing minions are still working on cooking up that "go forward" smartphone brand.)

The Nokia X2 is not the first Android device Microsoft owns, being as Redmond took over Nokia's mobile making division in April - a move which brought the original Nokia X device under its wing. But some doubted whether Microsoft approved of Nokia's Android experiment - and speculated that the line would be quickly culled by Redmond.

Nokia forked Android back in February to create a new smartphone platform, which it called the Nokia X Software Platform to slot in between - pricing-wise - its Series 40 based low-cost Asha devices and its Windows Phone powered Lumia smartphones.

At the time Nokia described the fork as a Lumia "feeder" - with then CEO Stephen Elop saying Nokia X devices would be a Trojan horse within Google's ecosystem by introducing first time smartphone owners to Microsoft's services rather than Mountain View's.

Evidently Microsoft approves of this strategy after all - since it's now building on that experiment with a follow-up device. Or at least it's willing to give the fork a chance.

The Nokia X2 is priced at €99 before taxes and subsidies (a little up on the original Nokia X's €89 price-tag), and has a slightly larger screen (4.3 inches vs 4 inches), along with a beefier processor (1.2GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor vs 1GHz dual-core in the original device).

Otherwise it's much the same fare, with the handset coming in a range of eye-popping colours and featuring Nokia's blend of UI experiences - with a Windows Phone-esque tiles-based homescreen, combined with Nokia's Fast Lane notifications screen, plus plentiful Microsoft (and Nokia) services preloaded, including Skype, Outlook, OneDrive, Mix Radio, Here Maps; and - of course - access to Android apps.

The X2 also supports dual-SIM - a popular feature in emerging markets where Microsoft will be hoping the Nokia X platform can better compete with other Android rivals than Windows Phone has been able to, thanks to those plentiful Android apps - and by reaching a lower price tag than entry-level Lumias can.

The Nokia X2 extends the original trio of devices on the platform which were the Nokia X, X+ and XL.

Below is a Microsoft demo video of the X2:

Wondering what Nokia has been up to since handing off its mobile-making division to Microsoft? It's also been dabbling with Android - releasing an alternative homescreen for Google's software platform called Z Launcher just last week.

In mobile, (almost) all roads now lead to Mountain View. So finding ways to build atop Android is the order of the day for mobile players of all stripes.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Microsoft Has Just Launched Its First Android Smartphone, The Nokia X2

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Meet the Nokia X2, the first Android-based smartphone being made by Microsoft. Yes, you read that right: Microsoft has just made a new Android -based handset. It's also still using the Nokia name at this point, despite previously saying it didn't plan to trade on that name for long.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Some didn't believe it would happen. Others didn't want to. But on June 24, Microsoft took the wraps off the second generation, Android-powered Nokia X2 phones .

The move shouldn't have been such a surprise , yet to many, it was.

Top Microsoft execs, including Devices business chief (and former Nokia CEO) Stephen Elop and operating system group head Terry Myerson both indicated earlier this year that Microsoft was planning to put its muscle behind the Nokia X phones . The official line has been that these phones provide Microsoft with a gateway for potentially getting new users interested in Windows Phone.

One key -- if not the key -- to these Nokia Android phones is the set of Microsoft services that are preloaded and/or available for the devices.

The core is the consumer services trinity: OneDrive, Outlook.com and Skype . These are the consumer cloud services that Microsoft is hoping it can parlay into business service demand somewhere down the line.

It's also interesting that Microsoft's OneNote note-taking app is available for the Nokia X2s, too. OneNote is one of the core investments for the company -- right alongside Outlook.com/Exchange, OneDrive/SharePoint and Skype/Lync.

Microsoft is making Windows available for zero dollars (a k a free) on phones and tablets with screen sizes of under nine inches. That means the company is counting less and less on the Windows operating system as a revenue source. Instead, services and applications are where Microsoft management are looking to earn money -- through ads, subscriptions, premium upgrades, etc. -- in the future.

Seen through that lens, the Nokia Android phones are vehicles for Microsoft's future revenue sources -- just as Windows Phones are -- now that the Windows Phone OS is free. That's why I bet there could be a generation three, four and more of Android-based phones in the pipeline from Microsoft.

For a company that's emphasizing "cloud first, mobile first," the claim that "More people are now connected to the Microsoft cloud through Nokia X" fits right in.

While on the topic of the Nokia X phones, I noticed a couple of surprising (at least to me) things about the second-generation phones unveiled today:

1. The default browser is Opera. While IE isn't available on Android, Microsoft's choice of Opera is not what I'd have predicted, given past wranglings between the two companies.

2. Those who bought the first-generation Nokia X, X+ and XL devices won't be getting the updated version of the "X platform," which includes a new homescreen pane and other performance and UI updates. Microsoft is attributing this to incompatible hardware. Officials say more updates will still come to the first-generation Nokia X phones to improve users' experience, however.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Second-generation Nokia Android phones show Microsoft's new priorities | ZDNet

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Some didn't believe it would happen. Others didn't want to. But on June 24, Microsoft took the wraps off the second generation, Android-powered Nokia X2 phones . The move shouldn't have been such a surprise , yet to many, it was.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Google I/O, the search giant's annual developer powwow, kicks off Wednesday and expectations are for a heaping of wearables, smart home and health hooks, something resembling a cloud strategy, design and Android, which is the glue for the whole shebang. The problem: Android is looking tired.

Sure, Android has all the market share. Yes, Android dominates in emerging markets. It's hard to knock Android's success. But Android requires too much tinkering. Android is harder than the other mobile platforms. And hardware partners screw with Android too much. Android's biggest reason for adoption shouldn't be because it happens to power smartphones with 5-inch screens.
CNET's Google I/O live blog on tap Wednesday
Add it up and Android is a bit of a miracle, but has become splintered into varying user experience approaches. How happy are you with Android? Well that answer largely depends on what device you have, how fast updates come and whether you like dabbling in settings from time to time. Android does everything. It's good at some things.

Cook launches frontal assault on Android: Does argument hold?

Simply put, Android is the old Windows---a multi-purpose tool that has market share, but not a lot of love.

Consider recent events:

1. Amazon launches its Fire Phone . I have serious questions about how the device will do, but Amazon's Firefly is innovative. There's a bit of envelope pushing with a customized Android.

2. Windows Phone gets a lot of crap---and still lacks the one or two must have apps I need to even consider it---but the experience is more coherent than Android's in many spots.

3. Apple's iOS is being refreshed and if you use both an iPhone and Android device (iPhone 5s and Samsung Galaxy S4 for me) it's jarring how clunky Google's platform feels at times. Both platforms annoy me in uniquely different ways for what it's worth. Apple CEO Tim Cook has gone directly after the Android experience .

Google's I/O agenda reveals the following themes:

Before Google runs off and yaps incessantly about the wearable push and Android powering everything, the core mobile experience needs a bit of time. What I'd like to see:

More Google Now throughout Android and less app icons and swiping. I know the app icons are the standard, but cards are much more appealing.

Android needs to reach out. You hand Google all your data and it's useful in spots with Maps and geo targeting. The Android experience overall needs to be helpful.

Better integration. The Android experience is lumpy and doesn't get you to where you want to go fast enough.

Updates. Google needs to herd cats to deliver the latest advances. I get it. But I don't care. Herd the damn cats already.

Google needs to lead the way, but the gut feel is that Android is resting on its market share a bit. Hopefully, Google I/O will change that equation.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Google I/O looms: We need an Android revamp, facelift | ZDNet

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Google I/O, the search giant's annual developer powwow, kicks off Wednesday and expectations are for a heaping of wearables, smart home and health hooks, something resembling a cloud strategy, design and Android, which is the glue for the whole shebang. The problem: Android is looking tired. Sure, Android has all the market share.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
GOOGLE'S ANNUAL I/O CONFERENCE kicks off later today, and the rumour mill has been rife with speculation regarding what we can expect from the event.

Google I/O takes place in San Francisco's Moscone Center and begins on 25 June at 5pm UK time. We've rounded up everything you can expect from Google's 2014 I/O developers conference before we bring you all the news from this evening's keynote.

Android 5.0
It's very likely that Google will use its I/O keynote to unwrap the next iteration of its mobile operating system, expected to arrive as Android 5.0 Lollipop or, as later rumours have suggested, Android 5.0 'L'.

Android 5.0 is expected to introduce a major redesign, with leaked images and speculation suggesting that the user interface will feature a "flat, minimalistic" design similar to that of Apple's iOS 7.

Android 5.0 is expected to add support for low-end phones, including those with as little as 512MB of RAM, with Google looking to put an end to Android fragmentation. While it's expected to support affordable handsets, Android 5.0 is also likely to add support for 64-bit processors.

Fitness is likely to be a big deal in Android 5.0, too, with Google set to take a leaf from Apple's recently announced Healthbook app. This, although unconfirmed, will likely allow users to track their calorie intake, exercise and steps.

Google Babble is another feature rumoured to debut in Android 5.0, a cross-platform instant messaging service that will sync conversations from Hangouts, Voice, Facebook Messenger and more.

If these rumours are to be believed, Android 5.0 likely will start rolling out to devices this autumn.

Nexus 9
Rumours surrounding the so-called Google Nexus 9 have picked up pace ahead of the I/O conference, with reports claiming that the HTC-built tablet will be unveiled at the developer conference.

Codenamed the HTC Volantis, the tablet will arrive running Google's Android 5.0 mobile operating system and reportedly will be powered by Nvidia's 64-bit Tegra K1 chip and have an 8.9in 2048x1440 resolution touchscreen display.

The device, set to mimic the iPad Mini with its aluminium design and skinny 7.9mm-thick frame, is also tipped to feature an 8MP rear-facing camera, a 3MP front-facing camera, optional 4G LTE support and 2GB of RAM.

According to the latest rumours, the Google Nexus 9 will be made available in 16GB and 32GB models, which will be priced at $399 and $499, respectively. A 4G model will also be made available, which is tipped to cost around $600.

Android Wear
Google has spent a lot of time this week talking about its Glass spectacles, but smart watches are expected to be another big focus at the I/O conference this year.

Google is widely expected to reveal some more details about its Android Wear operating system, and likely will show off the Moto 360 and LG G Watch devices for the first time.

There's also chatter that Google might show off its own smartwatch at the I/O conference, but we'd take this rumour with a pinch of salt.

Geoff Blaber, VP at analyst outfit CSS Insight said ahead of I/O's kick off, "We expect Google to provide more detail on Android Wear, including full demonstrations, details on APIs for developers and potentially the launch of the first devices with partners such as Motorola and LG."

"Android Wear is a no brainer for application developers given its broad support by numerous device makers. Getting developers to commit resources to other smaller proprietary platforms or rivals such as Tizen is going to be increasingly challenging. Android Wear has the potential to become the defacto software solution for wearables."

Android TV
While Google already has made a name for itself in the connected TV market with its Chromecast dongle, it's widely expected to show off an Android TV set-top box during its I/O press conference on Wednesday.

Android TV reportedly will run a custom version of Google's Android mobile operating system, and apparently will be powered by Nvidia's Tegra 4 chip. According to the Wall Street Journal, gaming will be the main selling point of the device, allowing users to suspend progress on a smartphone game and continue playing it on their TV.

If leaked screenshots are anything to go by, Android TV will also launch with apps including Netflix, Youtube, Google Play Music and Pandora.

Google Home
Following Apple's recent unveiling of Homekit, Google is expected to announce its push into the connected home market during its I/O conference keynote.

This is likely, as Google's Nest Labs announced earlier this week that its APIs are now open to outside developers, and the firm also announced its acquisition of surveillance firm Dropcam. With this in mind, Google is widely expected to announce how these devices, along with others, will integrate together.

We'll be bringing you coverage from Google's I/O conference keynote today from 5pm UK time, so check back then for all the latest. µ

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
What to expect from Google I/O: Android 5.0, Nexus 9, Android Wear and more | TheINQUIRER

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
GOOGLE'S ANNUAL I/O CONFERENCE kicks off later today, and the rumour mill has been rife with speculation regarding what we can expect from the event. Google I/O takes place in San Francisco's Moscone Center and begins on 25 June at 5pm UK time.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
James Martin/CNET

Google, after failing to score a hit with its prior TV projects, hasn't given up on the living room just yet.

The Mountain View, Calif., company is working with partners to produce several television set-top boxes that run its Android software, people familiar with the matter said. The devices will let users view content, listen to music, and play games on their television sets, they said.

Google plans to reveal at least one set-top box and new Android software for TVs on Wednesday at its Google I/O developer conference in San Francisco. Along with its TV efforts, Google also will show off new Android Wear smartwatches from partners such as Samsung and LG, as CNET reported, and talk about its efforts in cars and other areas.

Catch CNET's live coverage of the Google I/O 2014 keynote on Wednesday at 9 a.m. PT.

This latest move to bring Android to TVs marks at least Google's third major foray into the television industry. The company's previous attempts, including its Google TVs in 2010, have fallen flat, with former partner Logitech calling its Google TV " a mistake of implementation of a gigantic nature." Many Android partners -- including Samsung and LG -- now rely on their own software to drive their TVs and set-top boxes.

For Google, though, the large market for smart TVs and streaming media boxes makes it worth another try. While TV sales have been sluggish, sales of devices that plug into televisions and play video and music are expected to jump to 330 million units by 2017, double the tally from last year, according to market researcher Parks Associates. More than 50 percent of US households connect their TV to the Internet in some fashion, the researcher also said.

The market potential is luring consumer electronics giants, including Apple, whose $99 Apple TV set-top box grew from a "hobby" product in 2007 to a $1 billion business in 2013. Amazon also announced its own set-top box, the $99 Fire TV, in April.

Google's numerous attempts to upset the industry started with the release of Google TV at its 2010 developers conference. Google TV initially promised full access to the Web and easy listings searches through set-top boxes and TVs from companies such as Logitech and Sony. It never took off, though, because popular sites like Hulu and networks like ABC blocked their content. The Google TVs also were criticized for being too complicated and expensive.

Google tried again the next year, ditching initial chip partner Intel for Marvell and updating its software to make it simpler. The October 2011 software update also improved the way people could simultaneously search for content on live TV, Google's YouTube video site, and video-streaming sites such as Netflix. It also struck new deals with electronics makers such as Vizio to bring new Google TV-powered devices to market in 2012. That effort also flopped.

Google most recent push came last year with Chromecast, a $35 dongle that plugs into TVs and streams content from a user's smartphone, tablet, or computer. Initial sales appeared strong among consumers, but usage of the Chromecast may be dwindling after an initial surge of curious interest, according to data from Parks.

This year's attempt will be more-well rounded, people familiar with the matter say. At least one of the devices will be powered by an Nvidia Tegra 4 processor, suggesting strong ties to the video game industry. That chip was used in Nvidia's Shield, an Android-based handheld video game device released a year ago.

Other Android-powered set-top boxes are in the works with Intel chips, people familiar with the matter said.

Google didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. Intel and Nvidia declined to comment on Android TV.

James Martin/CNET

Intel was Google's first processor partner for Google TV, and Nvidia has long supplied chips for gaming. A previous version of Nvidia's chips, the Tegra 3, powered the Ouya, a set-top box also released last year that now counts more than 840 games in its library. The $99 device pulled in nearly $8.6 million in funding through a Kickstarter campaign. Ouya has become a darling of independent video game makers and has expanded to offer its store of games to other devices. It hasn't announced any sales data, however.

How seriously Google plans to sell its video game capabilities is still unclear. When Amazon released its Fire TV set-top box, it offered an optional game controller and showed off a new title, Sev Zero, which was built by its in-house development teams. The company hasn't since discussed sales or usage among customers. Amazon didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

No matter how much Google discusses games, streaming content will be a must-have for the device. Typically, new set-top devices and platforms aim to launch with at least a few splashy content partners already on board, such as popular music-streaming services like Clear Channel's iHeartRadio and Pandora or major streaming-video companies like Netflix.

Google's record has been hit-and-miss: When it unveiled its Chromecast streaming dongle in July, it included just Netflix and Google's own media businesses like YouTube and Google Play in the lineup. Support for Pandora, Hulu, and others did not arrive until months later.

CNET's Joan E. Solsman contributed to this report.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Google to turn on new set-top boxes with Android TV software

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Google, after failing to score a hit with its prior TV projects, hasn't given up on the living room just yet. The Mountain View, Calif., company is working with partners to produce several television set-top boxes that run its Android software, people familiar with the matter said.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Google will show a new version of Android tomorrow

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Get ready to take a first look at the next version of Android tomorrow. In an interview with Bloomberg Businessweek , Android chief Sundar Pichai says that he wants to begin showing the world what Google is up to further in advance.