Google Will Battle Apple With Android Auto And TV
by Brent Dirks
June 25, 2014
Google wasn’t shy about unveiling new products at its keynote address to begin the I/O developer conference earlier today. And many of the new initiatives are designed to compete against Apple products.
First Android Auto, much like Apple’s CarPlay, is designed to bring the mobile OS to in-car entertainment systems. Relying heavily on the voice-activated Google Now feature, users will be able to access Google Maps and other features like text messages.
Cars supporting the pictured OS will be available sometime before the end of the year.
And, as expected, Google is trying once again to invade the living room with Android TV. While its previous efforts were derided as overly complicated and expensive, the new system will run on set-top boxes and also focus on gaming.
That’s something Apple is rumored to be doing with an upcoming Apple TV revamp.
While Google announced the Android Wear platform for wearable devices back in March, the company showcased a new device – the Gear Live from Samsung. The watch will cost $199.99 and be available in early July. Upcoming watches from LG and Motorola were also highlighted.
Apple is reportedly planning to introduce its first wearable device in October. The so-called "iWatch" is rumored to focus on health and fitness.
Speaking of health, the company also unveiled its own fitness tracking initiative – Google Fit. Much like HealthKit in iOS 8, the unified service will take data from a number of sources, including devices already on the market.
Photo: The Verge
