For appliances that are unable to connect to Wi-fi, the folks at Google have designed an open wireless protocol that allows Android devices to talk to them. This protocol is designed to offer low-cost connectivity to everything electrical in the home. Lights, alarm clocks, thermostats, and more are included in the first iteration of this connectivity protocol – Google wants to think of every single appliance in your home as a potential piece of the puzzle in this Android@Home framework, ready to work with Android apps.

Lights and Appliances

In the original presentation of Android@Home, an app with four off/on switches was presented with data flowing to the right on a Motorola XOOM tablet’s display. This app connected with a set of four lamps, each simply controlled by the app and connected with the protocol written for Android@Home. Very simple stuff. The next example was an app that connected to your alarm clock/stereo and your lights throughout a room – this app gradually raising the brightness of the lights and turning up the sound on your stereo as the time for your awakening in the morning approaches.

Another example given by Google was an app connected to your home’s irrigation system, this bringing you a “real world Farmville app” so to speak, watering your plants and grass whenever you tap a button or on a set schedule. A game connection was shown on stage at I/O 2011 with the game Quake being played on the Motorola XOOM Android tablet – as shots were fired and enemies were killed, the lights connected with the app flickered and dimmed – no more life, no more light.

Google has partnered with several industry groups on this project, one of these being Lighting Science – a leading LED lighting manufacturer. This group will be the first to sell LED lighting and switches directly tied to the Android@Home environment. You can check out the bulb held up and demoed at the event over at Lighting Science but good luck getting much information out of them on how they’re doing with the Android@Home project now – mum’s the word!

Project Tungston / Android@Home Hub

The Android@Home Hub is a “totally new kind of Android device” as they said at Google I/O 2011 and combines a standalone Google Music endpoint and a bridge to the Android@Home network. This project was code-named Project Tungston. At the first introduction to the project, they had a couple of Tungston devices – both of them ran the Android operating system as well as the Android@Home software framework. Both of these devices were “always powered on” and always connected to the cloud. They have Audio Out and can connect to either 3rd party speakers or your home stereo system (aka wirelessly or wired). These Tungston devices connected with what we now know as Google Music – all your music in the cloud and available for purchase on command.

The control device, aka the one that looks like a leaning box here with lights flashing in its seams, is controlled by your Android smartphone or tablet. In the interface on Google Music you’re able to see which devices you’re connected to, and in this case you’ve got “Stage Left” and “Stage Right”, the names of the two Tungston controllers connected to speakers.

All of this connectivity and functionality is, like Android itself, based on an open source code. Developers will be able to create their own apps based on the code freely and without cost. Another “Tungston” device was demonstrated on stage at I/O 2011 that looked more like a sphere than a box. This device was able to read NFC tags that were “activated when the packaging was taken off of the case” of a CD. When you opened your CD case up and tapped it to the sphere, it would read the tag inside and the music was immediately added to your Google Music library in digital form. Touching the sphere with the CD case once the music was added started playing the music from the first track instantly.

Google I/O 2011 Presentation

Head to about 43 minutes into the video here to see the entire presentation on Android@Home or watch the full video to see everything presented on the first day at Google I/O 2011 – it’s Ice Cream Sandwich fantastic!

What we expect soon

Android@Home is likely to pop up again here in the Spring of 2012 as the Google Home Entertainment Device we’ve been hearing whispered tips about for the past week. We’re thinking that the open protocol and codes galore for developers will be formally passed on soon, and that a device may well be developed by Google to show the functional power of Android@Home off to the world, much like an Android Nexus device would. Let’s get connected at home in 2012!

We’ll be seeing fabulous developer announcements ranging from Google apps to Android apps and everything in-between. Google I/O is going to be taking place at the Moscone Center West in San Francisco, California, and if there’s one thing we know from past representations of the I/O event, we know we’ll be seeing some freebies. The application to get in on this event will be popping up in February, and we’ll be sure to let you know where to go when the time is ripe.

Google’s Monica Tran lets us know that “That’s all we can tell you for now, but we’d advise against making travel arrangements until then.” So know this: keep your week open, but don’t quite stick your cash in yet. You’ll want to know that the Google Developers page over at Google+ to get all the updates you need or just stick with us here on SlashGear to find out what you’ve gotta know. Keep your noses clean until then!

Registration dates for the event will be coming soon, with details still rather scant as far as who’s going to be speaking there and what’ll exactly be going on on the floor. You can check out our gigantic [Google IO portal] for information on what’s been revealed in years past, especially 2011 where Ice Cream Sandwich was announced formally for the first time! Look at that logo! Then of course there were the freebies!

There was a free Galaxy Tab 10.1 before it was released to the public, we saw Vic Guntotra opening his Galaxy Tab for the first time, free Chromebooks for everybody, and much, much more. What was once a place for developers to giggle about codes is now an internationally followed event. Why? Because it’s where all the makers and the doers go and speak about what’s coming to everything Google!

Seeya there!

As you may remember from all the way back at CES 2011, Orbotix presented what was then a whole new concept in remote controlled objects. Was it an RC car? Nope. Was it some sort of flying device? I suppose if you’re going fast enough over a cliff, yes. Was it a robot? I suppose that depends on what you think a robot really is! This is Sphero, the world’s first smartphone-controlled robotic ball. What you’re about to witness is its first final prototype design debut (what a mouthful!) and we’re getting to see it in NYC at the Pepcom Holiday Spectacular this week in Brooklyn, NYC.

This orb device showed its cool face again at Google I/O 2011 with talks of a developer program for the device. You can now access that program which is still in full swing at http://developer.orbotix.com/. There you can download the full API and Mobile SDK codes as well as documentation, sample code, and customizable UIKit. Everything you need to create your own unique app to work with the official Sphero remote-control game ball. I say game ball almost for lack of an adequate name since, as with all seemingly completely original products, one must ask: what is this, really?

Have a look at what Berberian has to show us if there’s one person on the planet whose best qualified to show you the awesome in this device, it’s him.

He’ll be demonstrating on an iDevice you may well recognize and will show you basic controls as well as an app called “Draw and Drive” in which you can draw lines in any combination of shapes and your Sphero will follow the path. And these aren’t the only controller apps you’ll get right at the onset, there’s also games in which you’ll be able to, as Orbotix notes, “Race your friends with Sphero Drive, take a swing down your hallway with Sphero Golf, outrun your cat with KittyCam, or crush virtual zombies in your living room with ZombieBall.”

Berberian also gives us all a closer look at the near-final packaging for the device and some information on the final release – where and when!

Sphero will be available to consumers throughout the USA inside 2011 for an initial price point of $129.99. Each package contains a Sphero orb, an induction charger (you can see these flickering on the tablet behind Berberian,) and multiple free downloadable games (with more on the way, of course!) You can pre-order Sphero from http://www.gosphero.com/ – they’ll start taking credit card orders in November 2011 and will start shipping in December 2011 and they’ll be for sale on a first-come, first-serve basis. You’ll be able to purchase this device in retail (both in the USA and abroad) starting in 2012 – note though that, at least at first, it’ll only be available direct or through Amazon until additional retailers are announced, again, in 2012.

Sound like a good price point to you? You gonna get one? Be sure furthermore to take a peek at our full collection of hands-on videos from the event in our Pepcom Holiday Spectacular 2011 portal!

The other hoped-for announcement was of course, the Galaxy Tab 10.1, which we were handed at Google I/O last Tuesday. This tab was due out on June 8th, but now we wonders if that might be delayed a bit. We have noticed issues with our model, as syncing doesn’t work for example. You can see a review of the tab at our sister site Android Community.

And here is our sad little message, announcing the delay of the event:

Good afternoon,

The Samsung Mobile event scheduled for May 24th in New York has been postponed to a later date. We apologize for the inconvenience. We will be in touch soon with more details.

Thank you

Everbody say it together: “Awwww.”

According to recent reports, Apple’s iPhone 5 may make a November appearance, while an iPhone 4S for carriers Sprint and T-Mobile may arrive in September. This leaves next month’s WWDC without a phone to announce, bringing many to believe that the focus will be on the rumored Apple iCloud, which may completely replace MobileMe, bring iTunes to the cloud, embarrass Google’s recently launched Music Beta, and attempt to “magically” revolutionize the industry in some way or other. Additionally, iOS 5 and the new Mac OS X Lion will most likely be unveiled as well.

Google announced Android Ice Cream Sandwich to come in Q4 2011 that will unify the platform and eliminate the need for the separate smartphone and tablet versions we currently see with Gingerbread and Honeycomb, respectively. Ice Cream Sandwich, besides sounding delectable, could alleviate a lot of the fragmentation issues that have been hindering app development for the platform that has often involved apps working for some devices and not others. This, plus a revamped Android Market along with the addition of Google TV into the Android ecosystem, will surely boost the quantity and scope of apps to come.

Google I/O Day 1
Android Honeycomb Update To 3.1 Announced At Google I/O
Google TV Gets Android Market And Android 3.1 Honeycomb
Ice Cream Sandwich, Officially Announced at Google I/O [Updated]
Google Music Beta, Cloud-Based Music Service Is Ready Today
Google Unveils Arduino-Based Android Open Accessories
All 5,000 Google I/O Attendees Receive Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 for free
Exclusive: Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 unboxing by Vic Gundotra
Google I/O First Keynote Recap: Android 3.1, Android Ice Cream Sandwich, Google TV, Music Beta, Movies and More
Google I/O 2011 Keynote: Entire Day One Video
Google I/O Day 2
Angry Birds for Chrome Out Today [Special Edition VIDEO]
Google Demos Chrome Speech Input, Graphics Acceleration, And 3D
Google Shows Off Trippy WebGL Project
Samsung Chromebook Announced
Acer Chromebook Announced
Chromebooks Can Work Offline, Already Hundreds Of Apps Offline-Ready
Free Chromebook for all 5,000 Google I/O Attendees
Google I/O Day 2 Keynote Recap

Various news related to Samsung, LG, and HTC
Droid Charge Goes on Sale at Verizon Tomorrow!
DROID Charge Review
Nexus S 4G smartphone lands at Sprint and Best Buy
White Nexus S For AT&T Spotted Briefly On Samsung Site
Samsung 10.1″ 2560 x 1600 tablet panel could be iPad 3′s Retina Display
LG Display promises Samsung-slaying AH-IPS high-res screens
LG Optimus Big vs Samsung Galaxy S II
LG Optimus Big hands-on [Video]
HTC Sensation 4G: An Intimate Look [VIDEO]
HTC Sensation bucks Android trend with anti-mod bootloader
HTC Flyer Unboxing & First Impressions [Video]
HTC Flyer on sale now: (partially) undercuts iPad 2 [Updated]

Sony PlayStation Network
PlayStation Network is back online [Video]
Sony’s Next PSN Challenge: Restoring Reputation
PlayStation Network service spreads: UK, Middle East, more

Microsoft and Skype deal
Microsoft to Acquire Skype for Over $8 Billion
Microsoft Skype deal official: VoIP integration with Xbox, Windows Phone, more
Microsoft Bought Skype for the Brand

Apple news…
Apple Explains To Congress: We Don’t Track The Location Of Our Customers
Apple iPhone 4S, Not iPhone 5?

Editorials
It’s Official: Xbox 360 Is the Best Console of This Generation
Sony’s Next PSN Challenge: Restoring Reputation
How (and Why) to Save Best Buy
The Five Technologies That Impacted My Life
What’s Google TV’s Key Selling Point?
Movie Review: Thor
Sure, the iPad has 82% Market Share, But Will it Last?

Reviews
iMac Core i5 3.10GHz review (mid 2011)
HP TouchSmart 610 Review

Robot Lightsaber Duel

At this year’s International Conference on Robotics and Automation in Shanghai, China, Yaksawa Industrial demonstrated the dexterity of the robots from their industrial line by having them duel with lightsabers. Unfortunately, no sparks flew, and it wasn’t really death-defying excitement, but it’s pretty cool to watch the robot arms spinning the lightsabers around. Check out the video:

Kibot Cute and Cuddly Monkey Robot – Hands On

Our own Chris Davies travelled to South Korea this week, and had the opportunity to do a hands-on of the Kibot robot, which is intended as a toy for kids. The robot features NFC, video calling, and WiFi, and can be controlled by a cell phone. Chris has speculated on a darker purpose, though: “Kibot is carrier KT Telecom’s attempt to condition children to the inevitable AI takeover.” Our commenters think he wouldn’t last five minutes in the hands of American kids, though. Check out the video. He’s so cute!

KURMET Jumping Robot

The KURMET (get it, Kermit, KURMET…ha ha) robot was designed by researchers at Ohio State University and the University of Notre Dame to do demonstrate controllable, repeatable jumping. KURMET can move himself by jumping, and also clear obstacles. The bot learns to jump using a fuzzy control system. They hope to eventually teach the robot to do flips and even play hopscotch (which would include jumping on alternate feet). The eventual purpose could be for military purposes, as a jumping robot would be useful travelling over rough terrain. Video:

A Robot Ultra Marathon Walker

The Ranger robot had accomplished a 14.3 mile walk in 2010, and we were impressed then, since it accomplished it on a single charge. But now, the Ranger has increased that distance to 40.5 miles. This is a distance record, but certainly not a speed record. It took the Ranger 30 hours, 49 minutes, and 2 seconds to walk those miles. It started at 2 p.m. May 1 and then stopped walking when the battery went dead at 9 p.m. May 2, walking at 1.3 mph. But the impressive thing here is that the Ranger did this on a single charge once again. There were faculty and staff taking turns guiding the robot on its journey as well. I’m still aspiring to 26.2, so good going to the Ranger!

Luna Robot Personal Assistant, is Rosie Finally Here?

You remember Rosie from the Jetsons, right? Of course you do. Who wouldn’t want a robot assistant that can do all your household chores for you. Luna isn’t exactly that but it is described as the “world’s first personal robot”. It has three important features, it is expandable via expansion ports, it’s fully programmable with open standards, and it is affordable (but we don’t know the price yet). There are still a lot of details to come on this robot, and it is as yet just a concept. Here is what Fred Nikgohar, the CEO of Robodyanmics said, ““We conducted an exhaustive search for a design studio who could deliver exceptional design within the context of a technical and engineering challenge that is inherently entailed in bringing world’s first personal robot to market. With SchultzeWORKS, we found a partner who has enabled our company to articulate an exceptional visual and artistic design, while simultaneously helping us mitigate the stringent technical and quality standards contained within Luna. This ability to work both within an artistic and technical framework is indeed a rare gift that Dave and his team brought to the table for us.”

Ok, so not terribly informative, but we’ll keep watching for details.

Hasbro Android Robot Toys get I/O video playtime,

Our new favorite monkey robot, Kibot, may be stuck in Korea, but Hasbro has wider ambitions for its Nexus S powered Robot Toys. On show at Google I/O this week, the Android-bots are basically self-powered motorized cradles into which the Samsung smartphone docks, hooking up via Bluetooth. You can then hold races and use object recognition, just as you will see in the video. My favorite part is where one of the robots falls over and actually loses a screw. Definitely still in development. Vincent Nguyen was disappointed that the robots couldn’t make out, since there is a boy and a girl. Maybe they can work that in. But you can shake them and, thanks to the accelerometer, they get dizzy; rub the touchscreen and they’ll cheer up. Awww.

While it would be easy to slap some wheels onto a dock and call it a day, Hasbro has gone further than that. Each robot has feet rather than wheels, and they use object-recognition via the Nexus S’ front-facing camera, as well as other sensors in the phone, to react to their environment. Shots are sent to Google’s cloud servers where they’re processed in real-time; the robot then knows whether to get curious or to run (slowly) away.

More details in the video:

More Google I/O Robotics: Sphero Robotic Ball Debuts Developer Program

Since the PlayStation Network is down, have you considered other forms of game play? Well, how about a robotic ball that can be controlled directly from your smartphone to do all kinds of crazy maneuvers in the real physical world? No? But Orbotix has. The company created a robotic ball called Sphero, the first of its kind. Now, they’re opening up the API behind what controls this amazing sphere by unveiling their Sphero developer program at Google I/O.

Orbotix is touting an open and absolute killer of an API and they are seeking the smartest developers to help reinvent the concept of play with Sphero. Developers who register for the program will have access to the full SDK for both Android and iOS platforms, sample apps, developer guides access to developer forums and an idea portal, exclusive hack-a-thons, bounties, contests, and educational discounts. Developers that register now can get a Sphero at a special discounted rate with early delivery, early access to software features, access to new prototypes, and may even have a chance to win a free Sphero.

Orbotix will be hosting various Hack-a-thons for their developers to code and test with the robotic ball present. If you want to register for the Sphero developer program go to www.goshero.com/developer

Watch the Sphero robotic balls in action:

German Researchers Take Out After a Robot With Baseball Bat

No, they aren’t trying to defend themselves from an alien robot invasion, they are testing the toughness of the DLR Hand Arm System, an ultra-tough system with 52 motors and joints that absorbs energy the way human hands and arms can. These crazy guys at DLR, the German Aerospace Agency, have all the fun. We saw the Rollin’ Justin Robot last week, and then they have also have smashed robot’s hands with a hammmer, and have given a robot a knife and let themselves be stabbed. Really!

So they want their robots to be tough in order to prevent breakdowns in industrial settings. The arm worked just as well as before after being whacked with a bat, more than we could say for a human arm. That’s because the arm has newly designed floating spring joints, which help dissipate energy better than a rigid structure could. The arms also have two motors, one to control the joint and another small one to adjust its stiffness. The hand also has 38 tendons which are tougher than Kevlar, according to IEEE Spectrum. The tendons are attached to a spring-based elastic mechanism, which also allows the fingers to release and store energy.

You can see the human having way too much fun taking a what at the robot in the video:

DIY R2-D2 rolling trash can, not a robot, but still pretty cool

Those trash cans we put out on our curbs are pretty boring, kind of gross, and not really something you want to think about too much. But this one is different. It’s been improved to look like R2-D2, probably with masking tape and paint, and a lot of time. To whoever made this, though, keep it away from our writer Shane McGlaun. He’s got his eye on it.

That’s a wrap for this week’s SlashGear Science Week in Review. We hope you enjoyed all the Robot action. See you next week!

You can see both keynotes below, while all the session videos are available here. Topics include API good practice, Android Market strategies and 3G graphics.

Unfortunately watching the sessions and keynotes online doesn’t get you a free Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Limited Edition to download. Still, you can potentially win one in our new Epic Unboxing Giveaway!

Google I/O 2011 Day One Keynote:

Google I/O 2011 Day Two Keynote:

[via Android Community]

For those who currently own Google TV-based devices, like the Logitech Revue, that’s good news. Right now, those folks are using a platform that, by and large, has done little to justify its price. Worst of all, for months, it seemed that Google had turned its back on the platform, allowing it to languish on store shelves.

But now that we know Google TV isn’t dead, what is Google actually going to do to help revive the service? Consumers aren’t so quick to forget major issues. And when Google TV launched, it was a downright loser.

I can’t help but wonder if it’s too little, too late.

Now, I’m sure there are some out there that would disagree with that sentiment. They would say that the first run of any product is expected to be a little rough around the edges. And they might also say that Google TV was better than some folks have given it credit for.

But I’m not so quick to agree. Google TV had hype and it had potential. But Google and its vendor partners quickly scuttled that by launching a service that wasn’t ready.

Overcoming the challenge of making people forget that will be difficult, to say the least. The Apple TV is selling reasonably well, a growing number of televisions are shipping with key applications, including Netflix, built-in, and game consoles are still offering the best value proposition in the set-top box market. Like it or not, Google TV seems like an extra, unnecessary option in today’s marketplace.

In order to even come close to changing that, Google will need to drastically alter its strategy for selling people on the Google TV again. In some ways, the search giant has already committed the biggest misstep it could in the set-top box market, and now its charge is to repair that damage.

But can it? I just don’t know. Google TV was supposed to be the savior for living room entertainment. It’s now considered an outright dud. And changing consumer perception months after the first Google TV product launched and Google even paid a modicum attention to it hasn’t helped matters.

Sorry, but even with these recent announcements, I just don’t know if Google TV has much of a future. Google still hasn’t proven to consumers why they should opt for its platform over all others. And until it can do that, look for the market to turn to alternatives, including the Apple TV.

According to Sutton’s sources, HTC was offering the Flyer without its Sense modifications to the Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS that it will launch with; in fact, it would have supposedly been offered with Honeycomb on the giveaway units. Samsung did the same thing with its Galaxy Tab 10.1, the slate coming without the Live Tiles and other modifications that will be present on the commercial version released in early June. Google, it’s said, restricts what’s being handed out at I/O so as to avoid the event “becoming a freebie frenzie.”

Now, none of this is confirmed by Google itself, and we can’t imagine either Samsung or HTC going on the record one way or another. If true, though, we can’t help but wonder whether Google’s decision to opt for Samsung instead is a reaction to the extensive customization HTC has done to Android for the Flyer, though of course Samsung is current Google-flavor-of-the-month thanks to the Nexus S collaboration.

Update: We asked HTC but the company tells us that it “does not comment on rumour and speculation.”

Remember, you can win our Limited Edition white Galaxy Tab 10.1 in our Epic Unboxing War giveaway!

“Chromebook” sounds like a glitzy netbook for rappers

Actually, Google is positioning its new assault on netbooks and notebooks very much at the everyman audience. As we found in our review of the Cr-48, Google’s initial Chrome OS notebook targeted at developers, Chrome OS works best for those who already live their computing lives in the cloud: Gmail for their email, Chrome for their browser, Google Docs for their content creation and editing.

A Chromebook basically takes that Chrome OS platform and puts it onto specially designed hardware: it’s a new breed of laptops rather than one specific model. Google will be tightly controlling the specifications and services on offer, to make sure everybody’s Chromebook experience is consistent.

I’ve got a browser on my notebook already, what’s so special about Chrome OS?

There’s no denying that a regular PC or Mac notebook will be more flexible than a Chromebook. Basically, in Chrome OS you do everything through the browser, so all the apps, services and content is delivered from the cloud. “Cloud” services live on remote servers rather than running on your notebook itself: you see the interface, but all the heavy processing work is done far away at the data center.

That means the Chromebook itself doesn’t need as much power as a regular notebook, since it’s the cloud doing all the hard work. It allows manufacturers to use slower, more frugal processors, and that adds up to longer battery life: between 6 and 8.5 hours, depending on which model you go for.

On the downside, all that reliance on the cloud means you have to be connected to the internet to get a lot of things done. Chrome OS has some support for offline working – handy if you’re on a plane with no WiFi connectivity – but most of the time you’ll be looking for wireless hotspots. Some Chromebooks will have 3G modems built in, just like your cellphone, so that they can get online more easily, though they’ll be more expensive to use.

This summer, Gmail, Google Calendar and Google Docs will all get “offline support” for Chrome OS – i.e. you’ll be able to use them without a data connection. Netflix and Hulu streaming video support will also be added, though you’ll obviously need to be online for those.

Who’s going to make them?

Out of the gate it’s Samsung and Acer. Samsung’s Chromebook is the Samsung Series 5, while Acer has played it simple and called its the Acer Chromebook. The Samsung has a bigger, 12.1-inch display, while the Acer is a little smaller at 11.6-inches; both use one of Intel’s frugal dual-core Atom processors.

Connectivity includes two USB 2.0 ports, useful for connecting cameras or thumbdrives, a 4-in-1 memory card slot, and dual-band WiFi. Each will be offered as a 3G version. The Acer Chromebook has an HDMI port so that it can be easily hooked up to your TV, while the Samsung Series 5 has a regular VGA port for use with normal monitors.

Both get a full-sized keyboard – with some dedicated Chrome OS shortcut keys, for things like search – along with an oversized trackpad. There’s also an HD webcam above the display and a microphone. The smaller Acer is a little more portable, a 2.95 pounds, while the Samsung tips the scales at 3.26 pounds; still, that extra heft allows the Series 5 to carry a bigger battery, giving it up to 8.5 hours of continuous usage versus the Acer’s 6 hours.

Why is it better than a regular laptop?

It’s not necessarily better, at least not for everyone. As we said, Chrome OS makes the most sense if you’re already living your computing life in the browser. If the first thing you do is load Chrome, Firefox, Safari or IE9 to check your email, Facebook, YouTube and Google News, and don’t necessarily do much else, Chrome OS may be the platform for you.

If, however, you do system-intensive tasks like video editing, multimedia recording and processing, play “proper” games (rather than just Lexulous and Farmville) or write code, Chrome OS may prove frustrating. They’re still tasks better suited to a regular Windows or Mac notebook, as is anything which requires custom software: if your business relies on a special program for accounting, for instance, Chrome OS won’t run it.

Problem is, along with their flexibility, those regular notebooks also carry a lot of maintenance baggage. There are Windows or OS X updates to install, anti-virus software to load, update and scan, data backups to be considered, and plenty of other peripheral chores that can get in the way. It’s enough of a headache for a regular user, but even more so for schools and businesses which have to manage potentially hundreds of computers for their users.

It’s little surprise, then, that Google is targeting enterprise and education markets with the first Chromebooks, in addition to individual users. While regular consumers will pay an upfront price for their new Chromebook, schools and businesses can avoid that fee and pay a monthly charge instead. That monthly fee doesn’t just include the hardware, but a Google-provided technical support line and warranty, too (consumers will go direct to Samsung or Acer for their technical support and aftercare), along with automatic updates of the Chrome OS software. Since the apps are running in the cloud, Google takes care of keeping them up to date, virus- and malware-free, and of backing up each person’s data.

Basically, for users it’ll simply be a case of turning the Chromebook on, punching in their Google username and password, and seeing all their files, email and other data just how they left it. After they log out, someone else can use the same Chromebook but with their own settings and data. Since all the files are stored on the cloud, there’ll be no “which laptop did I save that document on?” headaches, or messing around with thumbdrives.

Although we’ve said Chrome OS won’t run local apps, like business-specific accounting software or Photoshop, there are ways to work around that. Google has worked with Citrix on a special version of its Receiver software, which allows users to log into a company server and access software running on that server as if it were loaded onto their notebook. In short, it’s a little like hosting your own cloud application, just like Gmail or Google Docs.

Of course, you’ll need a server capable of doing that and someone to set it up, which likely means regular consumers won’t be taking advantage of Citrix Receiver for Chrome OS. You’re also very dependent on the quality of your wireless connection, which may well be a headache if you’re online via 3G. It’s a workaround, but perhaps enough for business users who spend most of their time in email and Google Docs, and occasionally need some more esoteric software.

How much is it going to cost me?

That depends on who are are, and how many Chromebooks you want to buy. Regular consumers will pay either $349 upfront for the Acer Chromebook or $429 for the Samsung Series 5; that’s for the WiFi-only models – the 3G Samsung will be $499, while Acer is yet to confirm 3G pricing. The 3G versions will get 100MB of bundled Verizon data every month, though if you want any more than that you’ll have to pay. Chromebook users outside of the US will get some sort of carrier deal, but those will be announced closer to retail availability.

Education and enterprise users pay a monthly fee rather than buying their Chromebooks upfront, assuming they’re willing to sign up to at least 10 machines. Education institutions pay $20 per month, per Chromebook, while businesses will pay $23. The 3G premium hasn’t been finalized yet, but is expected to add a few dollars per month.

In return, Google expects a three-year commitment, basically just like signing up for a “free” cellphone with a carrier agreement. You’ll also need to pay the regular Google Apps for Business subscription fee, currently $50 per year, per user. Regular consumers and education users get free Google Apps services.

Okay, I’m sold. When can I get one, and where?

The first Chromebook hardware will go on sale on June 15, online at least, in the US, UK, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy and Spain. Amazon and Best Buy will be leading the charge in the US, so hopefully there’ll be stores you can actually test drive Chromebooks against their netbook and notebook rivals. Other countries will get them “in the coming months.”

Google is also readying a desktop version, the Google “Chromebox”, about which little is known but that we’re assuming will bring the same Chrome OS experience to users not concerned about mobility. Since part of Chrome OS’ charm is that users can log in on any machine and get the same experience, schools and businesses could have a combination of Chromebox and Chromebook hardware and staff/students share them depending on where they were going to be working.

How successful Chromebooks end up remains to be seen, but we wouldn’t bet against Google on this one. Its enterprise and education play may turn out to be the biggest success, biting hard into Windows-based notebooks and netbooks. We’ll have to wait until next month to find out whether Acer and Samsung’s Chromebooks have polished off the Cr-48′s rough edges. More information on Google’s Chromebook project here.

While it would be easy to slap some wheels onto a dock and call it a day, Hasbro has gone further than that. Each robot has feet rather than wheels, and they use object-recognition via the Nexus S’ front-facing camera, as well as other sensors in the phone, to react to their environment. Shots are sent to Google’s cloud servers where they’re processed in real-time; the robot then knows whether to get curious or to run (slowly) away.

Shake them and, thanks to the accelerometer, they get dizzy; rub the touchscreen and they’ll cheer up. Right now they’re just prototypes, but we’re guessing Hasbro is at least considering a commercial launch. More details in the video below.

[via Android Community]

The top apps charts are country-specific, so you will only see what is available to you where you are. The “top” categories include top grossing, top new free, and top new paid lists so you can see the most popular apps in each category. Google has also added an Editor’s Choice list which is picked by the Android Market staff. These will include apps ranging from Productivity to Games.

Also, there is a new Top Developer’s list which recognizes developers who are creating the “highest quality, most popular, and most notable apps available on Android Market.” These developers will get a special icon wherever their name is shown on Android Market. The initial group includes 150 developers.

There is also a better algorithm for related apps. On an app page, you will see apps frequently browsed by others who viewed this app, and apps that people installed along with this app. You will also see related apps once you install an app.

The market app for phones has a refreshed UI also, this should be coming soon to your Android handset (at the time of this writing, mine is still the same), and also to your tablet. But the new Android Market is availabe now on the web at http://market.android.com.
[via Google Mobile Blog]

The Verizon 4G LTE mobile hotspot uses the award-winning next generation intelligent hotspot device. During the keynote this morning, the device was touted to achieve up to 20Mbps downstream and 10Mbps upstream speeds. However, typical speeds according to the website hover around 5-12Mbs down and 2-5Mbps up.

There are three LED indicators on the device that indicate whether it’s connected to 3G or 4G. Our lucky guys also get three full months free service courtesy of Verizon.

June 15th is the release date for these new devices, and an email would be sent out to each person at the conference so they could claim their Chromebook “very very soon.” Whether or not that meant they’d be given the Chrome OS device sooner than the release date or not is still up to debate, but we’re guessing that vouchers will be sent out in place of actual units simply because the cost of sending out 5,000 devices is much more than the cost of sending out 5,000 slips of paper.

For more details on these devices, take a peek at both posts we’ve got up right this moment, one for Samsung and another for Acer. By the looks of it, the Samsung device may well be the one that’s going to be given out for free, but that’s also not guaranteed. You can follow along with the rest of our Google I/O 2011 coverage by hitting the [IO 2011 Portal] – stay tuned!

Google Creative Lab has been working on various experiments and projects over the years to demonstrate the native browser graphics possibilities, and at today’s keynote they demonstrated one that incorporated music, video, 3D graphics, live rendering, and real-time painting with shader effects. Not to mention, it was all interactive as well, with users being able to contribute to the 3D world by constructing new models within the browser.

At one point in the demo, some sample pre-built 3D models were shown, including a buffalo morphing into a tarantula. Trippy? Yes, but all this is to show the amazing possibilities the improvements in Javascript, HTML 5, and WebGL have in store for us in the future. For more on this multimedia 3D browser graphics project you can visit Ro.me.

javascript HTML5 and webGL
composited music, video, real-time shaders

The major applications that will certainly have offline support are Gmail, Google Calendar, and Google Docs. In fact, Google’s internal staff has already been using these features offline. This functionality will be in the Samsung and Acer Chromebooks to be released this summer.

But hundreds of apps for Chrome already support working offline. To name a few, these include the NY Times, HuffingtonPost, Sports Illustrated, and of course the newly announced Angry Birds game.

Of the four hundred or so companies that Google has been working with to analyze the possible adoption of Chromebooks, 75% of them felt that they would be ready to switch over to Chrome today.

Some of the businesses also expressed interest in a Chrome platform that didn’t restrict them to the small monitor size of the Chromebooks. Hence, in the works is a Chromebox that looks like a Mac mini and can work with any display of preference.

Their Chromebooks and eventually Chromebox for businesses can also be easily managed within one central web console. This makes it much easier for centralized IT adminstration, where user setup, apps, and policies can be deployed from one place. This business package is priced at only $28 per user per month.

The same Chromebooks software and hardware package is available to schools and government institutions as well. For them, the pricing is only $20 per user per month.

Chromebooks for business, schools, and government will be available on the same date as for consumers, which is June 15th.

The idea is to bring the Chrome experience to a notebook. Here are the main features:

Instant on
Always connected
All Day Battery
Access Anywhere
Better over Time
Security Built In

And it will be up and running in 8 seconds. That sounds awesome to me, I’m sold with that one feature. Google is looking to bring the functionality of phones and tablets to the notebook.

One problem with PCs is that they degrade over time. Within a year, the thing is crawling along, and you have to do some renovations to get it working right again. Google says that Chromebooks will improve over time, because they will constantly be updated. Also, security will be built in from the ground up, and everything is encrypted by default. You will be operating within the Chrome sandbox, which up till now, has not been hacked.

Google has also said they have improved the trackpad, and they are working with Adobe to integrate Flash. Chromebooks will have a dual core processor as well.

Kan Liu, the product manager for Chrome OS, came on stage to detail the features of the file manager.

He demonstrated the fast upload of pictures, which can be uploaded with one click to Picasa, and other services will be coming soon. Also, there is a music player integrated into Chrome OS, which will open and immediately play your songs. Also, movies will open up immediately. He demonstrated uploading documents as well.

The APIs are in the platform, and are easy to build, so no doubt everyone will be scrambling to build for this. We wonder if these features can exist in a Chrome browser, or only in a Chromebook?

Look out Microsoft!

There are hundreds of API collaborations that the Chrome team is working on, but the one they chose to highlight at the keynote was the speech input API. Using this API, you can speak what you want to input instead of typing. Despite the echo chamber of a arena where the demo took place, the API worked smoothly.

The graphics acceleration improvements of Chrome were demonstrated using the swimming fish test, where multiple sprite animations of fish swimming in a tank are used to test the browsers graphics abilities. This was a slight jab at Microsoft’s fish bowl test for Internet Explorer. At one point, using WebGL, the browser was able to handle up to 10,000 sprites and still maintain 30 fps.

But WebGL can be used for more than just sprite animation. It’s also good for 3D support. 3D support was demonstrated via a browser based app TinkerCAD, that allowed 3D modeling and rendering natively in the browser without the need for plugins.

The main announcement, and the one that developers are most interested in, is the percentage of the payment that they will actually get. Apple takes a 30% cut, for example. Google just announced that they will only take a flat fee of 5%, no setup fees or other fees will be charged. Happy day for developers!!

Also, he let us know that the keynote will focus on the the most important platform of our era, the open web. Chrome will be moving the web forward with security, and capability. They then introduced Chrome 12, launching today.

Stay tuned for more!

Stay tuned, lots of exciting stuff coming your way.

It’s said to be “almost certainly” the forerunner to a similar enterprise deal, with Google looking to take on Microsoft’s Sharepoint and Office with a hardware component to its existing Google Apps for Enterprise. That currently costs $50 per year, but according to the Google exec it makes perfect sense to add a Chrome OS notebook deal to that. “Small and medium-sized businesses are banging on our doors to get something like this” he claimed, with enterprise believed to be tempted not only by the low pricing but by the controls over functionality and usage made possible by Chrome OS’ browser-based nature.

As we saw with Google’s first Chrome OS notebook, the Cr-48, the platform certainly has its successes – and its fair share of shortcomings. Those looking to do more than the text editing, browsing and multimedia playback basics might find Chrome OS to be too limiting – it’s certainly not going to be the platform for downloading dozens of torrents using your school’s high-speed connection, not that SlashGear would condone such wickedness anyway – but for those wanting to get online with minimal initial outlay then it could prove very popular.

SlashGear is at Google IO this week and will be bringing you all the details from the second day keynote. We’re also giving away a Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 in our Epic Unboxing showdown!

After announcing some major achievements and milestones with 100 million activated Android devices and some 4.5 billion apps installed, the keynote plunged right into the meat at an unrelenting pace. Android 3.1 Honeycomb was unveiled with new task switcher and resizeable widgets. It was then revealed to be released first on Verizon’s Motorola XOOM 3G. The updated platform along with Android Market, will both be heading to Google TV. Quickly following that was a brief overview of Android Ice Cream Sandwich which is set to launch before the end of this year.

Google then announced adding at 3,000 movies from its YouTube movie rental service to its Android Market. The Google Music Beta was then announced to support free storage and streaming of up to 20,000 songs. Following that was the Android@Home project that will enable Android devices to control things in your home, such as light switches and appliances. And lastly was the Android Open Accessory initiative that opens up a multitude of possibilities in developing hardware and accessories that can be controlled by Android devices, such as docks, speakers, and even an exercise bike.

That’s right! You’ve got these two contestants to choose from:

Android Community represented by Ben Bajarin – in Brown – in the Left Corner!
VS
SlashGear represented by Vincent Nguyen – in Red – in the Right Corner!

The winner will be determined by YOU judging based on the following criteria:
• Speed
• Content
• Overall Quality

Your words will then in turn be judged by us, the teams of SlashGear and Android Community, determining then who is most worthy of the single prize: a Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 of your very own. This contest will be held on our [Facebook wall], the place where you’ll be putting up your words of judgement – it is there that your submission will be counted, and only there!

NOTE: Your submission must contain a few sentences at LEAST on why you chose [Ben for AC] or [Vince for SG] on our Facebook wall, and also link back to this post. The reason we want you to submit your vote with a link back to here is so we can keep the contest running as long as we can. And we want Vince to win, right? Right!

The contest runs from the moment this post is posted until June 8th when the device will be officially available for purchase. The winner will be listed both here and on Android Community (one winner only, mind you,) and on each of our respective Facebook pages.

Behold, the video!

And see the extended rules below – the same contest is being run on Android Community and there is ONE PRIZE between the two sites. Read the extended rules below, and get to entering!

Contest begins May 10th, 2PM PST, and ends June 8th, 2PM PST, 2011. A winner will be announced within a few days of June 8th here in the main news feed and at our official Facebook page.

WINNERS will be given the opportunity to submit a review of their Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 and have it posted on the front page of AndroidCommunity.com or SlashGear.com! *Reviews may be edited or modified before publication and are considered works for hire under the 1976 Copyright Act. Submissions will be ineligible for payment or remuneration.

Competition is open to residents of the US over the age of 18. One entry per contest per person. Family members of Google and SlashGear/Android Community are not permitted to enter. Competition entries are only accepted via the specified Android Community or SlashGear Facebook page; entries left in the comments section of this or any other post will not be recognized. One entry per person (and yes, we check). Winners of any SlashGear or Android Community contest over the past year are no eligible to win.

The winner will be announced on SlashGear and Android Community and will be expected to contact us via the following email: chris@androidcommunity.com ; they will be expected to respond within 24 hours else their prize may be forfeit and another winner selected. Editors decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into. Winner agrees that their name and details of their entry may be used for promotional purposes by, but not limited to, SlashGear and Android Community.

Prize consists of one Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Android tablet between SlashGear and Android Community. One prize per winner. There is no cash alternative or any other alternative for prize winners unless this prize should become unavailable, in which case Android Community and SlashGear reserve the right to substitute another prize of equal or greater value.

Contest provided by SlashGear/Android Community. Prizing provided by SlashGear/Android Community. Any questions regarding this contest should be directed to chris@androidcommunity.com.

The Android Open Accessory system is built on open-source Arduino. It will will allow externally accessories connect to an Android-powered device via USB and eventually Bluetooth. This could essentially mean the start of a whole slew of “Made for Android” devices such as docks, speakers, or even an exercise bike. This opens up a whole world of possibilities now for external accessories to work with Android.

Google is offering an Android Device Kit or ADK for developers. The kit comes with a sample implementation in the form of a USB accessory along with all the hardware design files, the code for the accessory’s firmware, and the Android application that interacts with the accessory. To get involved with the Android ADK, visit here.

Stay tuned to SlashGear and our sister site Android Community for more coverage of this huge truckload of news that will be rolling in over the next few days. You can catch us on Twitter at @SlashGear, on our Facebook at slasgear.com/tags/io-2011. Let’s keep it rollin!

Google started off the keynote highlighting some impressive figures, mentioning that there are now 100 million activated Android devices, with 400,000 new Android devices activated each day, plus 200,000 free and paid apps available in the Android Market with 4.5 billion apps installed. In the past two and half years, Google has shipped eight releases of Android and now there are more than over 310 Android devices around the world.

Android 3.1 Honeycomb

The update to Android 3.1 Honeycomb brings a new task switcher that lets you scroll through a list of your most recent tasks. They developed a unique technology that automatically manages your resources for you, meaning that it will automatically shut down and restore apps transparently to reserve memory. Widgets can now be resized, stretching both horizontally and vertically.

Google TV Getting Android 3.1 Honeycomb, Plus Android Market

Although mentioned only briefly, the news of Google TV getting Android 3.1 Honeycomb is quite significant for the platform. Developers will soon be able to develop apps for both tablets and Google TV using the same SDK. Additionally, Android Market will be arriving on Google TV starting sometime this summer. All updates will be coming over-the-air for existing customers.

Android Ice Cream Sandwich

The much anticipated Android Gingerbread successor was confirmed to be Android Ice Cream Sandwich. This new update is set to launch in Q4 of 2011 and strives to be a unifying platform that works everywhere, regardless of device. They will be taking of lot of good UI elements, including the holographic UI, the new launcher, the new multitasking UI, richer widgets, and advanced apps of their Honeycomb tablet OS and making them available to phones.

Google Adds Movies To Android Market

This announcement falls right in line with the recent development with YouTube securing 3,000 new movie titles for its movie rental service. But this announcement reveals that movie rentals will now be available on the Android Market. Movies can be rented to watch from your phone or tablet. And given the earlier news of Android Market coming to Google TV, movies can certainly be rented to watch there as well.

Google Music Beta Live Now By Invitation Only

Google’s much rumored cloud-based music service has finally launched in beta form. Having experienced delay after delay and failing to negotiate terms with record label companies, the service went ahead anyway with an official announcement and demo. The service works more like a digital locker where you can store and stream music. Music can be streamed to any of your Android devices simultaneously, and a cache of your most recently played music, can be played on any of those devices even while offline. Several playlist features are also included with perhaps most notably the “instant mix” feature that automatically generates a playlist for you based on your current song preference. So you just pick one song that you like at the moment, and it will generate the rest of your playlist. Request an invite here.

Android@Home: Google Home Control

This framework lets developers create Android apps that will allow any of your Android devices to control various things in your home, including light switches and appliances. Along with this they demoed a new home theater system called Project Tungsten. What was especially neat besides being able to control the system with an Android device, was the ability to swipe an NFC-enabled CD case in front of the system to have it start playing music. They have partnered with LightingScience to create compatible appliances that may debut as early as end of the year.

And for the lucky attendees, including part of our SlashGear team, gets to walk away with a free Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet. We’ll keep you posted on the rest of the developments coming from Google I/O, so check back for more updates.

Our good friend Vic was kind enough to both take the device out of the box and show it off for SlashGear exclusively. He being the generous and kind fellow that he is, we could not deny such niceness. This device is the thinnest tablet PC on the market, with a 10.1″ display, Android 3.0 Honeycomb – soon to be Android 3.1 Honeycomb with all its fantastical features. Check out the box, check out the excellence of the feel in the hands, and get a can of soda because your mouth will have no choice but to water, you’ll want something cool to wash down all that extra spit gathering in your mouth.

Again this is only the tip of the ice flow, have a look at our bigtime portal at [IO 2011] for all the info you need. See the Everybody Gets One post, see our hands-on from last night, and even see a recap of Android 3.1 Honeycomb if you dare!

Google today announced two major developments for Google TV. First is that Android 3.1 Honeycomb would be coming to the TV platform. This means that developers would be able to create apps from the same SDK for both tablets and Google TV. This makes for a more streamlined process and also would increase developer support for the Google TV platform and not to mention all the new app possibilities to come that could truly change the TV viewing experience. This would certainly put Google TV ahead of rivaling smart TV platforms.

The second major development is the addition of Android Market to Google TV. Now that the SDK for tablets and TV are the same, developers can more easily create new apps that work for both, making the Android Market an obvious addition to Google TV. Android Market for Google TV is scheduled to open sometime this summer. Existing Google TV customers will get a firmware update automatically over-the-air.

Each new device, Google says, will not be receiving the newest updates for 18 months after their release depending on if their hardware will allow it. This means that devices will no longer be left in the dark after they’ve been out for a tiny amount of time. This has been a problem for Android device users in the past and this change is definitely going to create a net for those wishing to have the support they desire for the future. Android is stacking up!

Keep your eyes peeled to both SlashGear and our sister site Android Community for all the I/O announcements you’ll ever be able to bare! See our bigtime portal and keep your shorts on because this is only be beginning!

What we know at the moment is that the Google Music Beta will allow you to easily purchase and stream music to all your Android devices including tablets and smartphones. You can also upload your existing music collection to the cloud music storage. Music caches just played can also be played offline, even on a different device.

Not only can you create custom playlists that can be shared across all your devices, but a unique “instant mix” feature automatically generates playlists based off of one song you pick. The service is live now, but you must request an invite to join. You can check out the video below to get an overview of the new service.

Video:

Some movies are available free, and others are available for purchase. Movies start at $1.99. Rentals are available on the Android Market today, and Google will be rolling out an update to the Verizon XOOM today also. The updates for Android 2.2 and above devices will be forthcoming over the next few weeks so that you can get the movie directly from your phone. Speaking of updates, Google also announced that Guidelines for updates to Android devices will now be available, so you won’t be in the dark about when (or whether) your device update is coming.

The announcements are coming fast and furious at the first keynote, and we will continue to keep you updated as they come.

Orbotix is touting an open and absolute killer of an API and they are seeking the smartest developers to help reinvent the concept of play with Sphero. Developers who register for the program will have access to the full SDK for both Android and iOS platforms, sample apps, developer guides access to developer forums and an idea portal, exclusive hack-a-thons, bounties, contests, and educational discounts. Developers that register now can get a Sphero at a special discounted rate with early delivery, early access to software features, access to new prototypes, and may even have a chance to win a free Sphero.

To develop a killer app for the Sphero you wont actually need to have one. However, Orbotix will be hosting various Hack-a-thons for their developers to code and test with the robotic ball present. It may take them awhile to deliver the Sphero into developer hands, but they’d like to build up a community of active developers first. They will be at the opening reception of Google I/O this evening.

To register for the Sphero developer program go to www.goshero.com/developer

Watch Sphero robotic balls in action:

This is the icing on the cake for one of the most massively packed keynotes in the history of the world, one that showed 100 million activations and 4.5 billion installs of Android. One that showed off Android Honeycomb 3.1. One that announced Android Ice Cream Sandwich. One that showed off Movie Rentals and Music Beta. And one that announced Android Open Accessory!

An absolutely insane 50 minutes and one that’s never to be forgotten. Have a look at the rest of our coverage of the event as well as some analysis coming up post haste here on SlashGear and over on our sister site Android Community!

Instead of just switching between a few tasks, the 3.1 can now switch between much more apps by scrolling through a list of your most recent tasks. Android supports true multitasking, but in order to run efficiently, they’ve developed a unique technology that automatically shuts down and restores apps transparently. This manages your resources automatically and helps reserve memory.

Widgets now can be resized, stretching both horizontally or vertically. Developers can easily update their apps to support this new widget feature with just a few additional lines of code.

The update has also improved Android’s USB support. Android devices can now act as USB hosts, meaning you can do things like importing photos directly from your digital camera to your tablet. Android devices can now also take on various USB accessories such as keyboards, mice, game controllers and more.

Additionally, Android 3.1 Honeycomb will be coming to Google TV. This means that developers can develop for both Android tablets and Google TV using the same 3.1 Honeycomb SDK. Android Market will also be coming to Google TV this summer. Current owners of Google TV will receive a platform update over-the-air. More revelations on Google TV should come tomorrow.

This is basically bringing the functionality of Honeycomb to your phone, holographic user interface, better multitasking, new launcher and richer widgets. They demonstrated being able to resize a widget on your phone screen, so that you can view more of your gmail for example, from the widget.

Android Ice Cream Sandwich is not just about breadth, but about depth too. The 3D application is able to detect who is speaking as well as the facial features of the person speaking. They demonstrated being able to alter the facial features of the person on the camera, changing their nose and mouth in real time. These tools will all be available to developers for Ice Cream Sandwich.

Also announced are the new Google Music Beta Service, which will be free in Beta, and Movie Rentals to Android Market. The movies will be able to stream live to the device in high quality, which was demonstrated with Despicable Me on the screen. This service is available now.

Video for Ice Cream Sandwich:

For an expanded account head over to Android Community – full details!