Big Picture Big Sound

And when Android saw the breadth of his domain, he wept, for there were no more worlds to conquer.

I'm misquoting Hans Gruber from Die Hard there, but he was misquoting Plutarch so let's not point fingers. Hopefully you'll agree though that the sentiment is valid - slowly but surely, Google and Android are giving Apple a runs for its money in the quest for domination of your digital life. New Android smartphones, new Android tablets, Amazon's Appstore for Android... there are little green men everywhere you look. And judging by the flood of new product and service announcements which poured out of last week's Google I/O developer conference in San Francisco, it would seem as though Android is just getting warmed up.

Smartphones and tablets are fine and dandy, but that innovative gaggle at Google is working overtime to bring Android a little closer to home. Your home. During the opening keynote at Google I/O 2011, Google formally took the wraps off some eyebrow-raising offerings which give us a strong sense of where Android is headed with respect to your home's media content and your home itself. The first two debuts were Music Beta by Google and the new availability of movie rentals through the Android Market, both of which our own Rachel Cericola reported on last week. More intriguing was the first look at the new Android @ Home framework and Google's prototype Project Tungsten devices.

Android @ Home

Following the unveiling of Android's Open Accessory API (Application Programming Interface), which has Google inviting the open development of Android-based hardware accessories, Google's Joe Britt introduced Google @ Home by saying, "We'd like to think of your entire home as an Android accessory - or better yet, as a network of accessories. And think of Android as the operating system for your home." It doesn't get much clearer than that, does it?

Elaborating, Britt proceeded to paint a picture of an Android-fueled ecosystem, where Android apps discover, connect, and communicate with devices throughout your home -- thermostats, lights, appliances, clock radios, and stereo systems, to name but a few -- using the Android operating system (OS) as a universal language.  "We want to think of every appliance in your home as a potential I/O device for Android apps," said Britt.  As for specific product availability, only an LED-powered light bulb from Lighting Science was formerly announced at the conference, but with the momentum Android has right now, it's safe to say that that bulb is illuminating only the very tip of the iceberg.

Project Tungsten

After laying out the basics of the Android @ Home framework, Britt concluded his segment of the keynote by showing us a pair of bizarre-but-interesting devices featuring the Android @ Home software framework, devices he referred to as "Tungsten devices," collectively known as "Project Tungsten."

The first Project Tungsten demo featured a pair of black box media players or "hubs" (as he called them), each connected to a pair of speakers; these hubs demonstrated Android's ability to stream music around the home. Using an Android tablet, tunes from the Music Beta cloud service were easily piped to one or both audio systems. Using a tablet to control two bookshelf stereo systems may not seem earth shattering, but its implications are far-reaching. How long will it be before we can replace those two bookshelf stereos with twenty in-ceiling speakers throughout the home? How about the addition of wall-mounted keypads in every room?

The second Tungsten device was considerably more theoretical than practical, but it did generate a few oohs and aahs. This time the black box was replaced by a white sphere, also connected to a pair of speakers. Simply tapping the sphere with an NFC (Near field communication)-equipped CD jewel case resulted in a chiming noise. The chime told us that the CD has been added to our cloud-based Music library. Tap the sphere again and the music begins. Why would you stream an album when you're physically holding the CD of said album in your hands? That's not really the point. The point is, Android has some nifty tricks up its sleeve and it's clear we ain't seen nothing yet.

What Does It All Mean?

A new universal Android OS (codenamed "Ice Cream Sandwich" yes, really) is coming this year. It is said to be adaptable for every Android device with hardware that can support it. The Android Market is coming to GoogleTV. (Remember GoogleTV? Reports of its death have been greatly exaggerated.) Movie rentals. Music Beta. Open Accessory. Android @ Home. Project Tungsten. In short, there's a whole lot of new Android "stuff" (industry term) either now available or coming real soon.

It's a lot to process, I know. I'm right there with you. And surely you have questions. Should you return your new iPad 2? Should you hold off buying that new dishwasher and wait for an Android model? Does Android really have the staying power to deliver on all the potential it's showing? It's probably too soon to say for sure. But if you absolutely need answers now: no; no; quite possibly. Only time will tell what the future holds for Android. And we need to get some of this gear in the lab to see how smoothly it works in the real world. But rest assured we'll be keeping a close eye on Android as those little green men continue to invade our havens of home entertainment.

More Information:

• See these demonstrations and more in the Google I/O keynote
• Google I/O Conference website
• Android.com - official website