The Verge - Google I/O highlights: Nexus 7 tablet, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, and more!

Android manufacturers mostly mum on Jelly Bean updates as Google tries to repair a broken system

2012-07-02T14:00:40Z

After any major OS update, the first question on everybody's mind is naturally "When can I get it?" As Android owners know all-too-well, the answer to that question inevitably involves waiting, rumors, innuendo, leaks, and often crushing disappointment. With the announcement of Android 4.1 Jelly Bean at Google I/O, there was the same hope there is for every Google I/O: that the situation would change. Sadly, it's not at all clear that it will — if the responses we've gotten from major Android OEMs is any indication.

In case you missed it, Google only listed a few "Nexus-class" devices that will receive Jelly Bean in July: the Nexus S, Galaxy Nexus, and Motorola Xoom. To get beyond that, we reached out to several OEMs and most have...

Matias Duarte on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and the Nexus 7 (video)

2012-06-29T19:51:51Z

At Google I/O, we sat down with Android's head of user experience, Matias Duarte, to talk about Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, the Nexus 7, and the premiere Google Now feature. It was a casual conversation where Duarte gave us the skinny on Google's philosophy behind its new products this week. It's Friday, come chill out on the couch with Josh and Matias for 20 minutes of design, insight, and laughs.

Watch this: Google's I/O 2012 day one keynote video now live

2012-06-29T08:41:25Z

Google's first keynote of I/O 2012 proved to be a big one earlier this week, introducing new software updates and hardware. The biggest news was the company's Nexus 7 tablet, a low-cost 7-inch Android Jelly Bean device that goes head-to-head with Amazon's Kindle Fire. Google also announced its Nexus Q device at the event, a cloud-based audio and video streaming appliance designed to pull media from Google's Play Store and YouTube.

Asides from the hardware, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean got its official debut along with a new Google Now service that works by using your search history, calendar, and location to make search more relevant. The service includes notifications to make travel a lot easier. Chrome for Android went final during day one...

Google Nexus 7 review

2012-06-29T07:32:18Z

Google’s Nexus 7 tablet is not exactly a surprise. Nor is the fact that I’m able to work on a review of the product just hours after the device was announced. For years now, Google has had the uncanny habit of not only making big announcements at its I/O events, but then immediately sharing what it has shown off with developers and members of the press.

This year was over the top. Not only did Google hand out its new, 7-inch, $199 Nexus 7 tablet, but it also introduced a new version of Android (4.1) called Jelly Bean, upgraded its flagship phone, and... rolled out the Nexus Q. Perhaps the most odd of all, the Q is a spherical media player / amp which functions as a wired audio and video output for all of your Google content.

But...

Google's Vic Gundotra and Bradley Horowitz on the future of Google+ (video)

2012-06-28T18:31:06Z

Google wants to revolutionize real-world social life with its new Google+ features, including pre-event "Cinemagraphs" and "party mode," which lets users automatically share pictures taken during the get-together. But how does Google plan to build engagement with the network, and what does this mean for the rest of its web tools? We sat down with Google Senior VP of Engineering (and formerly of Social) Vic Gundotra and Product Management VP Bradley Horowitz to discuss where Google+ is going.

"Google+ is at its heart about building one seamless experience," Gundotra told us, noting that Google's overall services don't have any kind of "engagement problem." Many of the new social features introduced at I/O depend on the popularity of...

Google announces Compute Engine

2012-06-28T17:51:56Z

Google has just announced what appears to be a competitor to Amazon's EC2 (Elastic Cloud Compute), called Google Compute Engine. While we don't (by any means) have full details of exactly what Google Compute Engine is capable of yet, Urs Hölzle, SVP of technical infrastructure at the company said on stage that the cloud service for business "gives you Linux virtual machines at Google scale," with "high performance networking between VMs, so you can form them into a cluster." Hölzle also says that Compute Engine delivers 50% more compute per dollar than other platforms. The service will be available starting today.

Check out our full coverage of the Google I/O day 2 keynote right here.

Google releases Google Drive for iOS and Chrome OS

2012-06-28T17:31:15Z

Google has just announced that Google Drive will be coming to iOS and Chrome OS, and it's available now in the App Store. At its day 2 keynote, Google demonstrated Google Drive on the iPad, showing off the real-time collaboration and image recognition capabilities. The company launched its Drive app for PC, Mac, and Android back in April, and said at the time that the iOS version was "98 percent done." You can grab Drive for iOS from the App Store right now, and be sure to check out our giant cloud sync storage face-off to see how it compares to the competition.

Google announces Chrome for iPhone and iPad, available today

2012-06-28T17:23:19Z

On stage at Google I/O, Brian Rakowski, Vice President of the Chrome division at Google has just announced Chrome for iPhone and iPad. It's something iOS users have been asking for for a very long time, and plenty of people will be happy about this news. The app will be for iOS 4.3 and higher devices, and will be available today. The app will also support Chrome sync, and looks like it's just as full-featured as the browser which many of us know and love.

Update: Download Chrome for iOS here.

Check out our full hands-on with Chrome for iOS right here.