Google's Android TV is a much-needed simplification of its living room efforts

Google hasn't exactly been successful at taking over the living room — its previous Google TV efforts have failed to capture much consumer interest. However, during the I/O keynote today, the company showed that it is ready to start fresh with Android TV.

As shown off onstage, Android TV is a much-simplified approach that focuses on having quick access to content you'll want to watch. The main area shows off suggested shows from Google Play and other apps you have installed. Scrolling down,...

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Google's Cardboard turns your Android device into a VR headset

While Facebook's virtual reality effort involved a multi-billion dollar purchase of Oculus VR, Google's gone with a decidedly simpler route: cardboard. Quietly released today following its Google I/O keynote, the company's put out an app called Cardboard that lets users slot their device into a cardboard viewer that can be looked through like a viewfinder and special lenses.

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Google Fit is Android's answer to exercise and health tracking

Google Fit is Google's new health initiative. It's a service that'll track all your health metrics -- sleep, steps, etc. -- and it's built into the next version of Android. But what does that mean? Well, it means that Google's Android platform is...



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Google Wants to Keep Track of Your Vitals with Google Fit

Android for Work lets your personal and business data coexist on the same device

If you've bemoaned the inability to use your personal Android phone for company business, Google has some heartening news. It just unveiled Android for Work, a code platform that lets your business and personal info coexist on a single device. The...



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Chromecast can finally mirror your Android device's screen

Which is better, huddling around a 5-inch screen or a 50-inch TV? Google is making that answer a lot easier. Chromecast can mirror your device's screen to the flat-panel in your living room. The stage demo included using Google Earth and even...



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Google to bring Android apps to Chromebooks

Google I/O wasn't all about Android and wearables. The Mountain View company unveiled more information about Chrome OS, that other Google operating system, as well. The big news? Google is finally bringing Android apps to the Chromebook. Sundar...



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Android TV will be in Sony, Sharp and Philips TVs next year

Google isn't giving up on TVs yet. While its new Android TV flavor of Android L will hit the streets in set-top boxes aimed at game consoles and media streamers, it announced that next year smart TVs from Sony (all of its 4K and smart TVs), Sharp and...



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Google's Chrome OS now plays better with phones

Google's making its Chrome OS more like Android, and actually having it play better with those devices. At its annual I/O developer conference, Google announced support for some Android apps right on Chrome, including the option to launch Android apps through the Chrome launcher.

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Android can now keep your work and personal lives separate

Google today announced a new feature coming to Android that will make it easier for companies to deploy Android devices to their employees. The new data separation feature lets both corporate and persona applications coexist on a the same device, without having their data shared between them. Companies will be able to deploye apps in bulk and manage data on devices remotely.

A number of companies have developed similar, third-party systems for Android already, with Samsung's Knox platform being the most common. Google says that Samsung actually contributed a lot of its technology to Android to make this new feature possible, though this new service isn't limited to just Samsung devices. The data separation app will be available for...

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Native Android apps are coming to Chrome OS

Google is working to bring Chrome OS and Android closer together, and that'll eventually mean having Android apps running right on a Chromebook. "We're in early days," Sundary Pichai, Google's Chrome and Android chief, said on stage today at Google's I/O developer conference. Pichai didn't say when the feature would arrive, but he demonstrated it already working using Android apps for Evernote, Flipboard, and Vine. The apps can appear in a tall, phone-sized window, or they can be expanded to run as they would on tablets.

It's been widely expected that this would happen eventually, especially after Pichai — previously the head of Chrome alone — took control of Android too. Of course, there are still some big hurdles that Chrome OS will...

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You can now mirror your Android phone to Chromecast

Google is adding Android mirroring support to Chromecast. While Chromecast, as the name suggests, has been limited to Chrome tab streaming, that’s being extended to a number of Android handsets soon. HTC’s One M7 is supported, alongside LG’s G2 and G2 Pro, and Google’s Nexus 4, Nexus 5, Nexus 7 (2013), and Nexus 10 devices. On the Samsung side the Galaxy Note 3, Galaxy S4, and Galaxy S5 will all support Android screen mirroring to Chromecast. More devices will be supported soon, but the Moto X is one prominent device missing on the list for now.

Google’s $35 Chromecast streaming device is also getting an upgrade later this year to allow anyone to stream content to a connected TV. Chromecast currently supports casting from Android, iOS,...

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