Google's still not done, and we love it
Whew, what a day, right? Google threw out all the stops all at once and we had a veritable flood of Android today, and chances are there was something to love in the mix for each of us. The Nexus 6, The Nexus 9, The Nexus Player and Lollipop came at us with a fury, and the overload felt really damn good.
Of course, we'll have discussion about what we saw, the good and bad, the expensive and the cheap, and how bad we want all of it anyway over the next few weeks while we wait. But we have to remember that Google isn't done yet! There's a good bit more in the pipes and on it's way to us, and we can get just as excited all over again.
Let's discuss what is still in store for Android fans
Android Wear
We know there's a big Android Wear update for Lollipop in the works, because Google told us there was. We expect things like proper APIs for developers to build things like watch faces, better support for GPS, the ability to store music on your watch and play it back without a connection to your phone, and probably more. That's good news, because some of the coming watches from companies like Sony will have the hardware that needs supported.
Plenty of rumors put that big update as due today, but it's far more likely that we won't see anything until the Lollipop source code itself is ready for public consumption. Speaking of which ...
Source code and OTA updates
Google's not yet ready to unleash the beast, and we haven't got a date for any official Android 5.0 software for any devices. We do get a crack at a new developer preview on October 17 (Soon.) but nobody knows how close to finished things will be.
Of course, for plenty of Android fans the code itself will be more important. When this happens, expect from-source builds for phones like the Nexus 5 in very short order from your favorite development team. This will also allow for Lollipop on devices not slated for "official" support. Fun times ahead on this front, indeed.
New Google Apps
With a new version of Android, comes new versions of Google's popular applications. We've seen some, like the new Google Play app or the updated Androidify app, but we fully expect to see some sort of overhaul of the rest. When you have a nifty new tablet and keyboard, you'll want your apps to work flawlessly with it. Expect updates to trickle out and a full dump of everything once a new Nexus gets into the right hands.
Android Auto
Google's been mostly silent on their Android Auto plans. We know they have lofty goals, and we know they are serious. When these two things happen, we love to see how Google will throw money at a project to see what happens. We heard nothing about Android Auto today, but we expect some sort of news to slowly come out of Mountain View as we get closer to a planned launch. Aftermarket head units, please Google!
What about the Nexus 5?
The Nexus 5 is still listed in Google Play. We all think there's a very good chance Google will continue to sell the N5, and they should. A 6-inch phone isn't for everyone, and the Nexus 5 will hopefully run Lollipop like a champ.
Nexus 6 availability and on-contract pricing
T-Mobile was quick to let everyone know about their Nexus 6 plans, but we still need solid information about contract pricing and availability dates. While we love the idea of buying unlocked and off-contract, here in the states carrier agreements are what sells phones. Google knows this, and so does your carrier. Expect some very carefully worded news on all the pricing and release dates soon.
Of course, Google is always planning and thinking of ways to bring us things we feel compelled to use. They may certainly have other things in store for the near future, but this is a list of the things we expect to hear about.
It's a good time to be an Android fan.
