Loads of new Google stuff—Nexus 7, Android 4.1, Chrome and Drive for iOS and more

Posted by Shawn Wallace on Jun 29, 2012 in News

Google’s been busy dropping all kinds of new interesting stuff on us at their annual I/O conference in San Francisco.

As always, For3 is here to burn through the fluff and tell you what you need to know.

Here’s everything that matters from Google I/O 2012 (so far). We’ll also have a couple YouTube videos for you to watch at the end of this post so if you’re sick of reading, just scroll down and get to watching!

Nexus 7 – arguably the highlight of the show, Google announced their own 7″ tablet called the Nexus 7 which is running the newest version of Android, version 4.1 aka Jelly Bean. More than one review calls this the 7″ tablet to own and that it outpaces both the Nook and the Kindle Fire.
Android 4.1 – mentioned above, Jelly Bean brings some new and improved features to smartphones. Better notifications, a smoother user interface and Google Now (see the video at the end of this post), a sort of predictive assistant.
Chrome for iOS – For3′s preferred web browser, Google Chrome, is now available for iOS devices, allowing iPhone and iPad users to sync their web browsing experience across all devices. What I’m reading is that it’s not quite as snappy on iOS as it is on Android but it’s still a solid product. As an aside, Chrome for Android exits beta and is available for all 4.0 devices and up, today.
Drive for iOS – For3′s preferred file sync and backup service, Google Drive, is now available for iOS devices. Drive, an evolution of Google Docs, lets you share and sync files easily across all of your devices. Google also announced a slew of new features including offline editing and better collaboration tools.
Google Play adds magazines and TV shows – Play, Google’s answer to Apple’s App Store, now offers magazine and TV show downloads. Early reviews are that it’s a solid launch but the Play Store is still missing some magazines and TV shows that could make it the premiere digital outlet.
Miscellaneous – in other news, Google announces the Nexus Q, a home media device. Google+ tablet app for Android now available, iPad app “soon”. Google+ adds Events which tie into your calendar.

Days 1 and 2 are in the books with Day 3 events happening later today. We’ll be sure to update this post with any major new Day 3 developments.

So, do any of these announcements affect you? Were you in the market for a tablet and maybe the Nexus 7 will become your choice? Due for a phone upgrade and maybe you’ll go with the Galaxy Nexus so you can have Jelly Bean? Let us know in the comments!

Nexus 7

Android 4.1 Jelly Bean

Google Now

Shawn Wallace

Having spent over 10 years in the IT space, Shawn now consults directly with residential and business customers alike on all things technology. An avid Googler, Shawn will take an Android phone over an iPhone any day but his computer loyalties still lie with Microsoft.