At Google I/O: Good News for Web Developers, and Android Apps

by Sam Dean - May. 27, 2009Comments (2)

HTML 5, the next version of hypertext markup language, includes many powerful ways for web application developers and people who manage sites and blogs to use graphics, video, location services and more. At the Google I/O event in San Francisco today, Google is talking up HTML 5 and has also announced a new, easy way to incorporate Google products and services in sites and blogs. The new product is called Google Web Elements. This looks to be a very easy way to incorporate news feeds, interactive maps, videos, and many more types of Google-centric content with any site. At Google I/O, there is also news of a new second iteration of the Android Developer Challenge with big cash prizes, and new Java language support in Google App Engine. Here are more details.

Google has long offered APIs that allow developers to incorporate its news, applications, documents and videos into web sites, but Google Web Elements is targeted to make the process far easier, according to the company's announcement. For example, if you're a developer who wants to put a Google News feed on your site, you would simply select the feed you want, type in news categories, and paste auto-generated HTML code right into your site. The process works the same way for maps, Google Docs presentations, search, forum conversations, spreadsheets, YouTube videos, calendars, and more. It's nice to see this become as easy as it obviously is. Here are screenshots of sample Web Elements components.

 

 

 

We covered the early applications created for the first version of the Android Developer Challenge here. Since then, the Android Market has gained more than 3,000 applications. For Android Developer Challenge 2 (ADC 2), Google will let users of Android-powered phones participate in the judging process through the use of an on-phone judging application. Awards will be presented to the top applications--up to a quarter of a million dollars for the overall winner--which will be announced in November 2009. This is definitely good news for next-generation Android applications, especially since many new Android handsets are on the way.

There is more on this week's Google I/O event here, and more about today's announcements here. 


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2 Comments
 

This should shape up to be a great conference. In the down market, there should be a lot of people trying new stuff, so am excited for Google IO!


0 Votes

Not to mention the free G2 phones that were being handed out to all attendees..


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