Google I/O: Here's What Went Down

Google I/O was last week and with it came a ton of great great news. Everything from Google's entry in to the living room, to codes, launches, Android, and more. There's so much, in fact, that I'm lumping it all into this one post. Here's the highlights on each of the things you need to know:

Google TV

• Google TV is a new platform to serve as an augmentation to your TV, bringing the web to your big screen.
• The real product is the software, but Google is partnering with Sony who will integrate it into their TV line, and with Logitech to create a set-top box add on for TVs without it built in.
• Partnered with Best Buy to sell the TVs and boxes.
• Interface designed for a big screen and a remote control with QWERTY keyboard
• Pulls content from every single major source, ABC, Hulu, NBC, Netflix, etc... and includes a built in web browser to boot.
• Will run Android apps, and create a new platform for Google TV-specific devices.

This is easily the best implementation I've seen to date of getting the web to the television. UP until now, everything has been about one trick ponies. With the exception of Boxee, who will soon have a direct competitor in the hardware zone, and an app of their own for Google TV, there hasn't been a great living room solution for getting content from the web to your eyeballs while on the couch. Don't even bring up the Apple TV. That thing was only good for installing Boxee on it. Let this be an example: Close doesn't work. Open does.

Android 2.2 (Froyo)
 

• The new version of Android, 2.2, also known as Froyo, was announced and has a boatload of new features.
     - 2.2 is stupid fast. Benchmarks are spectacular.
     - Tethering and portable hotspot is built in to the OS but up to the provider to enable.
     - YouTube HQ, but it's kind of a cop out. The HQ is what it plays in by default, so toggling it just dials quality        down, but that's cool if you don't want to eat up as much battery, etc...
     - Apps can now be stored on the SD card and moved back and forth.
     - Streamlined camera controls
     - Gmail updated with color labels, avatars, and new buttons.
     - Calendar is updated with much more usable hour indicators
     - PINs are now possible if you're not into a gesture unlock.
     - Flash 10.1
• OTA App installations are now also possible as of 2.2 meaning users can 
• HTC devices launched in 2010 are likely to get Froyo in the second half of 2010. 

Amazing stuff. I can't wait to get Froyo on my Droid. It's supposed to be out pretty soon, but no word from Verizon yet. Believe it or not, even though Google said it would take a few weeks to roll out, many members of the press have been getting their Nexus Ones updated already over the air, and now the update.zip is floating around for Nexus One users to update manually if you just can't wait. Though, Google did just confirm that the version that is out may not be the final launch build.

Everything Else

• Flash 10.1 is now baked into the 2.2 OS, and Froyo is now the minimum requirement for Flash 10.1 on an Android device
• Google has finally opened up Wave to the public. Invites are no longer required. What's curious, though, is that Google Voice is still invite-only signaling that it might not yet be quite ready for primetime.
• Google has acquired Simplify Media in a move that looks a lot like they're working on replacing Lala, and going after Apple's increasingly likely iTunes.com.
• WebM is an open project based around a video codec, VP8, that Google has purchased and expects to use to replace H.264 which after 2015, wil begin to incur royalties.
• Google has launched what location based networks have been begging for. Finally, there's one database for locations, and it's called Google Places' API. This doesn't guarantee that every network will start using this, but it certainly does make it look good.

Okay, that's all you need to know from Google I/O. There's a whole lot, and there's some more that's not listed here, so if you need even more, click through to the Engadget roundup to get every last nook and cranny.