Google I/O, #Euro2012 Page, and Facebook’s First Female Director: Week In Review

The top stories this week from the digital world…

Google I/O Conference

Google rounds out the end of software developer conference season with their I/O Conference this week in San Francisco. Although it doesn’t have the same sort of clout as Apple’s WWDC or Microsoft’s Developer Summit, Google definitely won in terms of major announcements and one of the most elaborate project demos, ever. One thing is certain: Google has completely moved itself into a position to compete with Apple on nearly every level.

First, Google matched the other two conferences by announcing a major upgrade to its mobile operating system. After its map program got booted from iOS, the robotically delicious-sounding Android Jelly Bean promises to have an even better maps program with improved directions. It now has a voice function which claims to use less data, be more efficient, better at searching, and sound more life-like than Siri. It will also be able to work offline, and the entire system is getting a major aesthetics overhaul.

The only problem, it’s only coming out for Galaxy Nexus owners, meaning only a few Android users will actually be able to use Jelly Bean.

What is really interesting is that Google Chrome will soon be coming to iOS devices as an app. So not only is Google competing with Apple, they are starting to invade enemy territory.

Google also announced the Nexus 7, which, rather than compete with the iPad and Surface, wants rule the next tier currently dominated by the Kindle Fire. Google’s first tablet is a 7-inch screen with a full 1280 x 800 resolution, and is much more powerful than any of the other Android tablets or the Kindle Fire. It will also have access to the full Google Play store, and the demos ran much more smoothly than the Surface’s bug-filled debut. The Nexus 7 will only cost $199.

The big surprise was the Nexus Q, a spherical device that links Androids to televisions and stereos.  Like the Apple TV with iTunes, it will connect to the Google Play store to become a cloud-based entertainment hub for the home. At $299, its pretty expensive and not all that remarkable, but it does mark the first time that Google owns its own hardware device. Google also announced that the Nexus Q will be completely manufactured in the United States.

Finally, in what was definitely the highlight event of I/O, was the stunt to promote Project Glass—Google’s augmented reality eyeglasses. A group of base jumpers wearing the glasses jumped from a blimp, providing live feeds from the sky to the keynote speech. They landed on the roof of the conference center, handed off the glasses to a group of BMXers who did some jumps before giving the glasses to another guy who rappelled down to the entrance before finally handing them to another biker who brought them to the stage.

Amazingly, no one got hurt, and they had a working Internet connectiong throughout the entire demonstration.

Beat that, Apple.

Twitter’s Latest Hashtag Page

Twitter continued its move into the media with its latest sports-themed hashtag supporting the European Football Championship. Like the #NASCAR page, #Euro2012 allows Twitter to curate content with a combination of algorithms and editors.

The goal is to provide “the best and most relevant Tweets from commentators, broadcasters, journalists, players, former players” and more. While you can already find that on Twitter, the information can come at a frenetic pace during events like the Euro Cup, and its often scattered, unorganized, and littered with comments from people you never want to hear from again. The hashtag page hopes to fix that by putting all the best tweets in one place.

It also shows Twitter showing its desire to be more than just a platform for people to share information. By becoming a sort of media hub, Twitter itself its becoming a source of information.

Facebook Names First Female Director

Looking for a more grown-up image, Facebook has named Sheryl Sandberg, a vocal critic of gender imbalance in Silicon Valley, as its first female director.

According to the Guardian, Sandberg joined Facebook in 2008 and guided the social network to its $16 billion dollar IPO. Aside from Sandberg, the rest of the board is made up of 7 Caucasian men.

While Facebook hopes that her promotion will simultaneously help the company overcome its image as a college-oriented business and charges of gender discrimination, the social network also hopes Sandberg will continue to increase the value of Facebook after is uninspiring IPO.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Are you going to be the first person in your office to where Google Glasses? Let us know in the comments and connect with us on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, and LinkedIn.

Register for our FREE Resource Center and Newsletter to access our growing library of valuable Guide Books, Tip Sheets, and more!

To learn how MAGNET MEDIA can help with your social media/interactive marketing or video solutions, contact info@magnetmediafilms.com, 646-486-7109, or visit magnetmediafilms.com/what-we-do

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Ryan W. Neal is a journalist from Sacramento, California. After earning a B.A. in English and philosophy at UC Santa Barbara, he interned with the Santa Barbara Independent and wrote freelance stories for the Sacramento News & Review, The Summit Daily News, and Virgin.com/music. He earned his M.S. in journalism from Columbia University, and now works as Editorial Assistant at Magnet Media.

Tagged as: Google+, Mobile, Social Media, Social Media Marketing, Technology, Twitter, Week in Review