Android May Be Coming to TVs, Tablets at I/O

Ideally, such as service would provide a bigger computing palette for Google, allowing users to access Web applications from their PCs. Developers will be able to write entertainment-oriented programs for the service, potentially spawning a whole new application ecosystem.

Want more Android? Google and General Motors will likely pair smartphones based on the Android operating system with GM's OnStar driver roadside assistance service.

The Wall Street Journal initially reported the news the week of May 10, noting that OnStar President J. Christopher Preuss said on his Facebook account that OnStar would have big news the following week.

OnStar will certainly be at Google I/O; a spokesperson for the company asked eWEEK to join OnStar for a media dinner where officials will "demonstrate some of our latest technologies, plus give a peek at some new things we're considering for the future."

Make of that what you will, but eWEEK expects Android to be linked with OnStar.

Also, don't be surprised if Google officials talk about Android-based tablets. Verizon Wireless has confirmed it is working with Google on an Android-based tablet.

What better event at which to preview or unveil an Android tablet designed to tackle Apple's iPad, which is looking to lead the tablet sector the way the iPhone has dominated smartphone sales in the United States? Analysts are expecting several Android tablets.  

Is there anything at Google I/O that won't center on Android? Sure. eWEEK has heard from one prominent reseller of Google Apps that I/O will also be a big event for Google App Engine, but the source declined to go into specifics.

Introduced in 2008 at the inaugural Google I/O event, Google App Engine lets developers build their Web applications on the same infrastructure that powers Google's own applications.

Again, unless there is another surprise product or platform like last year's Wave, expect this event to be an Android festival. That means phones, tablets and set-top boxes running the increasingly ubiquitous platform.