In Pictures: The 8 things we’re looking for at Google I/O 2015

Don’t call it a developer conference… …when it’s really Google Prom. OK, it’s also a developer conference, but isn’t that what you picture if I say the words “Google Prom?” I/O generally features at least a couple fairly major announcements from Google, and the 2015 edition isn’t expected to disappoint. Here are the seven things we’re looking for this time around.
Android M It’s getting a little bit routine, isn’t it? Another year, another major new version of Google’s chart-topping mobile OS. Muffin or Milky Way or Marshmallow or whatever it’s going to be called seems likely to have some enterprise-focused features, however, based on Google’s description of the “Android for Work” session.
A stand-alone photo app Google Plus is many things, but most people’s one-stop photo management app is not one of them. Google may be looking to make a move here, however, according to a report from Bloomberg that says the company is planning to roll out a stand-alone app for storage and sharing.
Cloud messaging A session entitled “cloud messaging 3.0” on the I/O 2015 schedule suggests that Google is working to provide additional tools for developers creating unified messaging solutions via the cloud.
Project Ara Google’s much-hmmed-over modular smartphone concept may get a further airing at I/O 2015, though the precise nature of any announcement is unclear. Is it going to get…more modular, somehow?
A nod to wearables There’s a lot of buzz about a surprise hit from last year’s show, Google Cardboard. Which was, obviously, a cardboard rig into which you can insert your smartphone for a bit of DIY virtual reality. Gizmodo's Sean Hollister recently reported, however, that one Googler told him that the future of Cardboard “won’t necessarily be corrugated paper.”
Automotive stuff There’s a tincture of the automotive about a lot of what Google’s rumored to be showing off at I/O 2015, with car-flavored sessions covering Android Auto, “Designing for Driving” and the like.
TV and Cast Ah, the ever-elusive living room – a place that both Google and Apple have been attempting to make inroads into, with varying degrees of success. (Remember the Nexus Q?) Announcements around Google Cast, the company’s framework for streaming media to your TV, are also expected at I/O 2015, including a possible Chromecast 2 and a more powerful gaming framework.
Brillo A report from The Information, citing unnamed sources, said that Google’s next foray into the Internet of Things, to be called Brillo, may be among the announcements. According to the report, Brillo’s going to be the company’s central platform for IoT and very low-powered connected devices that might not have the horsepower to run even Android.

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