Everything You Need To Know About The Android Things

On 13 December 2016, Google set afloat a version of Android and called it Android Things. Basically an operating system, the Android Things can run on devices like speakers, smart thermostats, security cameras, routers, printers and similar devices. The motive behind launching the technology in the market is to make it easier for companies to ship IoT hardware. This will be made possible as the developers can use the tools they are already familiar with.

Google has been launching many operating systems for android apps development, and Android Things is the latest one from their sleeves. The Android operating system runs on smartphones and tablets. Similarly, the Android Wear is run on wearable gadgets such as smart watches and fitness bands. The Chrome operating system capacitate laptops and desktops and the Android TV is used for televisions. The newly launched Android Things is intended to power Internet of Things (IoT) gadgets.

The Android Things operating system will bring the entire mobile application development to devices compatible with Internet of Things (IoT) applications. Although the technology is in its initial stage and supports limited devices, the technology has some advanced features to contribute to the IoT. The Android Things is basically a more precise and robust version of Android focused on the leading and upcoming smart hardware, rather than the simple ones.

If we take a close look at the Android Things, the operating system isn't exactly new. The technology has been re-introduced By Google, similar to the one announced last year, the Brillo. It was an operating system based on android for mobile, wearable gadgets and other smart devices as well as IoT gadgets. Android Things may be termed as an upgraded version of Brillo.

The Brillo was not a hit as expected because the android app developers found it difficult to get along with the technology and work on new products. But now, the developers are familiar with the tools. So, there is a hope that Android Things will dominate the upcoming market trends. Google has already released the SDK preview for the Android Things.

There has been a common misconception in the market that Android Things are similar to the Android Wear, which you may find working on a regular smart watch. Android Things is a full featured operating system which works in the background. It allows android and iOS based smart devices to perform their own tasks instead of letting servers do the processing. The OS is ideal for complex smart devices like printers rather than simple and basic power outlets.

The Android Things based devices will have features to integrate with other Android and iOS devices. A communications system, Weave will enable it to do so. Moreover, this will also let the upcoming Android Things devices to have access to Google Assistant.

If you are about to lay hands on Android Things, you must keep some things in mind. The technology is relatively new and could take a while before things stabilize. Keep yourself updated with the release notes for the various device boards it supports. The android team has specified all the active and inactive services as well as all the supported hardware features.