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The Internet of Things industry is evolving at a rapid pace and as Google is always looking to be on top of things, the Mountain View-based tech giant is also doing its best to spearhead IoT-related advancements and position itself as a major player in this emerging market. With that in mind, Google just announced Android Things, a new IoT platform made for developers of smart devices. As the name suggests, Android Things is a collection of Android APIs and Google’s other services. Seeing how many manufacturers of IoT devices are already opting for Android as their go-to operating system, Google decided to serve them with a comprehensive set of tools that should facilitate their development efforts.
Android Things is essentially a rebranded and improved version of Brillo, Google’s previous IoT program which is apparently finally leaving its invite-only phase. The platform consists of tools like the Android SDK and Google Play Services, as well as the Google Cloud Platform. In the future, Android Things will also boast support for Weave. Speaking of which, the said communications platform got updated today and should now provide makers of IoT products with an even easier way of connecting to Google Services. While the Mountain View-based company avoided labeling the Android Things platform as a new version of Brillo, Google will still be working with existing early access Brillo users to help them transition to Android Things. Furthermore, the company also promised to release the source code of this platform in the near future.
So, simply speaking, this platform is a simplified version of Android aimed at companies looking to make IoT devices which aren’t as powerful as most contemporary smartphones and tablets. The first developer preview of Android Things features limited support for the Raspberry Pi 3, Intel Edison, and the NXP Pico. Of course, this hardware support will be expanded in the coming months, but for now, there are two things to take away from this announcement. First of all, Project Brillo is now Android Things and is now available to everyone. Secondly, Android Things will soon support a method for developers to deliver timely OTA security updates and fixes for their IoT products. Seeing how security is one of the biggest issues of contemporary IoT devices, this can only spell good news for the future of this industry. If you’re interested in getting started with Android Things today, follow the source link below to download the developer preview of Google’s Android Things.