Android expands reach, consolidates into one platform for all devices

11.05.2011

Total home automation has "been the dream of many people for who knows how long, ever since the Jetsons," Lee said.

For today, Google is helping developers integrate Android with physical devices with the new . On stage, the company demonstrated the ability to connect an Android phone to an exercise bike via USB in order to give the user real-time data on an exercise session.

The ability to connect Android to any device impressed Google I/O attendee A.J. Schrauth, an MIT Ph.D student in mechanical engineering. He's no Web developer – he only attended Google I/O because a friend of his registered and couldn't make it – but he found the potential real-world applications intriguing.

"Having more options to integrate such a ubiquitous technology with some random product you can build is amazing," he said.

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