What to Expect at Google I/O

Set-Top boxes, Watches but No Nexus Tablet, maybe Android “L” 5.0?

The hype beast is alive and well. We are less than 24 hours away from Google I/O 2014, and the rumors are swirling like a tornado. Less than 12 hours ago the idea of Android “L” being announced at I/O was considered highly unlikely. Now, thanks to some quotes from Android chief Sundar Pichai, we will be expecting it.

Google is expected to spin its vision of your connected life at its I/O developers conference on Wednesday. Underpinning that will be a suite of hardware devices. Here’s what we’re hearing on that front.

Google is also expected to reveal its latest attempt at bringing Android to TVs, according to sources. Much like its smartphone approach the TV effort will take multiple forms and come from a variety of manufacturers. Among those is a set-top box, code-named Molly.

For the Android team, it’s at least the third try to crack the TV space, with both prior Google TV efforts  met with tepid receptions. Android’s approach in the past has been to combine apps and a browser with the TV experience, while the more limited (and more successful) approach from the Chrome team has been a small device that can display video content that is sent over from a smartphone or tablet.

As expected, the first crop of Android Wear devices will make their debut, with wrist wear coming from Motorola, Samsung and LG. All three companies have their hardware ready to show in San Francisco, though they are all going to be limited to demoing just a few features on Wednesday, with the hardware makers more free to show their efforts starting Thursday.

Not expected to be seen at the show, though, is a Nexus tablet from HTC powered by the K1 chip from Nvidia. Such a mid-size tablet is still expected but not due on the market until later this year, sources said. Sources said a tablet debut at the developer conference was unlikely. [via recode]