What to expect from Google I/O 2010

Google's annual developer conference, Google I/O, begins on 19 May, and is traditionally used by the search giant to unveil exciting new products. This year, however, it looks to be a massive Android-fest, with the success of the mobile platform meaning that development has focused almost wholly on the little green robot.

The conference has been running since 2008, and was preceded by Google Developer Day in 2007 and Geo Developer Day in 2006. It was scaled up to a full conference after the company realised it needed to better serve the legions of software engineers who depended on it.

In 2008, it brought us initial info on Android, lots of Google Maps mashups and sessions on Google Gears. In 2009, there was a pile of juicy Chrome details and the uber-hyped but ill-fated launch of Google Wave.

So what will 2010's conference  bring us? Well, it's looking like the focus is going to be Android, Android and more Android. The big announcement is almost sure to be FroYo -- Android 2.2. Rumours suggest that the new version of the OS, which will roll out quickly to Nexus One owners, will include huge speed improvements, data tethering, the ability to act as a Wi-Fi hotspot, and the bundling of Adobe's Flash Player 10.1. It's also said to feature the decoupling of some of the main Android apps from the OS itself, so they can be more easily updated even if phone manufacturers take their time issuing OS updates.

Looking a little deeper at the list of sessions on offer, however, gives a look at what the company's major focus is for Android in the near future. There's a talk on writing games for Android -- suggesting that Google is concerned about the success of games on the iPhone and iPad. There's a session on targeting all Android devices, which seems to indicate that there's internal concern over fragmentation of the platform, too. There's also a session on app speed, which when combined with the zippiness of the 2.2 update shows that perhaps Google's focusing on speed and responsiveness as an avenue of attack against Apple.

The other big rumour for Google I/O 2010 is that a flavour of Android customised for set-top boxes will be launched. Google TV has long been said to be in development at the company's headquarters in Mountain View, and is said to allow televisions to run web applications such as Google Search, YouTube, Google Earth and Picasa. A Google-made device is supposedly in the works, but other manufacturers will be able to put the platform on their hardware, too.

Tablets are likely to be on show, too. Following the early excitement about Apple's iPad, manufacturers have been looking to Google to provide an alternative operating system. We wouldn't be surprised if a series of tablets from a range of manufacturers appear -- including Dell, Archos and Enso. Similarly, there's talk of Android appearing in cars too, with GM set to allow smartphones to sync with your car dashboard. That could set the scene for a user to save an address on Google Maps on a laptop, leave the house, and then have navigation start automatically when they set off in their car.

Aside of Android, there's a suggestion from eWeek that there'll be a big event for Google App Engine and the Google Apps ecosystem, but other than that there's radio silence. What about a merger of Twitter-like Buzz and location service Latitude to provide a rival for Foursquare? What about the future of Google Docs now that Microsoft has roped in Facebook for integration with Office 2010? What about the company's plans to roll out fibre-optic cables across the United States for super-fast broadband? And what about ChromeOS -- the lightweight desktop OS that there's been little activity on since launch?

A focus on Android is entirely understandable for the company, but we'll be very surprised if that's the whole story. Keep track on the Google I/O website, the official Twitter account and hashtag, or the YouTube channel.