Google has announced two updates to their IoT developer platform to make it faster and easier for developers to create smart, connected products.
Hardware and software developers can now create IoT devices using the same Android APIs and Google Services they already know. Android Things is now available to work with inside of Android Studio with the Android SDK, Google Play Services and Google Cloud Platform.
Google will also start releasing updates to Android Things similarly to how it handles other Android releases, with patches and security fixes.
Google have today released a Developer Preview of Android Things, a comprehensive way to build IoT products with the power of Android. The company incorporated the feedback from Project Brillo to include familiar tools such as Android Studio, the Android Software Development Kit (SDK), Google Play Services, and Google Cloud Platform.
In addition, the Weave platform has been updated to make it easier for all types of devices to connect to the cloud and interact with services like the Google Assistant.
Google highlights the handful of turnkey solutions available for you to buy and start developing on, including Intel’s Edison kit and the Raspberry Pi 3.
“There are several turnkey hardware solutions available for you to get started building real products with Android Things today, including Intel Edison, NXP Pico, and Raspberry Pi 3. You can easily scale to large production runs with custom designs of these solutions, while continuing to use the same Board Support Package (BSP) from Google.”
Device makers like Philips Hue and Samsung SmartThings already use Weave, and several others like Belkin WeMo, LiFX, Honeywell, Wink, TP-Link, and First Alert are implementing it.
Weave provides all the cloud infrastructure, so that developers can focus on building their products without investing in cloud services. Weave also includes a Device SDK for supported microcontrollers and a management console. The Weave Device SDK currently supports schemas for light bulbs, smart plugs and switches, and thermostats.
Google states that additional device support will be coming soon,
“In the coming months we will be adding support for additional device types, custom schemas/traits, and a mobile application API for Android and iOS. Finally, we’re also working towards merging Weave and Nest Weave to enable all classes of devices to connect with each other in a secure and reliable way. So whether you started with Google Weave or Nest Weave, there is a path forward in the ecosystem.”
This is just the beginning of the IoT ecosystem Google want to build. To get started, developers should check out Google’s IoT developer site, or go directly to the Android Things, Weave, and Google Cloud Platform sites for documentation and code samples.
Developers can download the Android Things Developer Preview here.
