In order to rival Apple Pay, Google’s I/O event unveiled the next mobile payment platform that is going to take all Android devices by storm; Android Pay. However, Google is not yet through with its event, because apart from unveiling the successor of Android Lollipop, Android M, there are a ton of other goodies that the technological populace needs to be debriefed on. One particular subject that comes to mind is Brillo, or in simple terms, Google’s Internet of Things platform. With Brillo, Android handsets will be able to connect to smaller devices and users will be able to control them at will.
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After Brillo, Weave, A Communications Layer Will Enable Devices To Connect To Each Other Through Wi-Fi And Bluetooth
In a nutshell, Sundar Pichai, Senior Vice President of Google and responsible for overseeing Android, Chrome and Google apps has stated that Brillo will create a tight network in which all devices will be able to connect to each other through the user’s mobile device. As long as those devices are incorporated with a Bluetooth and/or Wi-Fi adapter, everything in a close proximity will remain connected. In order to accomplish this, Brillo will be paired with Nest, Android and Chrome.
Additionally, Pichai also introduced something called Weave. Just think of it like this; if Brillo is the heart of the Internet of Things, then Weave is the brains behind it. In short, Weave is a language that is going to be used by all connected devices (including smartphones) in order to effectively communicate with one another.
The best thing about Weave is that it is open source, and will allow third party developers to take advantage of it in their applications. That’s not all; Pichai also mentioned that cross-platform support for Brillo will be provided, although he did leave out one critical detail; which platforms will actually be supporting it. Now, comes the timeline as to when you guys can actually witness these two elements in action. Brillo will be arriving during Q3, 2015, followed by Weave in Q4, 2015.
As to why the name Brillo was chosen by the company, Google has not disinterred any details concerning that front, though we have to speculate that it has to do something with the company’s affinity of soap pads.
Image source: Wired