Posted by Wayne Piekarski,
Developer Advocate for IoT
The Internet of Things (IoT) will bring computing to a whole new range of
devices. Today we're announcing two important updates to our IoT developer
platform to make it faster and easier for you to create these smart, connected
products.
We're releasing a Developer Preview of Android Things, a comprehensive way to
build IoT products with the power of Android, one of the world's most supported
operating systems. Now any Android developer can quickly build a smart device
using Android APIs and Google services, while staying highly secure with updates
direct from Google. We 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. And in the coming
months, we will provide Developer Preview updates to bring you the
infrastructure for securely pushing regular OS patches, security fixes, and your
own updates, as well as built-in Weave connectivity and more.
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.
We are also updating the Weave platform to make it easier for all types of
devices to connect to the cloud and interact with services like the Google
Assistant. 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. 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 we want to build with you. To get started, check
out Google's IoT developer site,
or go directly to the Android
Things, Weave,
documentation and code samples. You can also join
get the latest updates and share and discuss ideas with other developers.
