Will Google finally figure out how to make Android better on television?

Android TV is getting rebooted: Google’s attempts to take over the television have historically been, well, pretty terrible. Google TV has been an out-and-out disaster, but the company did finally manage to salvage some success with the Chromecast. Google is probably going to try to build on that success with Android TV, which we detailed in April. The Wall Street Journal says to expect at least one Android TV-powered set-top box announcement at I/O. Interestingly, a version of Android TV was demonstrated at CES in January of this year. Hisense’s Pulse Pro was touted as running Android 4, and though it looks slightly different than the later leak, it’s at least another sign that Google is planning to support more traditional set-top boxes. Whether or not having both Chromecast and Android TV in the market will cause consumer confusion is still very much an open question, but hopefully the company has finally figured out that simpler is better when it comes to the living room.

Android is coming to the car: So far we’ve seen Android on your phone, tablet, wrist, face, and TV, but that’s apparently just the start. The next place is in your car. Google launched the Open Automotive Alliance in January, and it’s high time GM, Honda, Audi, and all the rest began announcing something. Right now signs point towards a system that allows you to control your phone from your dashboard, much in the same way that Apple’s CarPlay acts as a remote system. The battle for the car is on.

Home automation could be a focus: There’s also the Android@Home group, focused on home automation. The initiative has pretty much been missing in action of late, though perhaps we might see some new announcements. Google’s brand-new Nest division just went out and acquired Dropcam, but don’t assume that means we’ll see movement here. It’s much too early for any deep integration and Nest still operates like an independent entity within Google, but it's clear that this space matters a great deal to Google and it's willing to put its money where its mouth is.

Google Glass needs to become official: We’re overdue for a consumer version of Google Glass, something that doesn’t cost $1,500 and maybe doesn’t look quite so nerdy. The Glass group has made steady progress over the last year or so, working with designers on new frames and software developers on new apps. But Google really needs to get Glass out of the "Explorer" phase and move on to an official launch. That won’t necessarily happen at I/O, but at the very least the company ought to provide an update on what’s next.