5 Things To Watch For At Google's I/O Conference

Above all at Google I/O, Google is expected to tout the power of Android as a mobile platform challenger and offer Android developers hints at how Google wants Android to spread beyond smartphones and into the broader realm of mobile devices. With that mind, here are five things to watch for at Google I/O this week:

1. Heaps Of Android Praise: Rare is the analyst report on the growth of mobile OSes that won't show at least some admiration for how fast Android has grown in three years. Not only is it the OS of choice for a wide range of smartphones, but its Android marketplace is also in blast-off mode, with not only the number of apps added but the rate of apps added rapidly expanding. Android is still dwarfed in that category by Apple's mighty App Store, of course, but its growth has been spectacular. And rest assured Google has seen and will tout the recent NPD Group report suggesting sales of smartphones running on Android outpaced Apple iPhones in the first quarter of 2010.

2. Froyo Revealed: There was Cupcake, Donut, Eclair and now ... Froyo. The next version of Android, Android 2.2 and code-named Froyo in the tradition of Google naming Android releases after desserts, is expected to see public release at Google I/O. Google hasn't yet confirmed any details, but reports have been circulating that suggest Android 2.2 will add Wi-Fi hot-spot capability and USB tethering to the platform.

3. A Royal Welcome For Adobe: Adobe's very public war of words with Google rival Apple couldn't have come at a better time for Google. Adobe will be in attendance at Google I/O and according to a late April blog post by Adobe CTO Kevin Lynch, will be showing Flash Player 10.1 for Android smartphones in a public preview. The competitive drama of the Flash-plus-Android combination won't be lost on the legions of developers in attendance, especially those with a decidedly anti-Apple stance.

4. Nexus One Downplayed: If Google has hit a major speed bump in 2010 related to Android, it isn't so much having to do with Android itself as with one of the many smartphones running it. That phone, however, happens to be Google's baby: the Nexus One, which Google last week confirmed it will stop selling through the Google Web store and reposition in a global retail sales model. The blogosphere might be eating up the news, but expect Google to keep mentions of Nexus One fairly low key at I/O.

5. Android Beyond Smartphones: Given Android's growth, Google may use I/O to start crafting its message around development on Android beyond just smartphones. Android is already seen in other types of mobile devices -- Barnes & Noble's Nook e-reader runs on it, for example -- and reports of Android's involvement with the much-rumored Google TV set-top boxes and other technologies have been surfacing in recent weeks. Perhaps Google will also use the conference to advance the ball on Google releases like Buzz, Wave and Voice -- Google I/O 2009, after all, doubled as the official debut of Google Wave.