5 Up 5 Down: What We Saw And What We Didn't See At Google I/O

All About Google

Google had some major announcements at its Google I/O Developer Conference yesterday in San Francisco. Some partners went as far as calling them ’game-changing,’ but as innovative as they were, the pink elephant in the room was what the Google execs didn't mention.

Of course, Google has its arms in so many different spaces, we can't expect new announcements for each one, but it made no mention of some of its biggest products. But make no mistake, Google did draw a picture of its great vision for the future.

Here are the top five announcements we saw and didn't see at Google I/O.

What We Saw: Android L

Google's latest version of its mobile market-share-leading operating system has undergone a facelift.

Featuring new transition animations to its user interface and new bolder colors to complement the animations, Android L creates a more aesthetically pleasing experience for users, but partners say the real big news from the expo yesterday is Samsung donating its KNOX toolkit to add enterprise management into the base of Android.

With mobile security advancements in Android L, could it get an uptick in enterprise market share?

Android Wear

This is the new Android operating system for smartwatches.

Android Wear has a similar look to Android L with its color, animations and more, but what really illustrated Google Senior Vice President Sundar Pichai's vision is its ability to sync with Android L devices. Users get push notifications from their Android L smartphones on their Android Wear smartwatches, including calls, text messages and more.

The seamless synchronization between Android devices is appealing enough to major vendors in the growing smartwatch space, including Samsung and LG, which released their new wearables yesterday. The Samsung Gear Live and LG G. Motorola's Moto 360 smartwatch will be released later this summer.

Android TV

Android TV is Google's competitor to Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV, and a key addition to its mounting Internet of Things network.

Users can access movies, TV series, apps, games, content recommendations and more, and all of this can be controlled by their Android L smartphones or Android Wear smartwatches.

The advanced search function highlighted the Android TV demo yesterday as users can use voice commands to find shows, or even backgrounds of actors as was done in the demo. Users also can cast images, videos and more from their Android L and Android Wear devices onto their Android TV.

Android Auto

In addition to TVs, wearables, smartphones and tablets, Android also will be in your car.

The inspiration behind the user interface was to prevent accidents caused by texting and driving. Android Auto allows for voice commands and one-touch commands with "simple glance-able controls."

Users can navigate, communicate and stream media such as music all through the display of their cars by plugging in their Android L smartphones, while keeping their hands on the wheel and eyes on the road.

Google announced over 40 partners, including 25 car brands that are backing Android Auto, with compatible cars hitting auto dealers at the end of the year.

Google Fit

Health and fitness apps and technology have really blown up over the last year, and Google is not one to stay out of a growing market. GoogleFit, which will compete with Apple's HealthKit that was announced just three weeks ago, is Google's health and fitness tracking platform. Using sensors on mobile devices, such as the new Android Wear smartwatches, users can look over charted health and fitness data.

Major partners behind the new software include Nike+, LF, Adidas, Basis, Runtastic, RunKeeper, Polar, Noom, HTC and Motorola.

What Was Missing: Google Glass

The one Google product out of all of its offerings that grabs the most headlines is Google Glass.

The prototype of the device sold out in the United States for $1,500 a pop, and just went on sale in the U.K. When it isn't the brunt of jokes on the Daily Show, it's racking up enterprise- and consumer-focused partners. The innovative wearable could have a huge impact on the tech world, so you'd think we'd get some sort of update or mention of it at Google I/O, right? Well, other than the developers in the audience who were wearing a pair of their own, we heard nothing.

Nest And Google Home Automation

Google flirted with completing the full circle of the Internet of Things, but never mentioned Home Automation. As the owner of Nest, and its learning thermostat technology, you'd think Google would have a leg up in the space, but we didn't hear about it yesterday.

Android entered the watch, car and TV, but not the home. It seems that Google does have plans to enter home automation, but just isn't ready to announce anything yet. After all, the diagram on the back of the Google I/O expo stage that illustrated Android's synchronization network did have a small house on it. That's a good enough source, right?

Google +

Google's step into social media was not mentioned yesterday despite its strange, yet significant, turn of events in the past two months.

In late April, Vic Gundotra, senior vice president and head of Google+, abruptly left his post after eight years with the company and did not exactly give a clear reason for his departure. Might have been because Google+ failed to reach the success of Facebook? Google+ has some 300 million active monthly users, while Facebook has over 1 billion.

Google's social media platform will reach its three-year anniversary on Saturday, but Google's plans for its future remain unclear. We'll just have to wait and see.

New Google Nexus Tablet

You would think that the next Google tablet is coming with recent releases from other vendors, but there was no mention of the next Nexus tab or replacement of the tablet at Google I/O.

Apple is expected to release its next iPad by the end of the year, while Samsung announced its Galaxy Tab S tablet (pictured) earlier this month.

You would think a new device would have been demoed, but that didn't happen. Is it not ready yet? Did Google execs figure they wouldn't be able to drag out the expo any longer with another major announcement? We'll probably hear something on this by the end of the summer.

Google Self-Driving Car

In case you haven't heard, Google has been working on a car that drives itself.

Think of the impact it would have if this technology really takes off. No more drivers ed classes. No need for Uber or Lyft rides.

Google has been test driving (or test riding?) its driverless car and been lobbying to make such a technology street legal by pushing for robotic car laws. It would have been nice to get an official update on it, but it seems like Google's car has a long way to go before it hits the streets.

Drive with confidence.