Google I/O 2014 is ramping up to be rather exciting. After Google posted screenshots teasing Android 5.0 (the clock time in the screenshots is set to 5:00, get the hint?), a new report from Forbes suggests that the Mountain View company will announce their own health-tracking platform.
Google Fit, that’s what Forbes is referring to it as, will allow users of Android devices to keep a track of various health metrics through wearable gadgets (such as fitness bands or smartwatches) and a simple app. It will be similar to Apple’s recently introduced Healthkit platform, announced during WDDC 2014.
The massive new feature, to be available with the final iOS 8 release, is basically a central hub for tracking all health-related data. Of course, all of this data will be accessible to the users via an app on their iPhone or iPad. Google, as it seems, has a similar vision.
At present, details regarding Google Fit are scarce at best.
What we do know is that the software will be in place display a user’s health-related info, such as heart rate and similar metrics. But what about the hardware? Surely, Google will have to rope in many partners to use their proposed solution.
With the health market getting increasingly populated by the likes of Nike, FitBit, Samsung, Sony and many others, Google will have to offer a more comprehensive suite of features to take the cake.
The new Android Wear platform for Smartwatches could serve as a launch-pad for Google Fit. Imagine the Moto 360 or LG G Watch, only fitted with a ton of sensors to give you detailed reports at the end of the day. That’s perhaps what Google had in mind while working on both new platforms. Of course, we can’t confirm the same, atleast not yet.
If anyone does have a shot at getting this right, it is the Google’s unannounced platform. With 80% of the world’s Smartphones running on Android, the company has half its work already done. However, rolling out an app is one thing, getting quality hardware out at the right prices is going to be the biggest challenge. But if you ask us, we think Google has already taken care of that.
At I/O 2014, the company will surely introduce several hardware partners alongside the Google Fit announcement. We can only sit and wait for June 25 to arrive soon enough.
