Google -- never one to shy away from a project it can't drop in three years -- is reportedly developing a new Android based OS named Brillo for Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Brillo sounds remarkably like Android@Home, another Android based OS for IoT devices ballyhooed by Google in 2011 -- now abandoned -- and something Google executives would probably prefer forgotten.
So which needs will be met, so that Brillo can serve Google mankind? According to reports, Google designed Brillo (an Android OS, based on Linux) to work on embedded computers that currently run Linux, but can't run Android (due to bloat and memory requirements). This too, is something Google executives probably prefer we forget.
In IT Blogwatch, bloggers remember running Linux on 8 megabytes of RAM.
Today's humble blogwatcher is .
Derek Walter sees robots everywhere he looks:
Android may soon power your coffee maker, refrigerator, and a whole host of home devices that connect to the Internet.
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[Reportedly,] Google is building an Android-powered operating system code-named Brillo that will run on low-powered devices with as little as 32 MB of RAM.
Nate Ralph reports sharks -- swimming in blood filled waters:
Competitors aren't likely to take this news lying down. At a conference in China on Wednesday, Huawei announced LiteOS. ... and earlier this month, Samsung introduced the Artik line of hardware...aimed at unifying wearables and other smart devices with open software and Samsung hardware. MORE
Kevin Tofel has a long memory:
It's not terribly surprising that Google wants to connect everything to the web. After all, more web usage...leads to more information for the company. And that in turn leads to more potential revenue through targeted advertisements.
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Google actually headed down a similar path in the past. Remember Android@Home? ... The platform was introduced at the 2011 Google I/O Developer event and never amounted any tangible products. MORE
Mark Sullivan bets big money on the Internet of Things:
The IoT market may turn out to be huge. The research house IDC says 50 billion IoT devices will be in the wild by 2020.
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Nobody knows for sure yet. While the market forms up, we'll see lots of companies hurrying to grab their piece. We may be looking at a hundred IoT platforms, all driving toward gaining some critical mass of connected devices. MORE
Ron Amadeo tries to orchestrate IoT devices:
Brillo will be aimed at ultra low-power devices with as little as 64 or 32MB of RAM. With the abundance of smart home technology like connected light bulbs, door locks, sensors, and whatever other crazy connected objects the IoT crowd dreams up on Kickstarter, Google clearly sees an opportunity. MORE
Meanwhile, Nate Swanner heads back to the Nest:
Google's current connected home ambitions lie with Nest, which has a 'Works with Nest' framework developers can tap into via a set of APIs. [It isn't known yet] how Nest's program will dovetail with Brillo, but it should figure prominently. MORE
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