Google I/O 2014 Android L- The Quake That Shook San Francisco

The Earth moved yesterday and it was felt around the tech world. Google has taken a giant leap forward, beyond iOS, beyond Windows; can this be the future of OS updates?The I/O event has become one of the tech world's premier event and this year, it's safe to say, it did not disappoint. For as long as there have been Operating Systems and updates, the secrecy - and the leaks - have been legendary.  A little snippet here, a rumor there, but nothing quite as surprising as the announcement made yesterday at Google I/O, the annual showcase for developers held in San Francisco. This year, Google announced Android L, the next version of the Android operating system. The name in itself was unexpected. Plenty of code names were bandied about for months; Lemon Meringue Pie, Lollipop and Lemonhead were mentioned, to name a few of the more popular ones.  But then something wonderful happened. Google matured. Instead of a sweet name, Google choose a pedestrian yet enigmatic name, Android L. Albeit, once again continuing in the alphabetization vein.During the Google I/O 2014 event, there was a plethora of announcements regarding the Android ecosystem including:• Android L • Material Design • Android Auto and Open Auto Alliance • Android TV • Android Wear • Android One • Chromecast Updates • Mobile App EcosystemI’ll be covering each of these in more detail in subsequent articles, for now, let’s focus on the biggest news that caught just about everyone by surprise, the next OS in the Android stable, code name - Andoid LThe difference this year came with the surprise announcement and peek under the hood of the next Android release. This is a fresh and welcomed approach, giving developers unexpected early access and a hands on preview of the SDK for Android L. This action itself speaks volumes of where Android has landed in the tech world. No longer would the dark cloak of secrecy hide the upcoming changes that will eventually affect millions of Android users. With this release, everyone will know what changes the next operating system update will bring to their phone before it is actually pushed out to the masses. Building excitement for a fall roll out, the announcement unleashes another brilliant marketing strategy from Google. This 'heads up' announcement details some of the changes and upgrades just around the corner for the most used mobile phone platform in the world, and it is indeed, a welcome sign. In just 6 short years, Google’s commitment to Android has matured beyond expectations, and yesterday at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, the Android world cheered.In my next article, we'll look at the details coming in just a few short months.