Google's 'Android' Software To Sync Household Appliances, 'Google Flu Trends' As A Medical Tool
Google tools and its Android software, which is now commonly used in tablet computers and smartphones, will continue to enhance lifestyles.
Google's executive chairman Eric Schmidt sees a future where Android could help home devices sync together, with the introduction of Android for home appliances such as television sets and even refrigerators.
At the same time, some Google tools, such as "Google Flu Trends," are become more popular and even indispensable to its users.
In a recent study, researchers found that hospitals can monitor reports about influenza thru Internet search traffic about that disease than wait for outdated government flue case reports. Specifically, the study found a strong correlation between a rise in Internet searches for flu information, compiled by Google's Flu Trends tool, and a subsequent rise in cases of patients with flu-like symptoms.
Researchers said traditional reports, compiled using a combination of data about hospital admissions, laboratory test results and clinical symptoms, are often weeks old by the time they reach practitioners and hospitals. Google Flu Trends, on the other hand, collects and provides data on search traffic for flu information on a daily basis by detecting and analyzing certain flu-related search terms.
Android, which Google provides to hardware manufacturers for free, could potentially do much more, Schmidt said.
"Indeed, there are companies that are putting Android in refrigerators," Schmidt said. "Refrigerators do need some automation."
"What you really want to be able to do is, as you walk into your house with your Android device, all the things that have computers in it sort of adjust as necessary," he said. "When you go into the family room the television knows it's you because your device authenticates you as opposed to other family members, a text message comes to you."
Noting that there are currently 700,000 activations a day of Android devices, Schmidt said that the software could potentially do more.
"These numbers are growing very quickly," he said. "Android, in my view, is on a billion unit plan."