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Google has made its new Android L operating system available as a developer preview to owners of the reference Nexus 5 and Nexus 7 devices.

Android L (5.0) is a major update to KitKat 4.4, including the addition of "Material Design," a fully refresh of the controls, notifications, animations and gaming aspects of the firmware.

The developer preview is still in beta, meaning if you want to test it out, you will have to have familiarity with Android dev tools and you have to know that many apps will be broken or crash due to incompatibilities.

Read our early thoughts on Android L here: Google previews Android 'L,' the next evolution of the operating system

If you want to ins all the preview on your N5 or N7, get the instructions here: Developer.android.com

According to new sources, Microsoft is preparing to finalize Windows 8.1 Update 2, with an RTM imminent by the end of the summer.

In fact, the company is expected to officially announce the update at the company's Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC) 2014 in July.

In addition, Microsoft could show an early developer preview version of Windows 9, as well, which would be the first official revealing of the next operating system.

The rumors come via WZOR, well known for leaking Windows news.

An RTM should be announced by the end of August, following the announcement in July.

According to new reports, Apple is working on new "mainstream" Smart Home hardware, looking to connect the home with your iOS devices.

The company is said to have put together a new team to work on the hardware but as of right now they are only slightly past the exploratory phase of development.

Other companies have begun exploring the smart home, most notably Google who has purchased Nest Labs, the makers of smart thermostats and smoke detectors for over $3 billion. Nest then purchased smart home video monitoring startup Dropcam for $550 million.

Apple will not likely compete directly with Nest, say the sources, because it feels it can develop products that have more mainstream appeal than just smoke detectors and thermostats. Most likely, the company will build a connected speaker system, say the sources, building on their own $3 billion acquisition of Beats Electronics. The company could also build full smart home control panels, connecting TVs, entertainment systems, and even lights and other accessories.

The Cupertino giant released unveiled their HomeKit platform, which allows iPhone and iPad users to better control home appliances like lights, locks, and garage doors using Siri.

Today was a sad day for tech innovation as the Supreme Court ruled against broadcast startup Aereo in one of the biggest rulings for the TV industry in a very long time.

In 2012, the major broadcasters Fox, ABC, CBS and NBCU sued Aereo, citing copyright violation concerns. The startup's service, which costs $8 per month, allows users to watch free, OTA content on any mobile device along with a free remote DVR. Aereo does not pay any re-transmission fees as it uses tiny digital TV antennas for each user in its own facilities and links to the streams.

In their initial suit, the broadcasters claimed that "Aereo will infringe their copyrights by making available technology which enables consumers to access broadcast television via a remote antenna and DVR." The original court agreed but the appeals court did not.

We will have a full analysis tomorrow, but for now, here is CEO Kanojia's letter to investors and users:

Google unveiled the next iteration of Android today, codename "L," most likely for Lollipop, Licorice, or Lemon Meringue.

The operating system brings a full visual reboot, along with some much-awaited features for the user experience. The OS will also be the basis of Android TV and Android Auto.

With over 5000 new APIs in the update, the update is certainly huge and will likely be considered Android 5.0.

The Android buttons have become minimalistic, Gmail has a brand new interface, and the icons have all been rounded. The Keyboard has been updated, as has the quick settings notification menu. There are additional do-not-disturb options included, as well. All of Google's most used apps (dialer, Hangouts, etc) will have the new theme. Google says the default Android font will be updated to work across all types of devices, including Auto and TV.

Google has merged the lock screen and notification menu, making the lock screen more interactive, and more Google Now-esque. Google has created transitions and animations that move at 60fps, a nice improvement for the visual elements of the OS. Multitasking has been updated, as well, with stacked cards showing the recently used apps and recently visited web pages.

Albeit with little details, Google has announced their Google Fit platform today, another direct response to Apple and their recently unveiled Health Kit platform for fitness.

The platform will organize all of your health and fitness data from different trackers and sensors you may be using.

Google also announced some partners working with Google Fit including Nike, Adidas, Withings, RunKeeper, and Basis.

The company's Fit SDK will be out in the coming weeks.

Google is actively working on integrating Android into everything it does, including its own Chrome OS operating system.

Eventually, the OS will be able to run all one million Android apps, natively. "We're in early days," Chrome and Android boss Sundar Pichai said today. There was no timetable but Pichai demoed Evernote, Flipboard, and Vine working already. The apps can be run in a phone-sized (taller) window or can be expanded as if they were smartphone apps running on a tablet.

The biggest issue of course will be controls given that Android apps are designed for touchscreens, which Chromebooks don't have (unless you own the reference Pixel). Google is going to work on that by adding a virtual software keyboard and a new app launcher interface, among other things.

Pichai also added that Chrome will be able to display notifications from a paired Android phone, and will eventually be able to have a special lock screen that can only be unlocked by your paired Android phone.

Google has made Android TV official, its newly focused platform for the living room.

Android TV will be installed directly on a number of upcoming 4K TVs and will also be available on set-top boxes and consoles.

Google has put entertainment at the forefront, with content from its own Play Store, Netflix, Hulu and all the rest of the popular content providers. Google provides recommendations based on what you have watched in the past and Google's search is also integrated using Knowledge Graph for contextual information for your most watched content.

You can control Android TV with your new Android Wear watch and you can also "cast" your content from your smartphone.

Games are also a new, welcome addition and gamers will be able to play Android-based games including multiplayer online.

Google also announced hardware partners including some pretty huge wins for the search giant. TV sets from Sony, Sharp, TPVision, and Phillips have already been announced for next year and Razer and Asus have plans for set-tops. Google is also working with Qualcomm, Nvidia, Intel and Broadcam to ensure hardware compatibility.

Google has unveiled its plans for your car, offering a rival to Apple's CarPlay.

Android Auto will take the operating system and morph it for your car, adding some key design features and making the new OS contextually aware and specializing in what you really need when in the car.

The software has been optimized for voice and you should be able to use it 100 percent of the time without taking your hands off the wheel or your eyes off the road. The company noted that many drivers still use their phones when on the road and pointed to scary accident stats before saying "there has to be a better way."

Google's Android Auto will be based off the new Android "L" OS (5.0) that will arrive in November followed by the first lineup of cars with Auto. The software will use Google Now-esque features to bring voice access to Google Maps, texts, Google Music and more. Android Auto is also compatible with your car's wheel and buttons. The dashboard will see "casts" from your smartphone so a synced Android device is quite important. Early development partners include Spotify, Pandora, MLB.TV, Stitcher, and Pocket Casts.

Google has showed off the first two Android Wear smartwatches in full, revealing availability and pricing.

Android Wear, Google's recently unveiled wearables operating system, is set to hit a number of devices in the coming months, but the first two devices are the Samsung Gear Live and the LG G Watch.

The Gear Live, which has the same design as the Tizen-packing Gear 2, was not previously revealed before today. The device has a 1.63-inch Super AMOLED display, is dust and water resistant and has a heart rate sensor. The device will sync with any Android device with 4.3 or higher, a vast improvement over past Samsung devices.

Samsung's device will sell for $200, and is available now as a pre-order from the Google Play Device Store. It ships on July 7th and will be available online and Best Buy in store on the same day.

LG's new endeavor features a rectangular face, a 1.65-inch screen and 4GB internal storage. The device will have an "always-on" screen, will be dust and water proof and will be available in both black and white gold. The LG device costs $229 and is available for pre-order from Google now for shipping on July 3th.

Google wants to make sure that everybody in the world has an Android device.

The search giant has used their 2014 I/O developer conference to unveil the "Android One" program designed to help manufacturers that are selling lower-end devices.

Google has created hardware reference devices that OEMs can refer to when building their own phones, allowing for (reportedly), the highest quality phones possible at the lowest price. The devices will run stock Android and receive quick OTA operating system updates although Google will allow OEMs to build their own apps as well.

It does not appear that full UI skins will be possible, but then again, these devices will not be made by Samsung or HTC.

The program will begin in the fall in India and Google showed off a Micromax-branded device with a 4.5-inch display, dual-SIM support, an SD slot and FM radio for under $100.

One of the nearly infinite announcements Google made today during their 2014 I/O conference was the addition of numerous features to its office suite that will help Android mobile users live without needing Microsoft's market leading but expensive Office suite.

First, Google made its presentation software, "Slides," available for mobile on Android and iOS. You can download it as a standalone app just like the word processing Docs and the Excel-esque Sheets.

More importantly, all the apps can now handle Word, Excel and Powerpoint files natively without need for conversions that occasionally led to some strange font issues in the past. Google had previously offered QuickOffice if you needed native Microsoft document editing, meaning you needed a completely separate app.

Ryan Tabone, director of product management, Google Docs, Sheets, Slides & Quickoffice, also noted that there should be no more confusion on which you need. "You just think document, use Docs. You think spreadsheet, use Sheets," says Tabone, "When people use one application, they have one use case in mind."

Google's Android boss Sundar Pichai announced today at the 2014 I/O developer conference that over the last 30 days there were over 1 billion active Android users.

It was not that long ago that the company revealed it had activated 900 million Android devices, so the growth is almost exponential at this point.

In addition, on average, Android users check their phones 125 times per day totaling over 100 billion times each day.

Android users send and receive 20 billion text messages per day on Android, and take 93 million selfies, added Pichai.

Keeping the stats going, Pichai noted that Android now has 62 percent market share of the tablet market, and over 300 million Chrome active daily Chrome mobile users.

LG has confirmed its global rollout for the G3 flagship device, starting with expansion to Hong Kong, Indonesia, Singapore, and the Philippines on June 27th.

In July, LG says more markets in Europe, Asia and the Middle East will receive the device. The phone is priced at €615/£500. The G3 for Asia and Europe will be wireless charging capable, as well.

Featuring a 5.5-inch QuadHD 2560 x 1440 IPS display (538ppi), the bezels are also thinner than last year's G2 with a screen ratio of 76.4 percent.

Under the hood is 3GB RAM, a high-end quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor, 32GB internal storage and a microSD slot in case you need more room. On the back side there is a 13MP OIS+ (Optical Image Stabilizer Plus) camera with "revolutionary Laser Auto Focus that can shoot stunningly sharp images in a fraction of the time required by conventional phone cameras" and the device has a massive 3000mAh battery. The smartphone is quad-band, LTE-capable, has NFC and can wirelessly charged.

Google's Nest Labs has opened up the technology to third parties, allowing other companies to build apps that can communicate with the smart home products.

The company says over 5000 developers have already expressed interest in building apps for Nest and the Nest line of products.

Nest is already working with Whirlpool and Chamberlain (maker of automatic garage door openers) with the goal of connecting the home in better ways. For example, closing a garage door can alert the Nest that the family is not home and turn off the heat to save electricity and gas. LED light bulbs from startup Lifx can flash red if the Nest detects smoke. The list goes on.

Google acquired Nest for $3.2 billion this year, and Nest just acquired video monitoring home security firm Dropcam for $550 million.