The next version of Android will be revealed Wednesday

Google IO 2014 kicks off tomorrow and we can expect some exciting announcements from the company's annual developer conference. How big are we talking here? Try the next version of Android big.

In a long form Bloomberg Businessweek profile on Sundar Pichai, the Android chief said he plans to preview the "L" release of Android during the conference's opening day Wednesday.

The move would be a significant shift towards greater transparency; the search giant has classically withheld its annual operating system updates until fall.

In the interview, Pichai said he wants, "the world to understand what [Google is] doing sooner." More importantly, he remarked that manufactures have complained the latest versions of Android have always been revealed too late for device makers to implement.

Up until now, Nexus phones were often the only handsets to get the latest software first. With this year's early preview, we could see the latest versions of Android land on all devices sooner.

Goodbye, Google TV

Alongside an early look at Android "L," Google IO may include an introduction to Android TV. Leaked on April 6, the new entertainment platform will purportedly include Netflix, YouTube, and other video streaming service apps arranged in easy-to-navigate cards similar to the PGEgaHJlZj0iaHR0cDovL2hvc3RpbmdraXRhLmNvbQ0iIHRhcmdldD0iX2JsYW5rIiByZWw9Im5vZm9sbG93Ij5BcHBsZSA8L2E+TV set-top box.

To help prevent repeating the same mistakes that plagued Google TV into obsolescence, Pichai has supposedly brought everyone working on the TV software into one team to create a single, consistent experience.

Given the company's recent success with Chromecast, Google should have an easier time attracting content providers. Additionally, it should have a cache of streaming apps that already work with the new entertainment platform.

Don't forget Android Wear

In a brief mention, Pichai said he would announce new manufacturing partners and devices utilizing Google's wearable platform, Android Wear.

Health tracking was on the Android point man's tongue, which means we will likely see fitness trackers and biosensor-equipped wearable computers.

• Google's wearable line up could include the Motorola Moto 360 and LG G Watch

Mozilla may be working on a Chromecast-style streaming stick

Mozilla is reportedly plotting a Firefox OS-based streaming stick to rival the PGEgaHJlZj0iaHR0cDovL2hvc3RpbmdraXRhLmNvbQ0iIHRhcmdldD0iX2JsYW5rIiByZWw9Im5vZm9sbG93Ij5Hb29nbGUgPC9hPg==Chromecast device.

GigaOm brings a hands-on PGEgaHJlZj0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy5ob3N0aW5na2l0YS5jb20NIiB0YXJnZXQ9Il9ibGFuayIgcmVsPSJub2ZvbGxvdyI+dmlkZW8gPC9hPg==showing the as-yet-unannounced device in action. According to report the stick has no name, no release date and it's unclear which markets it will launch in.

According to the report, the streaming stick, in its current form, is capable of running PGEgaHJlZj0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy5ob3N0aW5na2l0YS5jb20NIiB0YXJnZXQ9Il9ibGFuayIgcmVsPSJub2ZvbGxvdyI+QW5kcm9pZCA8L2E+and PGEgaHJlZj0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy5ob3N0aW5na2l0YS5jb20NIiB0YXJnZXQ9Il9ibGFuayIgcmVsPSJub2ZvbGxvdyI+aU9TIDwvYT4=apps will also allow developers to create apps that play nice with Windows Phone, the Amazon Fire platform.

As always with Mozilla, the focus will be on openness, the reporter who has been 'tracking the device' with Mozilla insiders for months said.

No restrictions

In response to the report a Mozilla spokesperson suggested the hardware may not be the company's doing, but that of a third-party using the open source software.

"Firefox OS is an open platform freely available for any company to build on top of without restriction. This means companies can experiment with different form factors that run Firefox OS," a spokesperson said.

Could Mozilla compete with the almighty Chromecast? Let us know your thoughts below.

• Amazon Fire Phone: 8 things you need to know

Via The Verge