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Nov

Nexus 4, Take Two: Back In The U.S. Play Store (For At Least The Next Few Minutes)

Posted by Cameron Summerson in News, Nexus 4

Update: Google says the Nexus 4 isn't sold out, but that the Play Store is just being inundated with demand. Here's what we're seeing on the Nexus 4 page right now:

Google Play is currently experiencing very high traffic. Nexus 4 is not sold out and will still be available for purchase. Please try again shortly. Thank you for your patience.

It's no secret that Google didn't handle the Nexus 4 launch as well as it should have. There was a problem with the system, orders got lost and/or cancelled, they sold out way too quickly - the whole thing was a complete mess.

Nov

[APK Teardown] Coming To A Play Store Near You: App Reviews Will Require A G+ Profile, Pre-Order Support, And More

Posted by Ron Amadeo in APK Teardown, Features, News

Google has been on an update roll lately, with Voice, YouTube, Google+, Calendar, and Music all getting updates in the last week. I've been dutifully doing teardowns on all of them, but there's been no hidden goodies, and thus, no articles. There was a Play Store update this weekend, however, and that does have some interesting, new stuff in it, so we're back!

Google+ App Reviews

Android is quickly becoming the Google+ OS.

App reviews in the Play Store will soon require a Google+ account, and future reviews will be posted showing your full Google+ name and picture. The string file always seems to be the most enlightening, so we'll start with that first.

Nov

Google's New "Explore Similar Artists" Feature Already Live In Play Store For Tablets

Posted by Ryan Whitwam in News

Google announced a few additions to the Play Store along with Android 4.2 and the new Nexus devices earlier this week. Among the improvements was an expansion of the music catalog and a new way to explore similar tunes. The exploration interface has been demoed a few times by Google, but it appears to already be available in the Play Store on tablets.

We've confirmed on several Nexus 7 tablets that the Explore Similar Artists button is right there next to the Buy button on artist pages. Tapping it opens a clean interface populated by floating circles. You can drag or tap along, following the lines of similarity from the artists you know, to those you might not.

Oct

Samsung's Newest Chromebook Now Available Directly Through Google Play

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Google, News, Samsung

A few days ago, Google intro'd a new entry to the ChromeOS family: the 11.6", Exynos 5-powered Samsung Chromebook. At $250, this dual-core ultraportable isn't going to break the bank, and for users who don't normally venture outside of the web browser, it's a pretty ideal solution. And starting today, you can grab this little guy directly from Google Play.

Just to avoid confusion, this does not run Android. It runs ChromeOS.

This new Chromebook is the first non-Android device to make its way into Play Store, which is clearly going to be Google's new storefront for future hardware sold directly by the company.

Oct

Google Brings Try-And-Buy Option To In-App Subscriptions In The Play Store

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Development, News

Back in May of this year, Google unveiled its in-app subscription service, which allowed developers to easily add an auto-renewing subscription into their apps. Fast-forward to today, and Big G has added another new feature to the service: try-and-buy. Beginning now, developers can let users try a subscription for a a predefined amount of time without having to shell out the cash first. Here's how it'll work.

Once the service has been set up, the end user must "purchase" a subscription in the app. The process will complete as normal - the "sale" of $0.00 must be confirmed, and an email confirmation will be sent out, just as if an actual transaction was made.

Oct

Google Is Bringing Play Movies, TV Shows, And Music To Google TV Starting Today

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Google TV, News

Google TV is about to get a whole lot more useful. As of today, Google is pushing Play Movies, TV Shows, and Music to GTV. The rollout is going to take a few weeks to complete, so don't stress if it's not available on your box just yet.

With this update, you'll be able to rent or buy content directly from the Play Store and stream it to your TV. You'll also be able to discover movies and shows via the TV & Movies app, which will also provide recommendations for content available on Netflix and Amazon, along with Google Play.

Sep

Here Are The $0.25 Google Play 25 Billion Promotions For Day 2

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Deals, News

Yesterday, Google started a promo for hitting 25 billion downloads in the Play Store. For five days, they're offering 25 apps for $0.25. Today is day 2 of the promo, and the sales just went live. Here's a look at what you can grab on the cheap today:

Sep

Twentieth Century Fox Titles Coming Soon To Google Play Movies And YouTube, 'Prometheus' Already Available

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Applications, News

Google just sealed the deal with Twentieth Century Fox to brings its titles to Play Movies and YouTube. This means shows like Family Guy, Modern Family, Glee, and more; as well as movies such as X-Men, Ice Age, and Black Swan will all be making their way to the Play Store for rental and purchase. Yay!

To celebrate this new union, Fox released Prometheus in HD to Play Movies this morning - a full three weeks ahead of the movie's release on Blu-Ray and DVD.

With the addition of Fox, Google is now working with all six major film studios, as well as several independent studios to bring even more movies and TV shows to Google Play and YouTube.

Sep

[Oh, Snap] Google Sponsoring Free Boingo Wi-Fi Across The US Again In 4000 Locations, But Only For Laptops And Android Devices

Posted by David Ruddock in Android OS, News

I'm not the kind of person that finds some subtle jab at Apple around every corner, but today Google and Boingo announced a free Wi-Fi partnership that makes drawing such a conclusion hard to avoid.

Google has sponsored Boingo Wi-Fi a number of times in the past, offering the company's wireless internet in hotels, shopping malls, subways, and airports around the world. Today's deal extends to 4,000 hotspots across the US, including 15 major airports, numerous Manhattan subways, and thousands of other locations. It is also specifically branded as being sponsored by Google Play, not simply Google.

The catch is that, this time, only some devices can use the free service.