22
May
magazines

Google Play Magazines Updated To V2.0, Now Uses Card UI In The Magazine Library And New Slide-Out Navigation

Posted by in Applications, News

Google is going a little nuts with the card UI updates today – first Drive, and now Play Magazines. Today's update brings Google's magazine-reader to version 2.0, and makes it overall easier to use and nicer to look at – both welcome additions to an already-good app. Besides the new Card UI that replaced the terrible rolodex style called StackView, Magazines followed suit and adopted the new slide-out navigation drawer that we first saw in Google Earth and Shopper.

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Other than the pretty factor, this version contains some "bug fixes"... and not much else. Of course, considering the app is designed purely for reading/looking at, aesthetics are key, so that makes sense.

04
Jan
playmags

Print Magazine Subscribers Can Now Grab Their Free Digital Copies Directly From Google Play

Posted by in Applications, News

When Google first launched Play Magazines, there was an immediate backlash from users who were already subscribed to paper magazines that offer a free digital copy, as there was no way to grab said digital subscription from Google. Instead, these users were treated as if they had no prior subscription at all and were effectively forced to pay again if they wanted to read on their mobile device. Needless to say, that didn't go over very well.

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Fast-forward to now, and you can finally get your digital fix from your analog subscription straight through Google Play. For magazines that offer such a thing – like Wired and GQ, for example – there's a new entry under the "subscribe" option: "Free for print subscribers." After selecting this entry, it's pretty cut and dry – just enter your current subscription info and you're good to go.

31
Dec
google-play-logo

[Editorial] Play Store Wishlist: How We'd Like To See Google Improve Its Content Storefront In 2013

Posted by in Editorials, Google

Hey guys, have you heard that 2012 is almost over? Yep! The new millennium is about to be a teenager. It's exciting. (No, the year 2000 is not included, you mathematically remedial cur.) The past twelve months have been fantastic and we'll be hearing more about that later, but one of the things we felt the need to talk a bit more in-depth about is the Play Store. You know the one.

The last year has been hugely transformative for the Play Store. Most notably, it's now called the Play Store! Play Store Play Store Play Store. Let it sink in real deep, because you're gonna be stuck with it for a while, much to David's dismay.

13
Dec
magazines

Google Announces Play Magazines Availability in The UK, Over A Hundred Different Choices Already In The Store

Posted by in Applications, News

Google Magazines has to be one of my favorite services from Big G. I've always been a big fan of magazines in general - they just provide a different experience to the traditional blog format (oh how the tables have turned, right?). Now, all our friends across the pond can begin enjoying this fantastic service, as well.

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Officially announced last night by Google UK, the service is now available in the Play Store for UK residents. It's stocked with over a hundred different magazines to choose from, including Glamour, Hello!, Men's Fitness, and more.

To get a better look at all the different choices, fire up the Play Store and hit the "Magazines" link.

29
Oct
playmagazineslogo

Google Play Magazines Launches In Canada, Because There Just Weren't Enough Announcements Today

Posted by in Google, News

We've already heard that Google was expanding their Play Movies and Play Music services today to new countries and with new content. Play Magazines isn't getting left out in the cold, though. Today, the storefront is opening up to our neighbors up north, in addition to signing extra content partners for a more robust distribution platform.

As part of the huge announcement Google put together, the company touted its magazine partnerships:

We’re now working with Time, Inc. to bring you even more magazines like InStyle, PEOPLE, TIME and others...We’re now working with all...the major U.S. magazine publishers."

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We're definitely pleased with the major expansions that have been happening today.

22
Aug
googlemusictiny

Google's Music, Magazines, And Goggles Apps All Get Updated, Here's What's New

Posted by in Google, News

A bunch of new fun stuff is coming down the pipeline, Google-fans! Your favorite search giant has just pushed several updates to some of its headlining properties, including Play Music, Play Magazines, and Google Goggles. We've got the full rundown for you.

Play Music

For starters, Google Music has added expandable notifications to its repertoire. It doesn't look like you'll see much more info if you expand it, but Play Music continues to be one of the best examples of how to make notifications robust and useful. Also, good news for Google TV owners: if you purchased a newer GTV box (like the Vizio Co-Star), Play Music will now be supported.

15
Jul

[Weekend Poll] Will You Buy Magazines From The Play Store?

Posted by in News, Polls

This is the latest in our Weekend Poll series. For last week's, see Do You Intend To Buy A Nexus 7?

We're picking up on the sub-series of polls on your use of the Play store from a few weeks ago, but with a new twist: magazines. Prior to I/O 2012, pretty much nobody used the Play store for movies and music (though Google hopes that will change with slightly more full shelves and the Nexus 7), but what about the new magazines section of the store?

It's not exactly a secret that magazine and newspaper subscriptions have been in decline for years, which begs the question...

27
Jun
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Google Play Store Updated To Bring New TV Shows, Magazines, And Movies For Purchase

Posted by in Apps/Games, News

There were several new announcements today for the Play Store at Google's I/O keynote, which included the arrival of new content. As previously expected, the Play Store now offers TV Shows, magazine subscriptions, and movie purchases.

First off, let's take a look at TV Shows. This is one thing that the Play Store has been missing since day one, so it's nice to see it finally show up. After spending a few minutes looking through the titles, it looks like Google stocked it up with quite a bit of good content. Best of all, once you buy it, it's yours forever.