15
Aug
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Google Is Gearing Up To Finally Introduce Play Store Gift Cards And A Wishlist [APK Teardown]

Posted by in Android OS, APK Teardown, Apps/Games, Google, News
Last Updated: October 17th, 2012

A new Google Play Store v3.8.15 apk started rolling out to Android devices today, but upon running through its UI, I was unable to uncover anything different from the versions before that. Yet the apk size gained a few pounds kilobytes, and not knowing what the 300KB of code and resources added was killing me. Not to worry, a few minutes later, I decoded both 3.7.15 and 3.8.15 and compared their contents.

Play Store Gift Cards

What I found inarguably points to Google gearing up to finally release redeemable Play Store gift cards - something we've been anxiously waiting for since the Android Market started supporting paid apps.

15
Aug
playstore

Download: Latest Google Play Store 3.8.15

Posted by in Apps/Games, News
Last Updated: January 6th, 2013

There is a more recent version of the Play Store available for download here: Download: Latest Google Play Store 4.1.6 - Sweet New Designs And OCD Fixes

And a few earlier ones:

A new Google Play Store update v3.8.15 has just started rolling out to Android devices. The new version updates 3.7.15 from the end of July, and so far outside of a minor cosmetic change, I wasn't able to pin down just what exactly is new.

14
Aug
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RealPlayer For Android Comes Out Of Beta – RealNetworks SVP Uomoto: 'This Is The Media Player That People Want'

Posted by in Applications, News

RealPlayer, one of the most well-known media playing solutions available for desktops, has received its own Android app, which came out of beta and hit version 1.0 (officially 0.0.1.0) today. In a press release, Scott Uomoto (SVP Consumer and Helix Divisions, RealNetworks) boldly stated that "this is the media player that people want."

Despite any preconceived notions you may have about RealPlayer, the official Android app already has overwhelmingly high ratings and a somewhat decent feature list – first off, RealPlayer can be used to centralize not just your music, but videos and photos as well. The app also features optimized graphics "for high-res devices" (though the app's interface isn't great), lastFM scrobbling, voice commands for search, lockscreen functionality, video bookmarking, and more.

12
Aug
play_logo

[Weekend Poll] On Average, How Many Apps Do You Purchase Per Month?

Posted by in Apps/Games, Polls
Last Updated: August 19th, 2012

This is the latest in our Weekend Poll series. For last week's, see If Your Device Had Google Wallet Support, Would You Use The Service?

We've heard developers gripe that paid apps are very rarely successful numerous times in the past, be it because of piracy or because Android owners simply aren't willing to pay. About a year ago, we asked how many apps readers had purchased in the last month; 71% had purchased 2 or less, and 45% hadn't purchased any at all. But that was a year ago, and Android is a much more mature OS now. Time for an updated poll.

28
Jul
google_play

Download: Latest Google Play Store v3.7.15

Posted by in Apps/Games, News
Last Updated: January 6th, 2013

There is a more recent version of the Play Store available for download here: Download: Latest Google Play Store 4.1.6 - Sweet New Designs And OCD Fixes

And a few earlier ones:

Google is in the process of rolling out a Play Store update v3.7.15 which follows 3.7.11 and 3.7.13 from early July. The latest version doesn't bring any new features as far as I can tell, so we can only assume it contains under-the-hood improvements and/or bug fixes.

17
Jul
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Google Provides Official Update On Nexus 7 Pre-Order Shipments

Posted by in Android OS, News, Nexus 7

Just after giving the 8GB Nexus 7 "In Stock" status, Google has published an official update on the 7's pre-order shipping situation.  The statement, which should placate users who have felt in the dark about the status of their Nexus 7 orders, explains that all standalone 8GB Nexus 7 orders (without cases or other accessories) have been shipped, and that by the end of the day July 19th, all standalone 16GB orders placed through July 11th will be shipped as well (including upgraded overnight shipping).

Those who ordered their tablet with accessories (or a Nexus Q) should expect the 7 to ship this week with overnight shipping, with accessories potentially coming in separate shipments.

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...

02
Jul
google_play

Download: Latest Google Play Store v3.7.13

Posted by in Apps/Games, Google, News
Last Updated: January 6th, 2013

The latest version of the Play Store is no longer 3.7.11 - say hello to v3.7.13. I haven't found anything different from 3.7.11 just yet - it likely only contains bug fixes. There's no reason to lag behind, however, so if you're running a Play Store with a version lower than 3.7.13, jump right to the download mirrors below. Before you do that, let me point out a few things.

Upon playing with the Store further, I did discover a new feature compared to v3.5.19 that I didn't mention last time - inline app links in search suggestions. Take a look at searching in 3.5.19 (on the left) and 3.7.13 (on the right) - direct app links are now mixed in with suggested spellings.

30
Jun
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Google Announces Mobile App Analytics, Lets You See The Who, Why, And Where Of Your Mobile App Users

Posted by in Applications, News

In the second half of a double Google Analytics whammy, Google has introduced new features for mobile developers and marketers in the Analytics dashboard. While Google's other announcement, an Analytics mobile app, made our site's founder combustible with joy, this announcement is sure to bring cheer to those with products already in the Play store. These new features give insight into how Android users discover apps, along with their usage patterns, in order to enable developers and marketers to increase their products' reach and improve their performance.

acquisition

Said features include tracking of new user numbers, of traffic sources for Google Play hits, of installed app versions, and of the different devices accessing your apps.

24
Jun
gplay

[Weekend Poll] Do You Regularly Rent Movies Through Google Play?

Posted by in Polls

This is the latest in our Weekend Poll series. For last week's, see Do You Regularly Purchase Tracks/Albums Using Google Play Music?

Last week, we asked you whether you ever regularly purchased from Google Play Music. Only 10% of you purchase all of their music through the Play Store, and 58% have made any purchases at all.

This week, we're moving on to movies. Do you regularly rent movies from Google Play? Obviously, "regular basis" is subjective, but we're going to leave it up to you to determine your answer. Vote below and discuss via the comments.

Do You Regularly Rent Movies Through Google Play?

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