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Come look inside Google's first Pixel store with us before it opens tomorrow
Spoiler: They sell lots of Google stuff
Google has been in the hardware game for some time now, but it has yet to establish a physical presence in retail to compete with Apple outside of a handful of pop-up stores. That changes tomorrow, as the company is finally opening its first storefront in New York City. If you've been looking to pick up a brand-new Pixel phone — or just a Google-branded basketball — all you'll need to do is head to Chelsea.
Google will finally try out its own retail store this summer
We'll see if they can last longer than Microsoft
Google's range of physical hardware products is expanding more and more every year. Isn't it time that the company expanded beyond a few Best Buy shelf displays and started making its own stores? Someone at Google thinks so, because the first branded store is opening this summer. The Google Store (catchy) will be located in Chelsea, New York City, in the Port Authority Commerce Building at 111 Eighth Avenue.
If the presentations at Google I/O last month were any indication, Android Pay is growing quite quickly. Several new features were announced, but most were still only demos, not available to the public. A fresh update to the Android Pay app came out yesterday and a teardown reveals a few of those key features are either ready to launch or getting closer. There's also work being done on a map that will show merchants in close proximity that accept Android Pay, and a shortcut already showing up that will direct users to apps with Android Pay integration.
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- Two days after this story broke, the original source is looking sketchy, if not totally debunked. Sandeep Mathrani (whom we mentioned isn't totally unbiased when it comes to retail stores) has retracted his original remarks. CNBC reports that he "indicated that a comment he made convening Amazon was not intended to represent the company's plans."
The information age has not been kind to the humble bookstore. After mega-chains valiantly tried and failed to compete with the 800-pound gorilla that is Amazon, only Barnes & Noble is left in the US (and it's quickly becoming a showroom for LEGO and Pop Vinyl toys as much as an actual bookseller). A few indies are surviving thanks to a small resurgence of dead tree reading and some trendy makeovers, but the writing is on the wall. It's almost poetic, and no doubt maddening to bookstore owners everywhere, that Amazon is reportedly going to attempt a revival.
Google has had a fairly rough time convincing consumers to use Wallet for in-store purchases. However, with the recent acquisition of Softcard's "technology" alongside plans to preload Wallet on Android phones from most major US carriers, Google is putting its weight behind a renewed effort to be a major player at brick-and-mortar locations. Amidst rumors that Google still has something else to announce at I/O, Ars Technica received a tip that a brand new payment platform called Android Pay will be announced at the conference.
If you've ever felt the urge to indulge in Android-branded consumerism in the same way that Apple fans do, you might soon get the chance... if you live in India. The Economic Times reports that Google plans to open an Android-branded store called Android Nation in New Delhi's Select Citywalk shopping center. The store will feature Android hardware from multiple brands (not just Nexus devices) and operate in partnership with Asian conglomerate Spice Mobile. More stores across India are in the planning stage.
Yesterday, Amazon made waves by announcing what experts are calling "a bajillion new Kindles." Pre-orders went live yesterday from Amazon, but if you'd rather pick yours up from a store like they used to do when your parents were kids, Best Buy is now offering you that chance. You will have to give up that cardboard grin, though: