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Google's app store is no longer called Android Market; it's now Google Play. Take a moment to wrap your head around that one if you must, and then see how long it takes to mentally transition to Google's rebranding effort. More than just a name change, however, Google Play is fully-fledged digital entertainment hub for purchasable content, including apps and games, music, eBooks, and videos.
It's also entirely cloud-based. If you purchase and start watching a movie on your smartphone, you can pick up where you left off on your LCD monitor. Google Play keeps your content in sync, but without downloading content to each of your devices. There are some perks, too. Google points out that with Google Play you can:
It's Google's version of iTunes and iCloud rolled into one. And it's a solid idea, though some have criticized the name choice, none more comically than Lamarr Wilson, creator and host of WilsonTech1, a daily video show on all things tech. In this video, Wilson points out some obvious problems with Google's name choice, right after he throws down some wicked dance moves (interpret 'wicked' however you want).
A short-term perk of Google Play is Google's "7 Days to Play" promotion. Starting today, Google is slashing prices on different content each day for the next seven days
"In the U.S., today’s titles include the collection of top 40 hits Now That's What I Call Music 41, the popular game Where's My Water, the novel Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close and the movie Puncture for just 25 cents each. In addition, you'll find great collections of hip-hop, rock and country albums for $3.99 all week, detective novels from $2.99, some of our editorial team's favorite movies from 99 cents, and our favorite apps from 49 cents," Google said.
What are your thoughts on Google's rebranding effort?
Image Credit: Google
Comments are closed on this article
Vano
March 10, 2012 at 7:45am
I don't think that saying "Google Play" is anything as obvious as saying "Market".
It's longer and NOT common sense, it's f.ed up.
Philippe Lemay
March 07, 2012 at 8:57pm
I'm guessing this is only going to be available for ICS users, or for people in the United States, or some other b***s*** excuse. I swear, it's like my Wildfire S is stuck in the year 2010.
Or maybe HTC is to blame... I don't know.
bpstone
March 07, 2012 at 8:27am
Google sizing down plus merging some of their numerous products would be a smart move. I would like to see their professional application sector merged in as well. A company too spread out is a bad one. It was almost as if Google has had an identity crisis. Their products in the past had often felt incomplete after a new release. One good/complete product is better than a whole bunch of half-ass ones.
Corfy
March 07, 2012 at 8:15am
This is largely an non-issue. Google Play doesn't add anything that hasn't been there for the last few months, it doesn't take anything away, it is just a name change to get more people to buy Google's content (and also creates an excuse to get these services back in the news).
Captain_Steve
March 07, 2012 at 7:02am
Bought a song there last Christmas for a quarter. Turns out you can't listen to it on your phone like all the other music you put on there, you need the special Google Music player to do that. Same thing for videos, and I would assume books.
I'm not going to pay for something that requires a special program to use it and access it. I'll pay for apps for my phone, but there's no reason why music and movies should be locked down once I pay for them.
Sorian
March 07, 2012 at 2:07pm
Yes, you have to have the apps on your phone in order to Listen/Read/Watch the content you paid for, but those programs are provided for free from Google.
An added bonus, if you want to consider it that, is that while using said programs, it will remember where you left off. Watch a movie on your phone, pause it, then pick up where you stopped on your laptop/tablet/Google TV device. Same goes for books.
Supall
March 07, 2012 at 7:54am
Except they aren't locked down. You can download them from Google Music.
Captain_Steve
March 07, 2012 at 8:04am
Ahhh, I see if I burrow through the setting of the web interface I can download it 2 times. Think I'm not ready to give up CDs yet, but It will only be a matter of time before I can only rip those 2 times.
Corfy
March 07, 2012 at 8:22am
If you download and install the Google Music Manager (which, of course, is Google software), then you can download the track as much as you want. It is only through the web interface that they limit the number of downloads.
