Google has released the 4.4 update for Google Play services, along with a list of new services and APIs. Features have been tweaked and added in the Maps API, new activity recognition features have been added, Games Services have been tweaked to allow multiple game gifts, Wallet fragments now allow an Instant Buy button inside an app, and a new way of displaying mobile ads will allow more targeted ads and direct purchase.
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We’re keeping an eye on the Google-Intel Chrome OS livestream, and this little nugget just dropped:
Google Play Movies will be available offline on Chrome OS later this year.
That’ll help with the major criticism with Chrome OS — that the web browser-turned laptop becomes all but useless without an Internet connection. That’s never been 100 percent true, of course, but neither is it completely false. And being able to watch movies offline is a huge step [Read More…]
Google’s Play Music All Access subscription service is now streaming in Canada! By signing up to All Access, you can get a healthy cloud library of tunes, as well as your own private collection. Us Canadians are used to these sorts of services taking awhile to get up here, but it sure is welcome. As an early bird promotion, Google is cutting the normal subscription rate from $ 9.99 to $ 7.99, and tossing in 30 [Read More…]
A quick nod to UK folks going tablet shopping this bank holiday that the Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4 could also net you £100 in Google Play credit with each purchase. It looks like it’s available at multiple retailers such as John Lewis and Currys PCWorld where the tablet has also recently been reduced to £279.
Good news for folks in Australia using Optus as their carrier of choice, you can now turn on carrier billing for the Google Play Store. Following on from rival, Telstra, which added the service some time ago, after a one time setup Optus customers can now charge Google Play purchases to their account.
Both the Google Play Store and Amazon Appstore are hosting some Star Wars-related deals this weekend. Why? Because this Sunday is May 4th. You know… May the Fourth (Force) Be With You.
Head to the two app destinations and you’ll find a number of great savings and limited-time promotions. Amazon’s is lighter than the Google Play Store if only because [Read More…]
Free games, cheap books and half-off in-app purchases for a limited time
“Star Wars Day” (May 4th), a popular pseudo-holiday among followers of the Star Wars franchise, has made its way into Google Play in the form of a sale on Star Wars content for Android devices. Directly named the “May the Fourth Be With You” sale, you can pick up all sorts of Star Wars games, apps and books for free or severely discounted prices [Read More…]
Google has just expanded the ability to collect money through Google Play to eight new countries, bringing the total to 45 around the world. Developers from Greece, Luxembourg, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, Turkey, Ukraine and Vietnam can now apply to have a Google Play Merchant account and collect money for paid apps in their home currency. Previously these developers could publish free apps into the Play Store and could themselves buy apps from the store but [Read More…]
The new-look HD Widgets, version 4, is rolling out to everyone in the Play Store starting today. The latest version of the popular widget app is a complete redesign, from the customization interface to the widgets themselves. You’ll find a new look that makes things simpler and doesn’t get rid of the WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) layout.
A new update to the Google Play Music app for Android is rolling out this morning with a couple of new playlist-related features. Update to the new Play Music version 5.5.1509O adds the ability to edit and share your playlists from directly within the app, two things users were previously only able to through the web interface. After updating you’ll find both options in the overflow menu next to each playlist.
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