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645 'Google Play' stories March 2012 - April 2015
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Before the unified Play branding, Google had the Android Market, Google Music, and Google eBookstore. Google decided to merge and rebrand its individual digital offerings into the Play Store in March of 2012.

The Play Store is now the default place to purchase apps, movies & television, music, books, and news subscriptions for all Android devices. The latter four offerings having their individual Android and iOS apps to watch, listen, and read purchased content. Most content can also be accessed through the web.

In April of 2016, the suite of icons were redesigned in a similar style to provide a consistent look across all devices and the web.

Google Play Services 7.3 brings support for multiple Android Wear devices at once (Video)

Avatar for Stephen Hall Apr 28 2015 - 1:28 pm PT
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Google has—finally—officially announced Google Play Services 7.3 (which first surfaced a couple of weeks ago), bringing several important new features to the company’s Google-powered app support package. Most importantly, the update brings new Android Wear APIs allowing multiple wearables to be connected to a single phone…

Multiple wearable devices can be connected to a user’s handheld device. Each connected device in the network is considered a node. With multiple connected devices, you must consider which nodes receive the messages. For example, In a voice transcription app that receives voice data on the wearable device, you should send the message to a node with the processing power and battery capacity to handle the request, such as a handheld device..

The update also brings the addition of nutrition data to Google Fit, as well as “improvements to retrieving the user’s activity and location, and better support for optional APIs, there’s a lot to explore in this release.” Check out the goofy and entertaining announcement video below, and learn more over at Google’s Android developers blog:

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LG G Watch R drops from $299 to $249 following Watch Urbane release

Avatar for Chance Miller Apr 27 2015 - 4:27 pm PT
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Just moments after the LG Watch Urbane became available on the Google Store, the price of LG’s G Watch R has dropped from $299 to $249. As pointed out before, the Watch Urbane is similar to the G Watch R in almost every way except for design. The G Watch R features stainless steel body with a brushed metal finish, while the Watch Urbane features a more high-end look and is available in gold and silver.


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Google updates Google Docs Android apps with improved editing features, faster loading

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Apr 16 2015 - 5:40 am PT
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Google has updated its Android apps for editing Google documents on the move. Google Docs now allows you to accept, reject or comment on suggestions, as well as track changes and comments in Word files; Google Sheets lets you move, resize and delete spreadsheets; and Google Slides now offers you the ability to reorder objects on slides.

Google said that PowerPoint presentations will also be faster to load and scroll.

The company previously updated Google Docs with improvements to its Office Compatibility Mode. All three apps are a free download from the Google play store.

Google’s new ‘Handwriting Input’ keyboard lets you manually draw text (and emoji) in any Android app

Avatar for Stephen Hall Apr 15 2015 - 12:33 pm PT
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Google has today released version 1.0 of its new “Handwriting Input” keyboard, which lets you manually draw the text you would like to type. The app works on both smartphones and tablets as you can see in the gallery below, and it’s—based on my first few minutes using the app—actually pretty good at deciphering your handwriting no matter how bad it may be. It works in any Android app that has a text input field.
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12 Google Fit Developer Challenge winners are getting the spotlight on Google Play

Avatar for Stephen Hall Apr 15 2015 - 9:40 am PT
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Google invited developers in mid-November of last year to submit apps that integrate Google Fit, and now they’ve announced the winners of that contest. The main requirement was that the app integrated Fit in some way, and judges were specifically looking for apps that were “innovative, fun to use, keep users coming back, offer users real benefit, and meet the Android design and quality guidelines.”

It looks like they’ve made their picks.

The winners include six apps that are brand new, and six that were updated to include Google Fit features. The two grand prize winners from each category will be receiving some nice swag from contest partners adidas, Polar, and Withings, to further their development. Prizes include X_CELL and SPEED_CELL activity trackers from adidas, a new Android Wear device, a Loop activity tracker and more.

Here’s the full list of winners, all of which will be getting the spotlight on Google Play at some point in the coming months:

  • 7MinGym: All you need is this app, a chair, and a wall to start benefiting from 7 minute workouts at home. You can play music from your favorite music app and cast your workout to Chromecast or Android TV.
  • Aqualert: This app reminds you to stay hydrated throughout the day and lets you track your water intake.
  • Cinch Weight Loss and Fitness: Cinch helps you with detailed information your steps taken and calories burned. The app also supports heart-rate tracking with compatible Android Wear devices.
  • FitHub: FitHub lets you track your fitness activity from multiple accounts, including Google Fit, and multiple wearable devices, including Android Wear. You can also add your friends to compare your progress!
  • FitSquad: FitSquad turns fitness into a competition. Join your friends in a squad to compare progress, track achievements, and cheer each other on.
  • Instant – Quantified Self: Instant is a lifestyle app that helps you track not only your physical activity but your digital activity too and tells you how much you’re using your phone and apps.other activity. You can also set usage limits and reminders.
  • Jump Rope Wear Counter: This simple app lets you count your jump rope skips with an Android Wear device.
  • Move it!: This app packs one neat feature – it reminds you to get up and move about if you haven’t been active in the last hour.
  • Openrider – GPS Cycling Riding: Track and map your cycle routes with Openrider.
  • Running Buddies: In this run tracking app, runners can choose to share their runs and stats with those around them so that they can find other runners similar to themselves to go running with.
  • Strength: Strength is a workout tracking app that also lets you choose from a number of routines, so you can get to your workout quickly and track it without manual data entry. Schedules and rest timers come included.
  • Walkholic: Walkholic is another way to see your Google Fit walking, cycling, and running data. You can also turn on notifications if you don’t meet your own preset goals.
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Android 5.1 now rolling out to Google Play Edition HTC One M7 & M8

Avatar for Chance Miller Apr 7 2015 - 7:34 pm PT
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After the Android 5.1 rollout began for the Google Play Edition LG G Pad this morning, the Google Play Edition One M7 and M8 are also now receiving the update. HTC VP of Product Management Mo Versi confirmed on Twitter that the company has received approval for the updates and that the rollouts have commenced. Android 5.0 Lollipop rolled out to the Google Play Edition M7 and M8 in December of last year.


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Entire Star Wars saga headed to Google Play this Friday with tons of new bonus material, pre-orders now available

Avatar for Mike Beasley Apr 6 2015 - 8:12 pm PT
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[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxUr8Z4iDpk]

Disney announced today that the entire Star Wars saga will finally be available for digital HD download later this week, marking the first time ever that the films have been offered in this format. As confirmed in the TV spot above and the Google Play tweet below, the entire collection will be available to purchase from the Google Play Store this Friday, with pre-orders already up and running for $89.99.


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Google Wallet for Android updated w/ Maps integration & new transaction search tools

Avatar for Chance Miller Apr 3 2015 - 1:56 pm PT
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Google announced today that it has started rolling out an update to Google Wallet on Android with a couple of notable new features. First off, Wallet on Android now packs Google Maps integration. With this integration, you can see exactly where you performed any given transaction on an embedded map. This feature, Google says, will make it easier to notice any sort of suspicious activity that occurs.


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Entire Metallica catalog now available on Google Play

Avatar for Chance Miller Apr 2 2015 - 7:41 pm PT
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Heavy metal fans rejoice: the entire Metallica discography is now available for streaming on Google Play. Previously, thanks to harsh distribution agreements, none of the classic band’s catalog was available from Google. All of the albums are available for purchase at $9.49 each now, however, with individual tracks costing the standard $1.29.


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Skype 5.3 for Android adds updated UI w/ chat bubbles, animated emoticons & emoji support, more

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Apr 2 2015 - 8:49 am PT
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Skype today released an update to its Android app, version 5.3, which introduces new features that bring the Android version more up-to-date with features recently released for iOS and desktop users.

Among the new features, Skype 5.3 for Android includes an updated UI with chat bubbles, which looks much like the Skype experience already on other platforms.

The update also includes large and animated emoticons, emoji support, and other performance and user experience enhancements.
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Facebook unveils platform to integrate third-party apps, customer support for businesses into Messenger

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Mar 25 2015 - 10:51 am PT
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During its F8 Developer Conference today, Facebook announced a new Facebook Messenger Platform that will allow third-party apps to integrate with its popular Messenger app.
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OpenTable app now lets Android users pick up the bill

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Mar 24 2015 - 11:39 am PT
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OpenTable announced today that it’s bringing its Pay with OpenTable feature to Android users allowing those booking reservations to also pay for meals using the app.

For participating restaurants, you’ll now be able to pay your check with a few taps inside the OpenTable app after adding your credit card.

“Millions of diners use our apps to discover and book the perfect table,” said Jocelyn Mangan, OpenTable Senior Vice President, Product Management.  “We’re excited to provide Android users with a payment experience that is intuitive and integrated into the OpenTable app they know and love.”   

The feature is only available in select cities and restaurants in the US, but OpenTable is always adding new additions to the list of supported locations.

The Pay with OpenTable feature is available through the latest version of the OpenTable app for Android on Google Play.

Google really wants you to buy a Chromecast, latest freebie mix worth $80

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Mar 20 2015 - 4:47 am PT
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If you haven’t yet treated your TV to a Chromecast stick to stream content from your Android devices, Google would really like you to do so. The company has been playing with its mix of freebies again, with $80 worth on offer if you buy between today and 19th April.

Current offers include three-month trial subscriptions to Google Play Music, DramaFever and Sesame Street GO, as well as one month of Qelio Concerts and a free Play Movies rental thrown in – and you can even save a few bucks on Amazon at the moment … 
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Latest Drive for Android update hints at automatic photo/video back-up and Chromecast support

Avatar for Chance Miller Mar 6 2015 - 6:18 pm PT
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Google rolled out an update to the Drive Android app earlier this week, and as usual, what it touted in the change log wasn’t all that changed. Android Police has dug deeper into the APK update file and noticed some changes that hint at major new features coming to the app. First off, it appears that Google Drive will take over the task of backing up photos and videos for users, a responsibility that has been held by Google+ since its inception.


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Jennifer Lawrence’s film ‘Serena’ hits Google Play Store 3 weeks before US theatrical release

Avatar for Chance Miller Mar 6 2015 - 8:39 am PT
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Just a day after offering deals on some of its most popular content, Google today has listed Jennifer Lawrence’s upcoming film ‘Serena’ on the Play Store. The film is not slated to hit theaters in the United States until March 27th, but eager Lawrence fans can rent it on the Play Store now for $9.99 in SD or $10.99 in HD.


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9to5Toys Last Call: Galaxy Alpha 32GB $300, Samsung Qi charging pad $20, Google Play deals, more

Avatar for Stephen Hall Mar 5 2015 - 10:47 am PT
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Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.

Today’s can’t miss deals:

Samsung Galaxy ALPHA SM-G850A 32GB 4G LTE: $299 shipped (Reg. $400)

Samsung Mini Wireless Qi Charging Pad with LED Indicator: $20 shipped (Reg. $49)

Google Play deals: Download a free copy of the Transformers movie, Free download of Coldplay’s Ghost Stories album

LG G3 w/ free $100 Amazon gift card for $0.01 w/ 2-yr contract or $479 w/o

Beats by Dr. Dre Solo2 wired and wireless on-ear headphones $50 off, deals from $150

SanDisk Connect 32GB Wireless iOS/Android Flash Drive $35 shipped (orig. $60)

 

Charge up to 5 iPhones, iPads and other USB devices at once in your car for $14 Prime shipped

Put a 128GB microSD card in your Android phone/tablet, GoPro, MacBook + more for $80 shipped

SanDisk’s groundbreaking microSD card will stuff an extra 200GB in your MacBook, GoPro, more

Small States Review – Bolt Briefcase from WaterField Designs is an ideal work and travel companion, $249 giveaway

More new gear from today:

Onkyo 4K Ultra HD 5.2 Ch. A/V Home Theater Receiver w/ WiFi & Bluetooth $250 shipped (Reg. $300)

More deals still alive:

Groupon 10% off: Xbox One bundles $315, Lenmar iPhone battery case $18, more

New products & more:

Aether’s Cone wireless speaker gains a couple new tricks, still looks beautiful

Android distribution data updated for March, Lollipop usage hits 3.3%

Avatar for Chance Miller Mar 2 2015 - 4:53 pm PT
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Google this evening has updated its Android distribution data to reflect numbers collected during the past 7 days. Most notably, Android 5.0 saw an increase from 1.6 percent last month to 3.3 percent this time. Last month was the first time the latest version of the operating system gained enough usage to chart.


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Google’s Android and Chrome lead comments on Apple relationship, China, Google Play ads

Avatar for Stephen Hall Feb 26 2015 - 8:30 am PT
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Google’s Sundar Pichai recently sat down with Forbes to talk about the Mountain View company’s ambitions in China, its relationship with Apple, and what its overall vision looks like. Some interesting quotes from Google’s Android and Chrome head have surfaced as a result, and among other comments, Pichai took a moment to respond to constant criticism from Apple that Google is in the business of monetizing its users. Pichai also touched on Google’s aspirations in China as well as the sponsored ad program it is testing in Google Play…


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Google ups free song storage limit to 50,000 songs on Google Play

Avatar for Stephen Hall Feb 25 2015 - 10:21 am PT
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If you’re a user of Google Play Music, you probably know that you can store your own music on Google’s servers for streaming from your various devices, but now Google has announced that the amount of songs that you can store for free has been increased, up to 50,000 songs from 20,000. While many of Google’s competitors charge for this kind of service, Google has long offered the ability to store several thousand songs for free—and now they’re upping the limit.


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FTC fines apps that falsely claimed to detect melanoma using smartphone camera

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Feb 24 2015 - 8:42 am PT
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The FTC is fining the creators of two different smartphone apps, both of which were previously available as paid apps on Google Play and the App Store, for falsely claiming to detect symptoms of melanoma. Most versions of the apps, MelApp and Mole Detective, have long been removed from sale, although a version of Mole Detective remains on Google Play for $4.99. Apple appears to have cracked down on similar apps somewhat that were available on its store as recently as early 2014, while some apps with similar claims continue to be available on Google Play. 

The Federal Trade Commission has challenged marketers for deceptively claiming their mobile apps could detect symptoms of melanoma, even in its early stages. In two separate cases, marketers of MelApp and Mole Detective have agreed to settlements that bar them from continuing to make such unsupported claims. The agency is pursuing charges against two additional marketers of Mole Detective who did not agree to settle.

It’s not the first and it likely won’t be the last time app makers face scrutiny from government officials over health care claims as fitness becomes more of a focus on mobile devices and companion wearables. As recently as November, the FTC was said to be pressing Apple on how it plans to use sensitive health related data collected from its upcoming Apple Watch launching in April.