Google Play

While unveiling the swag it was giving to developers at Google I/O, Sundar Pichai also announced that attendees were getting a piece of cardboard. It turns out that the piece of cardboard is a makeshift virtual reality headset. The company also released a companion app for Cardboard. Essentially, it allows you to slot your device into a cardboard viewer and look at it through a viewfinder and special lenses.

The result is Cardboard, a no-frills enclosure that transforms a phone into a basic VR headset, and the accompanying open software toolkit that makes writing VR software as simple as building a web or mobile app.

Expand
Expanding
Close

At Google I/O today, Sundar Pichai specifically discussed security innovations happening on Android as it builds an open platform that innovates quickly. Pichai used this as an example to jab at Apple’s iOS 8 for only now introducing alternative keyboard and widgets as Android has had the features for years. Pichai said that “less than half a percent of users” ever experience any issue with malware on Android. He also noted that 93% of Android users are on the latest version of Google Play Services which updates every six weeks. Pichai also announced features coming to Android “L” including a kill switch and universal privacy controls.
Expand
Expanding
Close

Today Nokia announced the X2, the Finnish company’s second attempt at producing a smartphone that plays nice with Android. Not to be confused with Motorola’s flagship circa 2011, Nokia’s new device features a 4.3-inch ClearBlack WVGA display, a 1.2GHz Snapdragon processor, 1GB of RAM, 4GB of storage space and a 5-megapixel shooter with an LED flash. Available in a broad range of colors, including green, orange and black, additional hues are scheduled to be launch after its release.

Expand
Expanding
Close

New data from App Annie shows that revenue from apps downloaded via the Google Play store more than doubled between the first quarters of 2013 and 2014 – and that a staggering 98 percent of it comes from in-app purchases in apps that were free to download.

Games continue to dominate the charts, accounting for 40 percent of all downloads but 90 percent of revenues, up from 80 percent last year … 
Expand
Expanding
Close

Update: Google Glass is now available on the Play Store in the UK for £1,000 and is available in black, red, white, charcoal and blue. Google says the device will ship from its warehouse in one or two business days. Glass still carries the Explorer tag and does not appear to be any different than the U.S. variant. You can view Glass on the Play Store here.

Original post: Ahead of Google I/O this week, Google Glass is now listed as being available in the United Kingdom on the Play Store support page. When the Nest Thermostat became available on Google Play, it too was prematurely posted on the Play Store support page for country availability. Should the support page be correct, the UK would be the first country besides the United States in which you can purchase Glass.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Slowly but surely, Google is starting to bring some of Android’s core apps to Google Play and today that trend continues. The company recently added its stock Email application to the Play Store, making it available to folks with eligible gear like Nexus or select Google Play edition smartphones and tablets. In the past, Mountain View has opened its base apps up to most devices, so it’s possible that we may see its Email app get the same treatment at a later time.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Just over a year ago, Nike announced that it would not be developing a FuelBand application and compatibility for Android devices. Now, times have changed. Nike has just announced that it is bringing Fuel to Android and it can be found on Google Play.

Here are the features:

NikeFuel Daily Goal – Create a goal, edit and view progress toward that goal.

Sessions – Track deliberate periods of movement, such as workouts and games, by starting and ending a Session on the Nike+ FuelBand SE. Review session data afterward for a focused analysis of movement. Users can calibrate and share sessions via Nikeplus.com.

Move Reminders and Win The Hour – Users can set up Move Reminders on their Nike+ FuelBand SE so they will remember to get moving for five minutes out of every hour. The Nike+ FuelBand App allows users to track their success with Win The Hour stats.

NikeFuel Leaderboards – Compare data with friends and the community by using Nike+ Friends and the NikeFuel community.

Activity and Session History – Analyze past activity data to see progress and patterns.

NikeFuel Daily Goal Recognition – When a goal is achieved, an onscreen celebration will appear.

Automatic Syncing – Bluetooth LE seamlessly syncs Nike+ FuelBand data to a compatible Android handset.

Profile and Settings – View and edit Nike+ account information and Nike+ FuelBand SE device settings on the app.

The launch of the app comes as Nike winds down development of FuelBand hardware and as its engineers get poached by other hardware makers like Google and Apple.

Canadians who purchase a Chromecast between June 9th – 30th will receive a $20 CAD Google Play credit from Mountain View. The deal is available on purchases made through Google Play and authorized retailers. To redeem your Google Play credit, you’ll need to set up your Chromecast before July 30th and visit the device’s special offers page.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Beats this evening announced a hefty update to its streaming app on Android. The update bumps the app to version 1.1 and includes a variety of features and changes that users have been calling for since the initial release. For one, you can now use the app in landscape mode. The “Just For You” interface and recommendations have been made more “refined and fresh” with this update, as well.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Google I/O 2014 is set to kick off on June 25th and in preparation for the event, Google has released its official app for I/O. The app allows you to easily and quickly view the conference agenda with details such as topics, speakers, and partners for each event. You can also add events to your schedule and receive reminder notifications before they start.

Expand
Expanding
Close

After teasing the redesign earlier this year, 1Password has finally launched a much-needed update to its Android app. Prior to this update, 1Password on Android was hideous, to say the least. The new version released today brings an entirely refreshed interface to the app that puts it on the same level as its iOS counterparts.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Chrome OS users now have the ability to download and view movies and TV shows from the Google Play Store using the newly-released Play Movies & TV app. The app allows users to manage video libraries without an internet connection, something the operating system has previously been unable to do.

The library can also be synced across multiple desktop and mobile platforms, including Windows PCs, Macs, Android phones, and iOS devies. Chromecast streaming is available to play your downloaded content on an HDTV, and the app has full support for Google’s Info Cards, which display information about the content being played.

You can grab the app for free on the Google Chrome web app store. The full description is below.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Last week, Google, Amazon, and Sonos teamed up to offer 6 months free of Google Play All Access and a $50 Amazon credit with the purchases of a Sonos speaker. Now, Google is partnering with AT&T for another deal. Starting today, you will get $50 in Google Play credit when you purchase a qualifying Android smartphone from AT&T. The credit is valid towards anything in the Play Store, such as apps, movies, music, and TV.

Every Android device AT&T sells qualifies, while iPhones Windows Phones obviously do not. The deal is also valid with all of AT&T’s contract options, including two-year agreements and AT&T Next. The deal will run until July 17th and is available on AT&T’s website only, not in stores. A new line of service is required, as well.

AT&T is selling a variety of popular smartphones right now, including the HTC One M8, Moto X, and Galaxy S5. You can read more about this offer on AT&T’s website.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Barnes & Noble has announced that its next Nook ebook reader will be a co-branded Galaxy Tab 4.

The co-branded devices will combine popular Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 hardware with customized NOOK software to give customers powerful, full-featured tablets that are designed for reading …

Expand
Expanding
Close

Google this evening released a minor update to the YouTube for Android app, bumping it to version 5.7. The update doesn’t add much, but does finally add one long awaited feature. With YouTube 5.7, you can now manually choose the quality in which you want a video to playback.

In previous versions of the app, you could only toggle between HD and HQ. Now, you can choose from 144p, 240p, 360p, and 720p. 1080p support appears to still be missing. The auto option will presumably choose the best stream based on your internet connection at the time of playback. To bring up the quality toggle, click the action button on the upper right corner of a video, then click the settings gear icon.

The update is rolling out slowly to Android devices, so it may take a little while to hit your device. In the mean time, keep an eye on the Play Store.

Expand
Expanding
Close