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Tag: Google Play

  • Magazines Are Now Available On Google Play In The UK

    One of the more prominent selling points of Google Play is its large magazine library. Google even includes free issues of popular magazines on new Nexus devices. Unfortunately, our friends in the UK weren’t graced with magazines or music at the launch of Google Play in the UK. Google already fixed the latter issue, and now it’s fixing the former.

    Google announced that magazines are now available on Google Play in the UK. The magazines on offer at launch come from a variety of publishers including Condé Nast UK, Dennis Publishing, Future, Haymarket, Hearst UK, Immediate Media and IPC Media. Current issues will be available in digital format starting today, but there’s no mention of making back issues available.

    As for the specific selection, some of the launch brands include Men’s Fitness, Slimming World, Total Film, New Statesman, The Spectator, Cosmopolitan, Good Housekeeping, Vogue, Wired and more. Subscribers will have each new issue added to their collection for easy access on the cloud.

    Google is also introducing its U.S. Google Play promotion in the UK. All new Nexus devices sold will include free issues of Men’s Fitness, .net and Vogue. Not exactly the cream of the crop, but it’s a good way to see if you like reading digital magazines. Some folks still prefer traditional magazines, but they’re proving to be more and more of a financial liability as evidenced by how many were shut down this year.

    You can check out the magazine selection on Google Play here.

  • Google Announces In-App Billing Version 3 For Android

    In-app billing is a big money maker for the top apps on Google Play. According to Google’s stats, the “vast majority of top-grossing apps” use in-app billing in a variety of ways including try-and-buy, virtual goods, and subscriptions. Now Google is further improving in-app billing for even more chances at striking it rich on Google Play.

    Google announced that in-app billing version three is now available to developers. It includes a number of new features such as:

  • An improved design that makes applications simpler to write, debug and maintain. Integrations that previously required several hundred lines of code can now be implemented in as few as 50.
  • More robust architecture resulting in fewer lost transactions.
  • Local caching for faster API calls.
  • Long-anticipated functionality such as the ability to consume managed purchases and query for product information.

    • In-app billing is supported by all Android devices running Android 2.2 or higher. It also requires the latest version of the Google Play store. It only supports in-app item purchases for now, but Google is bringing subscriptions back shortly.

    Developers will be pleased to know that the new version of the in-app billing API is no longer asynchronous. Previous incarnations of the API required developers to make use of four different application requests. Now all requests and responses are handled within a single activity and accomplished with just a few lines of code.

    Aside from the new features and improvements, Google is also offering a sample application that will show developers how to implement in-app billing in their apps. Google also notes that In-app billing version three introduces app-specific keys. These will replace the developer-specific keys that were used before. Now developers will have to retrieve Licensing and in-app billing keys on a per app basis. With that being said, existing applications can still use their old keys.

    Check out the Android developer blog post to see some specific examples of the new code in action. While you’re at it, you might want to check out the new documentation for in-app billing and selling in-app products. To start using the new in-app billing version three, just hit up the Google Play Developer Console preview.

  • Google Launches Communities For Google+, Snapseed For Android

    Google announced the launch of new Google+ Communities today. These can provide public or private membership, and come with the option to start hangouts and plan events with community members.

    “From photography to astronomy (and everything in between), Google+ has always been a place to crowd around common interests and meet new people,” says Google SVP Vic Gundotra. “What’s been missing, however, are more permanent homes for all the stuff you love: the wonderful, the weird, and yes, even the things that are waaay out there.”

    Examples of Communities that are rolling out:

    Google+ Communities

    You can share with communities from any +1 button. You can access communities themselves by clicking the new “communities” icon, which is also rolling out on desktop. It will hit mobile soon, Google says.

    The company also announced Snapseed for Android. You may recall that Google acquired Snapseed and its makers Nik Software earlier this year. Now, we’re seeing it implemented.

    “Great pictures aren’t taken, they’re made—and Nik Software has been helping people make awesome photos for years,” says Gundotra. “Having welcomed Nik to the Google family, we’re excited to bring their Snapseed app (last year’s iPad app of the year) to Android.”

    With Snapseed, you can make basic adjustments to photos like tuning, straightening and cropping. You can use creative filters, and utilize Control Point technology to enhance photos. It also comes with the ability to share creations via Google+ and other services.

    Snapseed is rolling out for Google Play and an update is rolling out to the App Store (both free).

  • Google Play Private Channels Now Available To Google Apps Customers

    Google Apps for Business was one of the first serious contenders to Microsoft’s reign over the Enterprise market. It has reportedly been pretty successful thus far with Google announcing that 5 million businesses, 45 states and 66 of the top 100 universities have all made the switch to Google Apps. Now the company is adding expanded mobile support into the mix.

    Google announced today that Google Play can now support Private Channels. These Private Channels are built specifically for Enterprise customers who want to distribute work-related apps to its employees’ Android smartphones. Google Apps for Education and Government aren’t left out either as each service will also support Private Channels.

    Private Channels Coming To Google Apps Customer

    Setting up a Private Channel appears to be relatively easy. A company’s IT worker just has load the work-related apps into the Google Play Developer Console and users will be able to find them when signing into Google Play via their work, school or government email address.

    It should be noted that there are a few caveats when using the Private Channel that businesses should be aware of. For one, an app can not be made available on both a Private Channel and the public Google Play store at the same time. Google says the functionality isn’t supported in the initial release, but it sounds like it will be added later on. It doesn’t say, however, if a publisher can release an app on the Private Channel first for internal testing and then move to a public release on the Google Play store. We’ve reached out to Google for comment and will update when hear back.

    Each organization is only allotted one Private Channel. As for the $25 registration fee, Google Apps customers still have to pay it when publishing an app to a Private Channel. Publishers can also charge for apps in the Private Channel.

    Those interested in setting up a Private Channel on Google Play can read all the technical specifics here.

  • Google Launches Update For Google Maps Android API

    Google announced that it is launching an update to the Google Maps Android API to include some highly requested features.

    For one, there are “more dynamic and flexible” user interface designs for large Android devices, using Android Fragments, and adding more Google Maps layers. Also, developers can add more layers in their apps, including satellite, hybrid, terrain, traffic and indoor maps. The update also gives developers the ability to create markers and info windows with less code.

    “The new API uses vector-based maps that support 2D and 3D views, and allow users to tilt and rotate the map with simple gestures,” Google explains on the Android Developers Blog. “Along with the layers you’ve come to know from Google Maps such as satellite, hybrid, terrain and traffic, the new API lets you include indoor maps for many major airports and shopping centers in your app.”

    “The new API is simpler to use, so that creating markers and info windows is easy,” Google says. “Polylines, Polygons, Ground Overlays and Tile Overlays can all now be added to the map with just a few lines of code.”

    Developers talk about the update here:

    Google says it has over 800,000 sites using its mapping APIs. Documentation for the Google Maps Android API v2 can be found here.

    Google has added the API to Google Play Services for which the company has just launched version 2.

  • Google Play Is Now No Country for Anonymous Reviewers

    Google Play Is Now No Country for Anonymous Reviewers

    If you prefer to hide behind the veil of anonymity when posting reviews, Google Play is probably not the place for you anymore. In a move that will pretty much wipe Google Play of nameless, faceless feedback, Google is now forcing reviewers to log in in order to post.

    When users post a review for an app, movie, album, or any other item available in the store, their Google+ profile will be attached to the comment – that means their names and photos.

    Google pushing conspicuousness when it comes to their products shouldn’t really surprise anyone. Google’s real name policy on Google+ comes to mind. Plus, they’ve been suggesting that users use their Google profiles to comment on YouTube videos. That requirement has just recently rolled out to users.

    Now, when a logged-in user attempts to leave a review, a message pops up notifying them that “from now one, reviews you write will be posted publicly using your Google+ name and picture.” It says that they are now “reviews powered by Google.”

    Any reviews you made before this change will appear under the generic name “A Google user.”

    And if you’re not signed-in to your Google profile, it simply won’t let you write a review:

    Google is clearly pushing accountability here, and attempting to improve the quality of Google Play reviews by forcing people out from behind the curtains. With this move, it’s pretty hard to stay anonymous while leaving a comment – at least a pain in the ass if nothing else. I guess users could make fake Google profiles in order to anonymously review stuff, but Google’s (rightly) assuming that most users will just log in.

    Google weaving Google+ into more Google products. Who woulda thunk it?

  • Google Play Music Is About To Get Much Bigger In Europe

    Google has been slowly improving its music app since the move to Google Play earlier this year. Just last week, the search giant updated the app with gapless playback (for Jelly Bean) and other features that bring it up to par with other services like iTunes and Amazon MP3. All of that means nothing, however, without a large variety of content, and Google is getting just that in Europe today.

    The AP, via Bloomberg Businessweek, is reporting that Google has just reached a licensing deal with European music publishers that will see 5.5 million songs, including Universal Music’s US and British catalog, being added to Google Play Music. The agreement covers 35 countries, and is being called the broadest music licensing agreement in Europe. Other music services like iTunes have separate licensing agreements for each country that it operates in.

    Google’s deal may be more favorable as one agreement covers much of Europe, but the company isn’t getting discounts. The AP reports that Catherine Kerr-Vignale of France’ SACEM said that Google’s royalty payments to publishers were in line with industry standards.

    This deal further cements Google’s place as a solid competitor in the consumer industry. iTunes and Amazon may be the leaders, but it would be unwise to count Google out just yet. An IDC report from earlier this month showed that 136 million Android smartphones shipped to consumers in the last quarter. Not all of them are going to use Google Play Music, but Android’s proliferation throughout the world gives Google an increasingly larger platform that it can sell its services to.

  • Google+ Now Lets You Download Android Apps From The Stream

    As Google continues to unify its various products into a larger Google experience, yet another small, but notable feature has been spotted.

    You can now share apps from Google Play on Google+, and Google will automatically add an install button, so users can install the Android apps right from their Google+ streams, without having to click through to go to the Google Play store.

    As Matt Brian at TheNextWeb points out, this happens if you paste a link to an app from Google Play to Google+, but the install button doesn’t appear if you simply share the app from Google Play itself (for some reason). I would expect that to change.

    Anyway, here’s what it looks like:

    Google Plus Install Android App

    As Brian notes, Google has had similar integration with Music on Google+ since Google Music launched, when you could share previews of songs with friends. Movie downloads still do not work in this manner. Yet. It seems like there would be some good Hangouts integration opportunities here.

  • Google Play Music Finally Gets Gapless Playback, Exclusive To Jelly Bean

    My Android device has become my music player of choice. It’s been great, but there’s one little problem – no gapless playback. It’s especially annoying after living five years with an iPod Nano that could handle gapless playback with no problems. It’s 2012, and it’s kind on maddening that Google still hasn’t worked what should be a basic feature in all music playback software.

    Well, Google has finally updated its Google Play Music app with the much requested gapless playback, but only 2.7 percent of Android users will be able to take advantage of it. In the latest release of the Google Play Music app, gapless playback is now available only to those running Android 4.1 or later. Those of us stuck on previous Android releases will just have to deal with a short few second pause in between tracks.

    Gapless playback isn’t the only addition to the app, however, as Google has introduced a number of updates to its music app today. Many of the additions apply to Android 2.2 and up so there’s a little something for everyone. The rest of the updates include:

  • Added ability to keep Thumbs Up, Last Added, and Free and Purchased playlists on device.
  • Auto-generated Instant Mixes on Recent tab based on your favorite songs.
  • Improvements for keeping music on your device for offline playback.

    • The offline playback and auto-generated mixes are of particular interest to music lovers who prefer to use Google’s app. iTunes remains one of the best music services out there so it’s nice to see Google at least trying to improve its app to the level that’s expected from music apps today.

    There’s still a ways to go, but Google may yet emerge as a major player in the music scene. The app just keeps getting better, and Google keeps getting more content for Google Play as it moves into more countries. Sooner or later, the hardware wars are going to be non-existent, and Google will be battling Apple over content instead of patents. It’s best that both companies get as much of the market as they can now before it comes to that.

    [h/t: Engadget]

  • Google Developers Talk All About Google Play Developer Console

    Last week, Google announced that a big update to the Google Play Developer Console (demoed at Google I/O earlier this year) is now available to everyone. This makes it easier for developers to track the success of their apps by looking at metrics like active installs, average ratings, etc.

    Google has shared the following developer hangout with the Google Play Developer Console team, who talk about the offering for nearly forty minutes.

    More on the Google Play Developer Console here.

  • Google Play Developer Console Now Available To Everyone

    Google Play is slowly, but surely, growing into a powerhouse distribution platform for Android apps. By that, I mean more and more developers are bringing their previously iOS-exclusive content to the platform. Some of that success can be attributed to Google Play quickly becoming one of the more developer friendly platforms around. The latest release only serves to make Google Play even better.

    Google announced today that their long awaited update to the developer console is now available to developers big and small. The new console will make it even easier for developers to track how well each app is doing on Google Play by showing active installs, average ratings, and detailed reports on your app’s success.

    The developer console itself has received a major facelift. Here’s what you’ll see when you go to the developer console and click on “Try the new version:”

    Android Developer Console

    Beyond that, the new developer console also features more detailed reports than ever before. The top of the page will feature a graph that shows the increase or decrease in user ratings over a set amount of time. It will also break down your ratings by “device, country, language, carrier, Android version, and app version. Here’s what it will look like:

    Android Developer Console

    Other changes include a streamlined app publishing process that allows developers to starrt with either an APK or app name. The new process allows you to save before you have all of the information needed for your app. It will also list the differences between new and old versions of apps so developers don’t unintentionally miss anything between versions.

    As for language support, developers can now publish an app listing in 49 languages. This is due in part to Google now pushing Google Translate to both the Web and mobile versions of Google Play. All listings will be automatically translated in a user’s native language on the Web starting today and will be available soon on mobile.

    There are a few downsides to the new developer console. Namely, the new version doesn’t support multiple APKs or APK Expansion Files just yet. Google is working on adding this support, but they encourage developers who make use of those particular features to keep using the old developer console until the new one is updated.

    Any developer interested in trying out the new console need only click on “Try the new version” button in the header of the current developer console. You can also just hit up the new version by visiting this URL.

    Here’s a video from earlier this year at Google I/O that explains the new developer console in greater detail (skip to 31:30):

  • Android Developers Can Now Offer Free Trials For Subscriptions On Google Play

    Android Developers Can Now Offer Free Trials For Subscriptions On Google Play

    Android developers are presented with a number of ways to monetize their content on the Google Play store. One of the more prominent methods is through the use of subscriptions. In essence, a player pays a monthly fee for a set amount of microtransaction content. Now developers can hook potential subscribers with free stuff.

    Google recently added a new section to the billing subscription guide that details how developers can offer free trials for their subscriptions. The free trial offer is extremely open ended and allows developers to offer seven days or more of free subscription goodness.

    For users, initiating the free trial will require them to “purchase” the full subscription through the in-app purchasing system. This means that users must have a valid form of payment as their card starts getting billed as soon as the free trial ends. The user will not be charged whatsoever though, and the transaction will appear as $0.00 on a developer’s transaction records.

    Interestingly enough, canceling the free trial is handled a bit differently from canceling a subscription. Ordinarily, the subscription benefits would continue throughout the period even if the user canceled the subscription at the beginning of their subscription period. Canceling the free trial will end all benefits immediately.

    Developers who already offer subscriptions have nothing to lose from adding free trials. Implementing the free trial only takes a quick edit of the subscription in your product list. Free trials must be set for a minimum of seven days, but can be as long as you want after that. Developers can also only create one free trial period per subscription product.

  • Google Play Movies & TV Coming to Google TV

    Google Play Movies & TV Coming to Google TV

    This week Google announced that some essential features of Google Play will be rolling out to Google TV. Though they have been conspicuously absent from Google TV until now, the Google Play app will be getting movies, TV shows, and music, just like that smartphone version has. Google stated in a blog post to the Google TV blog that the updates will “be rolling out to your Google TV over the next few weeks.

    Google TV users will be able to buy or rent the content even on other devices, which will make it automatically available through Google TV. Also, the content found in Google Play will be “discoverable” in the TV & Movies Google TV app.

    Aside from the content, Google announced that the update will enable other Google Play features to make customers’ and developers’ lives easier. Specifically, the auto-update, subscription billing, and smart app update features of Google Play are now enabled for Google TV.

    Though Google TV started as a very niche product for Google fans, the service has become more and more Android-like in its interface and feel. Initially, much of the content that could be accessed through Google TV was blocked by content providers who wanted more control over what viewers could watch on their TVs. Google stuck with the project and made it welcoming to developers by encouraging an “app” ecosystem, much like other streaming boxes and services.

  • Google TV Is Finally Getting Google Play Movies, TV Shows And Music

    Google announced today that Google Play Movies, TV shows, and Music are rolling out to Google TV over the course of the coming weeks.

    Users will be able to buy or rent content directly through the Google Play Store on Google TV devices, and purchases users have made on other devices will be automatically available through Google TV.

    “Google Play titles will also be discoverable through our TV & Movies app, which brings recommendations for shows and movies available on live TV and apps like Netflix, Amazon, and now Google Play,” says Google TV Product Manager Ambarish Kenghe.

    “For developers, this update also enables many other Google Play features including auto-updates, subscription billing, and smart app updates,” Kenghe notes. “Google Play gives you one place to find, enjoy and share your favorite entertainment with millions of songs and thousands of movies and TV shows for sale, and adds to the millions of entertainment options available for you on Google TV through YouTube, TV & Movies, Search and the full web through Chrome.”

    Kevin Bacon will be ecstatic.

  • Google Details Easy OAuth 2.0 Implementation In Google Play

    Did you see that Google Play has reached 25 billion downloads? Google attributes this to Google Play now rolling out to the majority of Android 2.2 and above enabled devices. For those developers taking advantage of Google Play’s continued momentum, Google has just one bit of advice – use OAuth 2.0.

    By now, developers are aware of OAuth 2.0 and its many advantages. Google points out that “the Internet already has too many usernames and passwords.” To cut down on needless complexity, Google has been pushing the use of OAuth 2.0 to process transactions on Google Play. They also have a few perks in it for those who do choose to use it.

    Google says that they are making OAuth 2.0 authorization available to all Android apps that want to access Google APIs. There is a catch – these apps must features good user experiences and security. Apps that fulfill this request will be able to access OAuth 2.0, alongside an OAuth 2.0 token generator thanks to the Google APIs Client Library for Java.

    For developers new to OAuth 2.0, Google has put together a nice tutorial of how to implement automatic token generation. They detail all the steps necessary to get OAuth 2.0 up and running in your Android app. They do point out that several things may go wrong, but they also feature contingency plans for when things do go wrong.

    For more information, check out this great developer session from Google I/O that tackles OAuth 2.0:

  • Google Play Celebrates 25 Billion Downloads with Five-Day Sale

    Today is a milestone day for Google Play. According to the Android blog, Google’s app store has surpassed the 25 billion downloads mark.

    As of now, Google Play houses 675,000 apps and games.

    Google Play is a little behind Apple’s App Store, which hit 25 billion downloads back in March. For that milestone, the company ran a promotion to give the person who downloaded the 25 billionth app a $10,000 iTunes gift card. The contest was won by a man in China, who downloaded physics-based puzzle game “Where’s My Water?”

    “Twenty-five billion is more than twice the distance, in miles, that the Voyager 1 spacecraft has travelled since its launch 35 years ago. It’s the amount of time, in minutes, that have passed since some of our earliest ancestors began to set foot in Europe. And now, thanks to all of you, it’s a Google Play milestone. We look forward to the next 25 billion,” said Google Director of Digital Content Jamie Rosenberg.

    Google Play hitting a milestone is great and all, but what’s in it for you? Apparently, discounted stuff for the next five days. Google says that various apps from the likes of EA and Rovio will be $0.25, and that they will run special collections like “25 banned books” and “25 movies you must own” on the cheap. Those deals should be hitting Google Play later today.

    google play hits 25 million downloads

  • Google Play And YouTube Get Over 600 20th Century Fox Titles

    Google Play And YouTube Get Over 600 20th Century Fox Titles

    Google announced today that Google Play and YouTube are getting over 600 titles from Twentieth Century Fox, for users to rent and/or purchase.

    “Today you can buy Fox’s new release Prometheus in HD, available three weeks ahead of the Blu-ray, DVD and video-on-demand release,” writes Jonathan Zepp, Manager of TV & Film Content Partnerships at Google, on the Official Google Blog. “And over the next few weeks you’ll be able to rent or buy your favorite Fox movies like X-Men, Ice Age and Black Swan, and TV shows like ‘Glee,’ ‘Modern Family,’ ‘New Girl’ and many more.”

    That many more includes Family Guy, as Zepp makes clear in his post. “Google Play and YouTube offer the latest new movie releases and your favorite TV shows to enjoy on your Android phone or tablet and on the web,” he says. “But you’ve been missing one critical thing…Stewie Griffin.”

    The titles will be available in the U.S. first, but they’ll also be coming to other countries in the near future, though Google does not specify where or when that will be.

    Google now has all six of the major film studios on board, as well as a number of independent studios. It’s quite an accomplishment on Google’s part to have Fox on board, considering the company’s battles with Rupert Murdoch over the years.

    The news is just part of a broader initiative from Twentieth Century Fox, called Digital HD, which lets users download or stream over 600 Fox movies on various devices via Google Play and YouTube, as well as Amazon, CinemaNow, iTunes, Playstation, VUDU, and Xbox Live.

  • Google Play Sponsors Free Wi-Fi Across the U.S.

    It’s not unheard-of for Google to give away free Wi-Fi access. For the past few years the company has offered complimentary Wi-Fi to travelers at airports during the holiday season.

    This week, Boingo Wireless announced that it will be enabling more than 4,000 free Wi-Fi hotspots in cities across the U.S. Boingo is the same software and services provider that Google partnered with to provide Wi-Fi in airports. The free Wi-Fi will last from now until the end of September.

    Boingo stated that the hotspots will be placed in high-traffic locations in “dozens” of cities in the U.S. 15 airports are included in the rollout, including JFK and O’Hare. Some Manhattan subway stations will get the service, as well as thousands of hotels, shopping malls, cafes, and “recreational areas.”

    Access to the Wi-Fi runs through Boingo’s Cloud Nine Media platform, which enables advertising through Wi-Fi access sponsorship. iPhone users are a bit out of luck, however – access is restricted to Android, Windows, and Mac OS X users. This may be a limitation of iOS, or it could be because the sponsor for the service is Google Play, Google’s web and smartphone store.

    “Google Play is the first to take part in our newly expanded Wi-Fi sponsorship network, which reaches millions of consumers each month with place-based brand engagements,” said Dawn Callahan, vice president of consumer marketing for Boingo Wireless. “Sponsorships like this give users the free Wi-Fi they crave, advertisers the consumer interaction they need, and venues the revenue to offset the costs associated with providing a high-bandwidth Wi-Fi experience.”

  • Grooveshark is Back For Android Devices

    Grooveshark, the streaming music platform, has finally had its app reinstated for Android platforms. The app, which is now available in the Google Play store, allows users to stream genre radio stations, make custom radio stations similar to Pandora, and play on-demand music. The on-demand music streaming is a feature that only subscribers who pay $9 a month can use.

    For almost the entirety of 2012, Grooveshark has only been available to Android users through the Grooveshark mobile web app, which was created when the Grooveshark app was banned following legal troubles. Grooveshark has been sued by all the major music labels because it doesn’t have the rights to much of the music that can be found through its service. Even the deal the platform tried to work out with EMI was a failure.

    A spokesperson for Grooveshark this week told VentureBeat that its Android app was reinstated after the company worked closely with Google to remove “rogue apps.” Its statement also hinted that the company would be “pioneering” new distribution and monetization techniques.

    Grooveshark has also updated the visuals of its Android app with new default album art, larger album art in places, and new album art transitions. It also now includes playback support for the HTC One S and One X, both of which have a branded Beats Audio feature.

  • Now You Can Get Google Play Gift Cards At The Store

    Google now has Google Play gift cards that you can buy at GameStop, RadioShack or Target. They can be used to purchase music, TV shows, eBooks, apps, etc. They can also be used to purchase extra levels, add-on packs and virtual currency.

    “For developers, this means that your apps and in-app products can reach an even wider base of customers who are registered and ready to purchase,” Google said in a Google+ update.

    The cards cannot, however, be used to purchase app subscriptions, magazine subscriptions, hardware, or accessories.

    The cards are not reloadable, and can’t be combined with other non-Google Play balances in your Google Wallet account.

    Don’t bother getting them for the kids (unless they’re teenagers). You have to be 13 or older to use one. You also have to be a U.S. resident. To redeem the cards, users must get Google Wallet accounts, and kids between 13 and 17 can only get an account is limited to redemption of the card.

    The cards are issued by Google’s Google Payment Corporation (GPC) subsidiary, which handles Google Wallet in the U.S. They do not have expiration dates.

    I’m surprised it’s taken this long for Google to get these cards in stores, as they could contribute immensely to Google Play purchases. iTunes gift cards have long been a popular gift item, and this gives Google a way to counter that for all of the Android users (and Google users in general) out there. They may want to get them in more stores though.

    The cards come in $10, $25 and $50 options.

  • Flipboard For Android Improves, Users Want A Bit More

    Flipboard launched (out of beta) in the Google Play Store in June, and quickly became a popular download. It’s received nearly 28,000 reviews in Google Play, and has an overall rating of 4 1/2 out of 5 stars.

    The app recently received some updates, with the latest one on Sunday, according to the Google Play Store. In the “What’s New” section on Google Play, it says the latest features include:

    • Improved navigation within sections, visible when you tap on section’s name
    • Easier access to Google Reader feeds and folders
    • In-app hints that expose helpful functionality
    • New shopping cart features (Gilt Taste section)
    • Improved performance and bug fixes

    Some of these features made their way to Android as early as August 11, but with the latest update happening on August 19, I’m guessing more bug fixes were pushed.

    Even still, recent user comments in the store indicate there is still room for improvement. One user, for example, commented, “Has several scrolling issues on my nexus 7 tablet, which a shame seeing how flawless it work on my gnex. Maybe its not optimized for tablets yet…..I don’t know. I just wish they address this shortcoming on their next update.”

    Another said, “Current UI works on phones perhaps, but the app should benefit from tablet-specific UI to make use of the bigger screen estate. Current UI makes the reading experience rather inefficient on tablets like Nexus 7, especially with the current limit of having only 4-pages.”

    “Doesn’t show something as liked when u go back later,” another adds. “Unresponsive when selecting items…still…have to click several times. Can only get into google reader section if I carefully click the title…while I can click anywhere on other tiles and they open just fine. Needs the ability to share to all accounts rather than clumsily having to do so one at a time. And it isn’t shortening links all the time. Feed embedded youtube vids don’t always play. Would be great to have social media notifications.”

    Regardless of the complaints, the app still has an overwhelmingly positive reputation. Even the “complaints” tend to come with some amount of praise sprinkled in. The headings for the three comments above were respectively: “Great on phone…good on tablet,” “Getting better, but needs tablet-specific UI,” and “Almost there.”=