Google Play is offering some great year-end deals on music, movies, books, TV and apps. Right now you can get Kanye West’s new album, Yeezus, for free.…
Read MoreResearch
Buy a Nexus 7 tablet, get $25 in Google Play credit
For a limited time, when you buy a Nexus 7 from Google Play online, you’ll get a $25 credit to the Google Play app store.…
Read MoreGoogle Play finally makes it easy to find tablet apps
If you own an Android tablet, your app experience is about to get much better. Google has finally made a “Designed for tablets” section the default view for tablets on Google Play.…
Read MoreGoogle Play might be coming to BlackBerry with next update of BB10
Leaked images of a BlackBerry Z10 running the Google Play app store have fueled speculation that Google Play support might be coming to BlackBerry 10.2.1.…
Read MoreIt’s about time: Google Play to provide distinction between phone and tablet apps
The Android tablet app gap is about to get a little smaller. Google plans to provide a clear distinction between phone and tablet apps in Google Play starting November 21.…
Read MoreMoto X-style Active Notifications app is now available for more Android devices
Active Notifications, the app that brings Moto X-style notifications to your phone’s home screen, is now available for all phones running Android 4.0 and above.…
Read MoreQuick tip: How to watch Google Play video purchases on iOS
Need another source for video content on your iPad, iPhone or iPod touch? Check out the Google Play store for movies and TV episodes. There's no official player for these, but you can actually stream the titles through Google's YouTube app.…
Read MoreLG is not planning a Google Play edition of the G2
The LG G2 will be coming to over 130 carriers worldwide, but LG has “no plans” to release a Google Play edition.…
Read MoreGoogle will sell and rent digital textbooks starting in August
Google will start selling and renting digital textbooks through the Play store next month, in a move that could help it compete against Amazon's Kindle textbook business.…
Read MoreBiggest-ever Chinese internet takeover: Baidu shells out $1.9B for app distributor 91 Wireless
Baidu, the Chinese desktop web giant that is looking to shore up its mobile ambitions, has said it will take over 91 Wireless, proprietor of the country's largest third-party Android app distribution platform.…
Read MoreFrance probes app stores over “lock-in,” confirms raid on Apple
French competition authorities confirmed to GigaOM they are reviewing the app stores of Apple, Google and Amazon for possible antitrust violations. The agency also said it conducted a raid on Apple last week.…
Read MoreWhy you should do your own mobile app store research before buying a phone
Canalys reports the mobile app gap is still big when it comes to Windows Phone and BlackBerry offering the top titles. But a closer look at the stores shows some skewed results. Ultimately, only you can determine the best app store for your needs.…
Read MoreApple’s app store hits 50 billion downloads
Apple announced a big milestone in app downloads on Wednesday, the same day that Google's I/O developer conference kicked off in San Francisco. The app store has now seen 50 million downloads so far.…
Read MoreBarnes & Noble integrating Google Play into Nook HD and Nook HD+ tablets
Barnes & Noble is integrating many Google services -- including Google Play, Gmail, Google Maps and the Chrome browser -- into its Nook HD and Nook HD+ tablets.…
Read MoreGoogle Play has more downloads, but iOS still rakes in most of the profits
It's the same dynamic we've seen play out in hardware between Android device makers and the iPhone maker: Apple takes in a vast majority of the profits in the smartphone industry while Android device makers sell far more actual handsets.…
Read MoreOne year in, Google Play store has over 5M ebooks and 18M songs
A year after it was launched as the new version of Android Market, Google Play contains over 5 million ebooks, 18 million songs and 700,000 apps, the company announced Thursday. But it's still struggling to compete against Amazon and iTunes.…
Read MoreWhy telcos may finally be moving past app store envy
In the slicing-up of the mobile content pie, carriers have been left out over the last few years. But, according to a new analyst report, that situation's starting to change.…
Read MoreGoogle starts using HTML5 and WebM for premium content
Some Chromebook owners are getting their Google Play video rentals in WebM, thanks to new HTML5 video security. And Google is already working hard on a next-generation video codec.…
Read MoreKeep all your revenue (for now): Chillingo and Samsung try to lure mobile developers
Samsung could gain even more influence over Android with its new Chillingo partnership. The two are offering developers 100 percent of revenues for titles sold in the Samsung Apps store.…
Read MoreAndroid this week: More Jelly Beans; free magazines; Galaxy S4 pops up
For the first time since passing the 50 percent market, less than half of all Android devices are running version 2.3. Instead, nearly 40 percent use Android 4.x. It's easier to get digital magazines in Google Play and a pic of the Galaxy S4 popped up.…
Read MoreGoogle’s music match in U.S.: Better deal than Apple, Amazon?
Google launched a free music match service for MP3 files in Europe in October and now brings the same service to the U.S. Apple and Amazon also provide the same, but charge for the convenience of not having to upload a music library.…
Read MoreGoogle Play is really big in Japan — and bringing in record revenue too
In the last six months, revenues from Android apps in Japan have grown by a factor of 4.5, putting Japanese revenues from Android higher than the U.S., the first time the U.S. has not been in the lead. Revenues outside those two countries are growing too.…
Read MoreNexus 4 changing from “sold out” to “available” in US
If you missed out on the first run of Nexus 4 smartphones from Google, you get a second chance on Tuesday, provided you live in the U.S. Google notified potential customers of new stock available, but still needs to improve the direct to consumer buying experience.…
Read MoreAndroid this week: Razr M Jelly Beaned; Wallet v. Isis; Nexus 7 refunds
Motorola's Razr M is getting Android 4.1 quickly after launch, illustrating that the Google-owned company is looking to advance the pace of software updates. Verizon is tucking Isis support into the update. And Google is offering price protection on devices sold in the Google Play store.…
Read More