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Google patents buyer-specific price drops for follow-up sales, can tell if you're a cheapskate
Ever been tempted to rent a movie again, but thought the price was just a little too dear? Google may soon be willing to haggle a deal. One of its newly-granted patents could automatically lower the price of repurchase-friendly content, such as a Google Play Movies rental, depending on how likely you are to pull the trigger. Its algorithm weighs your personal tastes and repurchasing habits against those of your peers: if the code senses you'll be relatively stingy, you'll get a better discount. The analysis could even factor in the nature of the content itself. A thoughtful movie, ownership of the soundtrack or just a lot of related searches could lead to a repurchase at the usual price, while a simple action flick with no previous interest may bring the discount into effect. We don't know if Google will offer these extra-personal discounts to the public at any point in the future, but if you suddenly notice a lot of follow-up bargains in Google Play, you'll know how they came to be.
TV Catchup for Android arrives on Google Play
TVCatchup, the excellent little TV-watching service has brought its app over to Android. The service, which we've found to be much more reliable than the BBC's live streams on our flaky connection, lets you watch nearly 60 free-to-air channels available in the UK. The ad-supported app is available for free on Google Play right now -- as long as you've paid your license fee, folks.
NFL Game Rewind apps for iOS and Android tablets appear with coaches film and telestrator features
While inclusion of the "eye in the sky" All-22 game tape and condensed games the squeeze every play into a 30 minute football-fest are nice features for the NFL Game Rewind package, those looking to get their John Madden on can do so thanks to its apps for tablets. The telestrator feature is only mentioned in the notes for the iOS version so far, however the Android app shares in its ability stream the tape delayed games in HD, complete with stats and big play markers to jump straight to the key plays. While the apps themselves are free, you will need a paid subscription to the service at $34.99 to follow a single team, $39.99 for the entire league, and $69.99 for the Season Plus package that brings along the All-22 cam and telestrator features. Hit the source links for more info on the packages and exactly when the games are available for viewing, if you're more of a Monday Morning QB than real-time NFL Red Zone / Sunday Ticket aficionado, they may work for you.
Big Fish Unlimited makes a splash on Android by streaming games from the cloud
Big Fish Games, proprietors of casual gaming, have released a new app on the Google Play store: Big Fish Unlimited. From within this app, Android users can access over 100 different casual games.Big Fish Games is adding new games to the app each week and promises players can resume play between devices – if you start a game on your Android device, you can pick up where you left off on your PC through the cloud. Right now Big Fish Unlimited is, well, limited to folks in the U.S. running Android 2.2 or higher, but Big Fish promises to roll out the app to more regions "soon."
Grooveshark app nowhere to be found, suddenly disappears from Google Play again
Oh poor, poor Grooveshark. Not long after surprisingly making its way back to the Android Market Google Play store, the streaming service's Android application appears to be long gone yet again. If you'll recall, the music app was pulled from Mountain View's shop a few months back; this due to many claims from labels which suggested Grooveshark was allowing users to download tunes at no cost. Still, mum's the word on why the app has been nixed out of Google Play this time around -- especially after the service announced it had worked closely with the Android maker to get the official app reinstalled. For what it's worth, however, word on the internet is the application can still be installed via the Grooveshark site, but we'll have to leave that dicey decision up to you.
Google Play's End of Summer Sale outed by discounted apps, lets the Lorax speak for the savings
It looks like a handful of select apps have outed Mountain View's Labor day plans: Google Play's End of Summer Sale. SwiftKey 3, The Lorax -- Dr. Seuss, Square Enix's Crystal Defenders, and other apps are now brandishing deep discounts, almost uniformly attributing the savings to the End of Summer Sale. Not every title on discount claims to be part of the unannounced event, however -- Max Payne Mobile slashed its price by 67 percent without so much as a hint at the alleged festivities. Google hasn't made the event official just yet, but we'd be willing to wager the deals will run through the holiday weekend. Check out the source link below to start making the most of your Google gift cards. Update: Google's made the sale official, featuring 18 discounted apps for your shopping pleasure. Check out the official list of sale items at the updated source link below, but don't limit yourself: Max Payne Mobile and a handful of other deeply discounted games aren't on it.
MMObility: Holding on to Arcane Empires
Kabam, maker of MMORTS titles like Thirst of Night and Dragons of Atlantis, is back with a portable title that can be found only on the Google Play market. I stumbled upon one night, installed it for free, and soon found myself recognizing those old Kabam earmarks. It's hard to find high-quality MMOs for mobile devices. They're out there, and there are more coming into the market every day, but I wonder exactly how Kabam intended on spreading the word about Arcane Empires without featuring it on the official homepage. The MMORTS publisher has always seemed pretty savvy about the genre's formulas and how to make a successful game, so I have a feeling it must know what it's doing with the first mobile-only title in the lineup. When I check out mobile titles, I keep in mind that I might be mistaking convenience for fun. How many of us log into a game every day or every week only because the shortcut is sitting right there on our desktop or because the game rests on our phone or tablet just waiting to be touched?
Flash for Android briefly returns to Google Play Store in UK, zombie-style
Adobe was last seen burying mobile Flash and moving on with its life. Like the stars of George Romero movies, however, Flash is back to walk amongst the living -- if just temporarily. The developer tells the BBC that Flash for Android is back in the UK's Google Play Store for a short while after "strategic partners" pushed it into action, including the British broadcaster. While the link isn't explicitly confirmed, it's strongly implied that the BBC and others want a little more time to wean Android apps like iPlayer off of their Flash dependency and toward web technologies like HTML5. Adobe is quashing any hopes of a permanent revival with a disclaimer that there's no support for the download; any bugs will remain there forever. Those attached to their dearly departed plugin may still appreciate one last look before the code is once more put six feet under. [Thanks, Kevin]
Google Play starts recommending content on Android devices, keeps the downloads flowing
Google would really like you to grab more content from Google Play. Really. Just to drive its point home, the company has subtly introduced a Recommended for You section across the app and media portals of the Google Play Store on Android devices. The recommendations build on what we've seen through the web and go by similarities to other users, regional tastes and (naturally) +1 clicks. Don't worry that you'll be stuck with endless lists of Sudoku games after you download one on a lark: you can hide individual suggestions to thin the ranks. Recommendation systems aren't anything new for mobile stores, but Google's implementation is no doubt a useful tool for both Android fans moving beyond the basics as well as developers that would like to accelerate an already brisk app download rate.
Grooveshark back in Google Play after piracy hullabaloo
Grooveshark is no stranger to controversy, but after it was sued by major music labels, Google decided it'd had enough and pulled the app last year. But the streaming service said it's never allowed free downloading, claiming other apps using its name without permission were permitting the piracy instead. The faux-Grooveshark offenders were booted with Google's help, and the app has subsequently been re-stocked on Play's virtual shelves. Meanwhile, the company has paid its debt to EMI, and could even be the target of an acquisition, according to CNET. So, if you want to share the news with your pals (along with some tunes), hit the source below.
Nexus 7 checks off Spain, Germany and France on availability chart, sells for a premium
Google Play quietly updated its device availability page over the weekend, making the Nexus 7 available to Germany, France and Spain. Patient Europeans can now pick up Mountain View's seven-inch wonderkind's 8GB and 16GB models for €199 and €249, respectively. Conversion rates comparatively price the slate at about $248 and $311, meaning the new markets will have to suffer a small premium for the slate. Worse still, is that not all of Google Play's services are available worldwide, with both Play Music and Magazines retaining US exclusivity. If you can bear with the inconveniences, however, one fine little tablet awaits.
MMObility: Trying to find real MMOs on the app market
If you spend as much time as I do scouring your favorite app marketplace, you know just how frustrating it can be to quickly download a new "MMORPG" only to find out it's not really an MMORPG. Luckily, the Play Store makes it relatively easy to get a refund on a newly purchased games, and uninstalling is easy enough. It can still be very frustrating to become excited for a title only to find out it's nothing like its description. The fact is that there are a lot of great MMOs on the mobile markets. Most are available on both Android or iOS as well. I also search on Google a lot, but the results from the search giant can sometimes be more unreliable. When it comes down to it, the only way to know whether a game is a true MMO is to download it and try it out. Or, of course, keep an eye on columns like mine.
Google Goggles update brings support for devices without autofocus
If you thought Google's perspicacious searching application was clever before, prepare for a shock. Google Goggles version 1.9 adds support for devices without autofocusing optics, giving those on budget gear a chance to use the real world as a search box. Point it at a QR code containing a URL, and it'll show you a thumbnail of the page and check its credentials against its blacklist of malicious sites. If it comes up short when searching for a product, it'll even search for similar-looking items to help you find what you're looking for, and it's available from the Play store for free -- so you don't really have any excuse.
Google Play Music app updated for Google TV, Play video content now streaming to Chromebooks
Good news for people who love good news -- Google has just thrown some bug fixes at its Play Music app with Google TV support that launched late last year. Point being, Google TV users can now fire up the app and stream their stored tunes to the speakers connected to their entertainment system. In related news, GigaOM has spotted that the latest Chrome OS update actually enables users to watch television shows and movies from the Google Play store, but unfortunately, it's not wise enough to spot where you've paused it and let you pick things up on a different Android device. For those who've updated, let us know how either process is going for you in comments below. Or don't -- no pressure.
Google Play gift cards officially announced, now rolling out to Target, RadioShack and GameStop
We've seen hints of them in the Google Play app and some pretty clear evidence of them in the wild, and now Google has finally officially announced the availability of Google Play gift cards. Those are available in $10, $25 and $50 denominations, and will be rolling out to Target, RadioShack and GameStop retail stores in the United States over the next few weeks (no word on availability outside the US just yet). According to Google, they'll also be available on Walmart.com later this month, but not in Walmart stores for the time being. As you'd expect, the cards can be used to purchase anything on Google Play, including movies, music and books in addition to apps (or in-app items). [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Samsung Galaxy S III on Verizon gets one-click bootloader unlock, freedom is just a Google Play away
We were intrigued to see a bootloader unlock emerge for Verizon's Galaxy S III variant just this week. Unless you're the kind for whom a beta is just too... safe, though, the method on offer to date has been a tad cryptic. Dingus on the RootzWiki forums has taken all the danger out of it through EZ-Unlock, an app that reduces most of the process to a single tap. While it does require existing root access, everything else is sorted out; its most recent forms can also re-lock the bootloader if there's any anxiety about venturing out of bounds. The app is even available through Google Play, which makes unrestricted (if warranty-challenging) firmware just a short hop past the source link.
Google Play gift cards show up for real, come in $10 and $25 flavors
Remember that Google Play gift card support we told you about just this morning? Well now things got real. Literally. The pic above shows one of the shrink-wrapped critters in a $25 denomination. Android Central claims they were sent a few different pictures, showing $10 varieties also -- and as we can see from the box -- they're good for music, movies, books, apps and (mysteriously) "more." So if you're after that hot new game, now's about the time to start dropping hints to your nearest and dearest.
Updated Google Play app reveals gift card support, wish list coming soon?
If the images and link settings Android Police has dug up from the most recent (v3.8.15) Google Play APK that's rolling out are correct, we could see a coupe more features coming to the Android app and media store soon. First up are very fleshed out menus for the redemption of Play Store gift cards, perfect for users that aren't enthused about putting their credit card info out there and would rather purchase a few bucks prepaid and then spend them as they will. Also contained within the APK but not activated or accessible by default is some sort of wish list functionality. Hit the source link for all the images and screens that have been found so far, well have to wait and see when these pop up in a future updated or get activated later on. [Thanks, Cullen]
SwiftKey 3.0.1 brings new themes, languages and bug fixes
Rejoice, Android keyboard enthusiasts! SwiftKey announced today that it's pushing out an update to its popular virtual keyboard that brings new themes, languages and bug fixes. Version 3.0.1 incorporates two new summer themes -- Sky blue and Fuchsia -- and bumps the language count to 44 with the addition of Malay and Urdu. The keyboard now also supports continuous dictation with Google voice typing on Ice Cream Sandwich and Jelly Bean. Most important, however, are a plethora of tweaks, performance improvements and bug fixes designed to further improve the SwiftKey user experience. We've been using the update for a few hours now on AT&T's red Galaxy S III and it definitely makes our favorite Android virtual keyboard even better. Hit the break for screenshots of the new themes plus the full PR.
PSA: Adobe halts new installs of Flash on Android as of tomorrow
Adobe has been broadcasting as much as possible that Flash on Android is going away, although it's been offering a grace period for those addicted to the plugin. It's now time to wean yourself off. As Adobe warned earlier in the year, new installations from Google Play won't be an option from August 15th onwards. Any downloads after that point will be limited to updates for existing installations or to those willing to raid Adobe's archives -- assuming would-be users aren't already running Android 4.1, that is. While we'd still expect Flash to preserve some of its relevance in mobile as long as phones ship with it preinstalled, and alternatives like Skyfire persist, we'd strongly suggest getting comfortable with HTML5 and native apps from now on.
