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Google Play replaces Android Market, becomes a portal for all your content

By on March 6, 2012 at 1:47pm in Mobile News

Google has gone and replaced the Android Market with a portal they’re calling ‘Play’, a place where all your Google content such as apps, books, movies and music will be stored and made available on all relevant devices.

In reality this is nothing more than a branding change, since the apps themselves — Books, Music, Videos, Market — are going to stay aesthetically and functionally identical. The biggest change is that Google is focusing on a unification of its content services, a single portal in which Google and Android customers can procure entertainment and share it among multiple devices from the cloud.

Over the past few months, Google has made a ton of changes to the Market in preparation for this: you can push app downloads to your phone or tablet from the web; you can synchronize book locations between the web, tablet and phone; and you can rent movies from the web and watch them on your phone, on the go.

Unfortunately for us Canadians, Google’s Music store is not yet active, but in celebration of launching Play they are offering a ’7 Days to Play’ promotion with discounted paid apps, books and movie rentals. There are some fantastic deals available, including puzzle favourite Where’s My Water? for 25c and Esi Edugyan’s Half-Blood Blues for $3.99, and you’ll have to check back every day.

Google says, “Today we’re eliminating all [the] hassle with Google Play, a digital entertainment destination where you can find, enjoy and share your favorite music, movies, books and apps on the web and on your Android phone or tablet. Google Play is entirely cloud-based so all your music, movies, books and apps are stored online, always available to you, and you never have to worry about losing them or moving them again.”

The Android Market app will be replaced by the new Play portal in the coming days, but that will happen automatically behind the scenes. Check after the break for an overview of the new Google Play App Store, and let us know what you think about the change!

Source: Google

Related posts:

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  2. Google “hopes to make an announcement next week” about Android Market paid apps
  3. Google to redesign Android Market
  4. Google announces “Android Market Web Store”

Discussion

24 comments for “Google Play replaces Android Market, becomes a portal for all your content”

  1. All hail Google.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 34 Thumb down 9

    Posted by 7-Down | March 6, 2012, 1:50 pm
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  2. Not too much of a big change, but glad to see them putting a bit more organization and development into the market

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 24 Thumb down 1

    Posted by Brendan | March 6, 2012, 1:54 pm
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  3. Where is my water is at 25c
    and Tunein Radio Pro is at 49c
    World of Goo at 49c too (WORTH IT)

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 12 Thumb down 1

    Posted by Fred | March 6, 2012, 1:58 pm
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  4. donno how i feel about this one

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 6

    Posted by kris | March 6, 2012, 1:59 pm
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  5. Bahhh I preferred Android Market rather than some family-friendly nonsense. Alas, the consolidation Google is pushing for is ultimately for the best. This probably had something to do with the Market crash resulting from the 4.0.2 update.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 9 Thumb down 4

    Posted by Ben | March 6, 2012, 2:00 pm
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  6. Makes sense. “Android Market” was an odd name for a place where you could go to buy books and movies that you could read/play anywhere, not just on your mobile device.

    “Play” feels like a bit of a stretch for non-game apps, but not too bad. I like the logo.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 9 Thumb down 3

    Posted by Dave | March 6, 2012, 2:01 pm
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  7. I don’t like this rebrand, Android Market actually sounds better since it’s a place that you can buy things. Play sounds like all I’m doing is playing with my device like it’s a toy.

    It’s much more than that, I don’t like it at all tbh.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 17 Thumb down 1

    Posted by deltatux | March 6, 2012, 2:08 pm
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  8. I guess that explains them breaking the Market on 4.0.2

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 12 Thumb down 0

    Posted by PaulY | March 6, 2012, 2:08 pm
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  9. Does this mean I will be finally able to download stuff without it crashing constantly?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 14 Thumb down 1

    Posted by Rob | March 6, 2012, 2:18 pm
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  10. Sweet, got Shadowgun for just 49c, awesome. Another reason why Google just wins…

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 0

    Posted by Dalex | March 6, 2012, 2:21 pm
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  11. Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 16

    Posted by Peebos | March 6, 2012, 2:21 pm
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  12. Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 24

    Posted by Apple4Life | March 6, 2012, 2:26 pm
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  13. So is this why I haven’t been able to use the Market since Friday?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0

    Posted by trixie | March 6, 2012, 2:27 pm
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  14. That’s great and all, but I’ll care more if/when I can download music on “Google Music”. It’d be nice to buy music on android instead of needing to transfer my purchased music from iTunes…

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 2

    Posted by Frank | March 6, 2012, 2:35 pm
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  15. Rebranding “Android Market” to “Google Play”? Meh.

    No change to the curation/organization of the store? Meh.

    $0.49 sale on selected Apps? YAY!

    Open up the Music Store to the android users outside the US? Pleeeease???

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 7 Thumb down 0

    Posted by kevinc | March 6, 2012, 2:54 pm
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    • Register through a proxy like ninjacloak, it becomes enabled world wide on all devices. Been using it in Canada since June, its fantastic

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 1

      Posted by Chris | March 6, 2012, 3:49 pm

  16. Can anybody please explain why everything is SO fragmented between states/can? I understand there are certain laws which differ SLIGHTLY but still, it’s crap. I don’t want to hear about things I can’t have (yet, w/e) US get’s exclusivity because it’s a higher pop. pretty much.

    We’re both virtually on the same page, just different spots on that page. You can get pretty much any american media you want anywhere in the world, but in Canada it’s pretty much shoved down our throats, so why the hell don’t we get their s**t if we get their s**t?

    Google Music is what I’m QQ’ing about mostly.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0

    Posted by Anonymous | March 6, 2012, 3:07 pm
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    • @Anonymous. You can blame the CRTC for that. They have unbelievably strict policies regarding this stuff. Send a complaint to them as they are the @$$HOLES doing this!

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 7 Thumb down 0

      Posted by monsterduc1000 | March 6, 2012, 3:28 pm

    • Mostly because of licensing. Different groups have rights to media like tv, movies, music in Canada. It is the same reason that Netflix Canada doesnt have the same content at in the US. Google will need to aquire the rights to various sources of music in some cases in each country it wants to launch the service. If the cost of that licensing is too high then Google Music may never launch in that country.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0

      Posted by Mark | March 6, 2012, 7:51 pm

  17. Google Play Gift Cards will start appearing on store shelves to compete with iTunes.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 16 Thumb down 1

    Posted by Clockwork | March 6, 2012, 3:24 pm
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  18. I’d have rather they changed it to Google Market or something. I mean, seriously, now if I want to tell someone about a new app I have to say “Oh, you can find that in the Play”.

    No, realistically now I have to say something like “Oh, you can find that by using the Google Play app”. It’s confusing for people who are looking for business oriented apps or even non-fiction books.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 7 Thumb down 0

    Posted by Geoff | March 6, 2012, 5:16 pm
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  19. I don’t think there is a correlation between the Android Market crash under Yakjuux and the new name of the Android Market… well, I don’t see the correlation. Because the Market work well with a factory reset of the phone …

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 1

    Posted by Droid-ICS | March 6, 2012, 8:05 pm
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  20. I think instead of doing a major update like this….maybe google should fix the “your device is not compatible error”….i know alot of tablet users that can’t use half the programs out there….maybe it is time for the developers to get on googles’ case about it….after all they are loosing potential customers.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0

    Posted by tainted cheese | March 7, 2012, 12:05 am
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  21. Now that i am on google play, i can’t download some apps. it says i am not android anymore?? any comments or ways to get it back to how it was?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0

    Posted by Dece | March 7, 2012, 7:09 pm
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