If you’re like many people, you’ve probably become used to ignoring most of the mobile ads that pop up on your Android smartphone, especially ones that advertise apps in the Google Play Store.
Well, those ads just got significantly more useful.
Through a process Google is calling Trial Run Ads, the full version of apps stream from virtual machines attached to remote servers, temporarily sending a small section of the application’s experience directly to your smartphone over an internet connection. The technology Google is using to stream app demos actually works very similar to Sony’s PlayStation Now game streaming platform.
This new feature allows people to reduce the number of random apps they end up downloading, cleaning up their Android app locker in the process. After trying out a quick, 60-second demo of an app, most people will be able to decide if they want to purchase and download it. Google’s new Play Store demos are rolling out to Android users over the next few days.
Along with Tria l Run Ads, Google also announced HTML5-based Interactive Interstitial ads. This new form of advertising creates what Google calls “a completely customized user experience tailored to each advertiser’s app.”
This feature reportedly allows advertisers significantly more freedom – and in the process, seems more intrusive for the user – allowing advertisements to take the form of full screen, animated banners that span the smartphone’s entire screen.
[source]Google[/source][via]9to5Google[/via]
