google play

Being a cheapskate can get expensive. If you're anything like me, you're intimately acquainted with the phrase, "too good a deal to pass up." And so you end up spending a lot in order to save a lot. Oh, the cruel irony.

Today, I'm going help you get a lot without spending a lot. I've rounded up three pretty sweet deals, and the most you'll pay for any of them is two bits. (That's 25 cents for those of you not familiar with old-timey vernacular.)

1. 25-cent Android apps.

To help celebrate … Read more

Apple's App Store has always offered the most apps to users. But that could change.

Google announced yesterday that its Google Play store now offers 675,000 applications. Apple announced earlier this month that its store had 700,000 applications available.

Both Google and Apple's apps stores launched in 2008. However, as Inside Mobile Apps pointed out yesterday, Apple's option has historically been the leader by a wide margin. In 2010, for example, Apple announced it had reached 250,000 apps. Google's store -- then known as the Android Market -- didn't hit that tally … Read more

Less than four years after launching, the Google Play store for apps and media today hit 25 billion downloads.

Google Play, which was known as the Android Market until March, hit the milestone in 1,435 days -- three years and 11 months. By contrast, Apple's App Store reached 25 billion downloads in 1,334 days -- just under three years and eight months.

"We look forward to the next 25 billion," the company said in a blog post.

To mark the occasion, Google will discount a variety of popular apps. Participating developers include Gameloft, Electronic Arts, … Read more

With maps an improbably hot topic in tech these days, perhaps its no wonder that they're coming to more remote corners of Google services. Today's product: the Google Play Books app.

An update pushed today brings location awareness to e-books.

"Starting today, when you come across an unfamiliar geographic location -- a faraway city or distant mountain range -- you can tap on the location to learn more about it," the company said in a blog post. "You'll see an info card with a Google Map and the option to get more information by … Read more

The Android style guide was updated to include Ice Cream Sandwich and Jelly Bean Holo theme variations, and this is (thankfully) causing many apps to update their user interfaces. Change is good -- well, most of the time -- but what if you want to take a look at reviews that are only pertinent to your device? Or maybe you're only interested in opinions about the latest version? That's why the Google Play Store has filtering options, even though they're kind of hidden.

Here's how to access them:

Consumers eyeing Google's Nexus 7 tablet have until the end of the month to grab a special $25 credit good for anything in the Google Play store.

To lure in new Nexus 7 buyers, Google launched the offer at the same time the tablet debuted in June. But the company tweeted yesterday that the deal will end on September 30.

The announcement isn't a big surprise, as Google has long said the offer had a definitive sell-by date. It gave Nexus 7 owners $25 to spend on music, books, magazines, videos, and apps in the Google Play store. … Read more

Owners of the latest iPad who use Photoshop Touch can now view their images in all their Retina Display glory.

Version 1.3 of Photoshop Touch for the iPad now handles the higher resolution found on Apple's third-generation tablet. The new support will not only enhance images but also render the interface, text, and other areas more "crisp and clean," according to Adobe.

Photoshop Touch users can also now work with images of print quality, up to 12 megapixels with several layers included. The default resolution is 4.2 megapixels with 10 layers, but users of the … Read more

Grooveshark has been on a roller coaster ride at the Google Play store.

The Android music app is once again no longer available through Google Play after being allowed back into the store earlier this week.

The app has been through this routine before -- initially debuting on Google Play, then getting kicked off more than a year ago, reappearing, and now again missing in action.

Why the back-and-forth hijinks?

The Grooveshark app lets you freely listen to online music stations based on your favorite genres. A special feature called Grooveshark Anywhere allows you to play any song you choose … Read more

Scouring the Google Play Store for apps isn't always easy. When looking for an app you'll probably know the category it falls into, and you might know the name of something that works similarly to what you're looking for. Unfortunately, it's still a lot of work to sort through each entry until you find the perfect one.

You could look at app reviews online, or check star ratings in the Play Store, or you could try looking at Recommended For You.

Just open the Google Play Store and tap on Apps, then tap on the banner … Read more