google play

Amping up its music game, Google Music is expanding its reach to seven more countries. The Web giant announced today that consumers in Austria, Australia, Belgium, Ireland, Luxembourg, New Zealand, and Portugal now have access to the free music storage service.

With this service, users can store up to 20,000 pre-purchased songs on Google Play and stream them via an Android smartphone or tablet or the Web. Several of the countries that now have access to Google Music will also get the "Artist Hub," which is a platform for independent and local artists to sell music directly … Read more

Today Google announced a redesigned Play store app for Android users running Android 2.2 and above.

The redesign will begin showing up for users over the coming weeks, but if you're the type who doesn't like to wait, you can download and install the update yourself.

We knew it would only be a matter of time before the update was posted for all to enjoy, and thanks to Droid Life, you're a few seconds away from looking at the new Play store on your Android device.

Head on over to this post and follow one of … Read more

Google is giving its Google Play marketplace app a makeover, with an emphasis on a simpler layout and content discovery.

Rolling out today to Android phones and tablets, the app's redesigned user interface specifically is intended to improve the entertainment experience, whether it's listening to an album, reading a book, or playing a game. The new interface features a lighter background and larger images that are set in cards, the same presentation format Google uses in its Google Now predictive search feature.

The makeover also automatically groups together similarly themed content to help users discover related magazines or … Read more

As people around the world become increasingly more reliant on their mobile devices, the app market continues to grow. New research from market analyst firm Canalys shows that the top four app stores hit 13.4 billion downloads worldwide in the first quarter of 2013. This is an 11 percent increase over all of 2012 combined.

"Apps have had a huge impact on the way consumers use mobile devices, what they value, and what they expect from smart phones and tablets," Canalys chief analyst for analytics Adam Daum said in a statement. "They are now central to … Read more

Tumblr launched its redesigned Android mobile app today, making some major upgrades over its last version.

"Tumblr for Android just got a total face-lift," the company wrote in a blog post today. "We've completely redesigned the interface, added fancy post animations, made images pop, and a whole lot more."

The app, which is available on Google Play, has an entirely new "post anything" screen that lets users share photos, videos, quotes, chats, links, and text with one tap. The intuitive interface also gives users the option of advanced controls like saving drafts, queuing … Read more

Dirt-cheap tablets have been around for years, but most of them have proven disappointing. Spend less than $100 and you're almost certain to get stuck with a resistive touch screen (one that requires pressure to recognize a tap or swipe), a pokey processor, an outdated version of Android, or a seriously limited app store. Maybe several of the above.

Dirt-cheap-tablet maker Ematic is looking to change all that with the Genesis Prime. Announced yesterday, this 7-inch slate promises to give users the full Android experience, complete with access to Google Play, for just $79.99.

What does 80 bucks … Read more

Hundreds of Japanese porn apps in the Google Play marketplace are tricking porn seekers into shelling out $1,000 for a fake service, security firm Symantec has found.

The company published a blog post today about the more than 200 fraudulent Android apps published by over 50 developers. Symantec has been tracking these apps since late January.

"From then on, the apps were published by different developers each time and the number of apps steadily grew though many were removed from Google Play at one point for unconfirmed reasons," according to the blog. "We are now seeing … Read more