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Google Play Games: capture and share the moment
Wednesday, October 28, 2015
As with many gamers, I enjoy watching recorded gameplay to learn how to get past difficult levels or just listen to funny commentary. Who doesn’t love a good ‘
Leeroy Jenkins
’ battle cry or a
come from behind
win? It’s a growing phenomenon. Every month, more than 144 billion minutes of gaming videos and live streams are watched on YouTube. Channels like
VanossGaming
and
TobyGames
are already part of mainstream culture, generating millions of views – numbers typical of famous Hollywood personalities and musicians.
Today, we’re launching a new feature on the Google Play Games app that lets you easily record and share with others your own best gaming moments from your favorite mobile games.
It’s simple. In the Play Games app, select any game you want to play, then tap the record button. You can capture your gameplay in 720p or 480p, and choose to add video of yourself and commentary via your device’s front facing camera and microphone. When you’re done recording, you can quickly edit and upload your video to YouTube.
So whether you are leading your clan to victory in
Clash of Clans
, munching amoebas in
Agar.io
, or building new worlds in
Minecraft: Pocket Edition
, it's never been easier to record your favorite gaming moments and share them with your friends. Gameplay recording will first rollout to US and UK users over the coming days and will be available in more countries soon after, and who knows, you might even become the next big thing on
YouTube Gaming
.
Posted by Duncan Curtis, Product Manager, Google Play Games
Podcasters, welcome to Google Play Music
Tuesday, October 27, 2015
Google Play Music helps connect people with the perfect soundtrack for whatever they’re doing—whether they’re stuck in
rush hour traffic
,
staying up late with friends
or
lifting weights at the gym
. But what if that same technology and curation could help connect people with great podcasts based on their mood or interest—something to make them laugh, get lost in a story or learn something new? We thought that would be awesome, so we plan to start offering podcasts on Google Play Music, giving podcasters access to millions of new listeners on Android phones and tablets.
To that end, today we’re launching a
portal for podcasters
to start uploading their shows to Google Play Music before we open up the service to listeners. Along with direct searches and browsing for podcasts, the service will connect new listeners with podcasts based on what they’re doing, how they’re feeling, or what they’re interested in. Similar to our contextual playlists for music, this will give podcast fans and new listeners a way of finding and listening to content that’s unique to Google Play Music. Podcasters in the US can start uploading shows now at
g.co/podcastportal
.
We’re already working with more than a dozen of the most popular podcasters and networks to offer their shows when we open the service, including:
5by5
Dan Carlin
Dave Ramsey
Earwolf
Feral Audio
Gimlet Media
HBO
Head Gum
HowStuffWorks
Loud Speakers Network
Nerdist / Legendary
Public Radio International
Radiotopia / PRX
Sideshow Network
Slate / Panoply
StarTalk Radio
This Week in Tech
Tim Ferriss
With more than one billion people using Google Play every month, there’s always something to watch, read, listen or play. And soon, you can add podcasts to that list. We’ll have more details to share in the coming months. For now, start uploading your podcasts at
g.co/podcastportal
.
Posted by Elias Roman, Product Manager, Google Play Music
Get ready for the sweet taste of Android 6.0 Marshmallow
Monday, October 5, 2015
Today we’re starting to roll out Android 6.0 Marshmallow to Nexus users. Of course, the new
Nexus 5X and 6P
will ship with Android 6.0, straight from the factory. Android Marshmallow is the sweetest, smartest Android version yet: Now on Tap serves up assistance when you need it, battery-smart features keep your device going longer, and new app permissions give you even more control.
Assistance in the moment
Get help with what you need no matter which app you’re in.
Now on Tap
— a feature unique to Android Marshmallow — stays on task alongside you, instantly pulling up relevant info and helping you get more done. Say you receive an email about meeting a friend at the Central Park Zoo. Just tap and hold on the home button, and Now on Tap will assist you by providing links to information about the zoo, shortcuts to relevant apps and even suggest a calendar entry for the date, time and location.
A longer lasting device thanks to a smarter, more efficient battery
Improving battery life isn’t just about building a bigger battery. It’s also about improving the way your device uses the charge it has. With Android Marshmallow, we’ve added two new features which dramatically decrease your device’s thirst for power.
With Doze, Android recognizes when your device is idle and automatically goes into a deep sleep state to conserve power. To see how well it works, we took a bunch of Nexus 5s and Nexus 6s, put Lollipop on half of them and Marshmallow on the other half, and measured standby battery life. The screen-off time of these devices running Marshmallow lasted 30%* longer on average! So even if you forget to plug in your phone before bed, your phone’s alarm clock will still ring. The other new battery-conserving feature is called App Standby. This puts your seldom used apps into a reduced activity state to conserve battery for the apps you use more frequently.
More choice and control to protect your privacy
Android Marshmallow gives you the ability to customize and control which capabilities you give apps. With the new app permissions model, you pick and choose which permissions to grant apps at the time of use. Apps designed for Android Marshmallow only ask for a permission at the time it’s needed to use a feature. You can deny any permission and still continue to use the app. In addition, we’ve added new settings for permissions that allow you to turn on and off any permission, for any app, at any time.
Simplified security with your fingerprint
For fingerprint sensor enabled devices, Android Marshmallow gives you a new way to protect your device. On Marshmallow, your fingerprint is the gatekeeper to unlocking your device, authorizing transactions in the Google Play Store, signing into 3rd party apps, and zipping through checkout with Android Pay.
Set up your new device lickety-split
On Lollipop, Android made it easier to set up your new phone from your old one, migrating your apps and app data. With Android Marshmallow, you can breeze through setup on your Android TV or tablet too. Say "OK Google, set up my device" from your phone and you’ll quickly be up and running. For TV, we'll even transfer over your Wi-Fi passwords.
Coming to a device near you, starting today
Nexus 5, Nexus 6, Nexus 7 (2013), Nexus 9 and Nexus Player will get an over the air software update** to Android 6.0 Marshmallow. In addition to the new
Nexus 5X and 6P
, keep your eyes peeled for other new devices shipping with Android 6.0. Finally, we know many of you take your devices to work. To learn more about security and other work features in Android Marshmallow,
register
for the Android for Work Live online event on Nov. 4th. This is just a taste of Marshmallow but you can learn s’more on android.com/marshmallow!
Posted by Brian Rakowski, VP of Product Management, Android
*Actual battery performance will vary and depends on many factors including signal strength, network configuration, battery age, operating temperature, features selected, device settings, and voice, data, and other application usage patterns.
**The Nexus update to Android 6.0 Marshmallow occurs in stages and some carriers will receive the update later than others.
Get ready for Fall TV on Android TV
Thursday, October 1, 2015
More apps for you to enjoy
We can't guarantee Carrie Mathison will capture Haqqani. We’re not sure what groundbreaking global issues VICE will cover. And we can’t tell you if Sheldon and Amy will get back together.
What we do know is that you can find out for yourself with SHOWTIME®*, HBO NOW*, and CBS All Access, now available on Android TV. So go ahead and catch up on Homeland, VICE, The Big Bang Theory and hundreds of other shows from your favorite apps.
Disney fans, we’ve also got you covered. Disney Movies Anywhere is now available on Android TV so you can watch your favorite Disney movies on the big screen and anywhere you go. Disney princesses not your thing? Well, with EPIX now available, you can choose from thousands of movies, concerts and comedy specials to stream right from your living room.
Fight lovers, we didn’t forget about you. Tune in to WWE and UFC, now both available on Android TV, and never miss a battle in the ring.
In addition to these apps, you can always check out the
full list
of over 50 premium Android TV apps available for download.
More partners joining the Android TV ecosystem
Android TV is all about choice. Whether you’re looking for a new shiny Smart TV or an amazing gaming console experience, you have an abundance of options to choose from - Sony, Sharp, Razer, Nvidia. And today, we’re adding to your list of options by welcoming Hisense, TCL, and several other smart TV manufacturers to the Android TV family.
Pay TV operators can also be powered by Android TV, letting you seamlessly watch your TV service alongside all the great apps and games on Android TV. With that, we’re also excited to announce Pace, Sagemcom, Technicolor as set-top box manufacturers and KDDI and Telecom Italia as partners who will bring you their Pay TV services powered by Android TV. Now you can enjoy more ways to watch your favorite entertainment.
So, as the nights get longer and colder, you now have another reason to stay in and binge on your favorite TV shows, movies, and sports content right from your Android TV screen.
The end of summer isn't too bad after all.
Note that you may need to sign in with a subscription or participating TV provider account to access some content.
Posted by George Audi, Business Development Manager, Google Play
*SHOWTIME and HBO NOW currently supported on select Android TV devices
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