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News and notes from Android team
Store your music online and listen everywhere
Wednesday, February 25, 2015
You’ve joined the streaming revolution, but still have that MP3 player you take to the gym. It has your pump-up playlist, all of the Phish live concerts, and the brand new recordings from your friend’s band. Keep things simple by using Google Play Music, which gives you subscription access to 30 million songs on any device and also offers you a place to store the music collection you already own, for free.
Today we are expanding the music storage limit on Google Play. Now you can store 50,000 songs for free and stream or download them them to your phone, tablet, computer or Chromecast.
Here’s how you can store your music online today:
Sign in to Google Play Music
- Go to your computer and visit
play.google.com/music
. Sign in with your Google account if needed.
Claim your free storage
- If you’d like to try our
subscription service
too, click “Get Started.” Otherwise, click “No Thanks” to continue with the free storage.
Add your music collection
- The setup process will guide you through adding our Chrome app, which provides seamless uploading. You can choose to simply upload your entire iTunes library or select other music folders.
Access your music everywhere
- You can stream or download music to your Android, iPhone or iPad for easy offline listening. It’s also all available on the web when you’re on your computer. And best of all, when you upgrade to a new computer or phone, your music comes along, too.
Not using Chrome? At step 3 the setup process will instead guide you through installing
Music Manager
. Don’t worry, you can still add 50,000 songs.
Wondering what to do after you’ve stored all of your music safely online? Test drive our
music subscription service
to listen to any song on demand and find expert curated radio stations for any mood, activity or time of day. Encore!
Posted by Andrew Stromme, Google Play Music Product Manager
Coming to a TV near you
Tuesday, January 6, 2015
Android started with a simple thought:
when everybody participates, good things happen
. In 2014, Android evolved and opened up to new screens for your wrist, car and living room. We also introduced Android TV with
Nexus Player
last Fall and at this week’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, our partners are showcasing what’s in store for television in 2015.
This spring,
Sony
, Sharp and TP Vision, with its range of Philips TVs, will start shipping televisions powered by Android TV. These have all the goodness of Android TV built in so you won’t need to plug anything extra into your television. You can use a single remote to watch live TV channels and play games, movies or shows from Google Play and your apps. These televisions feature voice search, to help you quickly find what you want, and they’re Google Cast Ready so you can cast your favorite entertainment from your phone or tablet to the big screen. Android TV will come to life on screens big and small, including brilliant 4K displays, thanks to the work of our partners.
If you want to get in on the action using your current television, Razer just announced a
gaming console powered by Android TV
. Razer’s Forge TV has high-performance specs, a wireless game controller and allows you to stream PC games to your TV. It will start shipping to consumers in February. Huawei is also working on an Android TV streaming media player that will be ready later this year.
When we launched Android with a single phone in 2008, we never imagined that we could connect over a billion people. And now, we're working closely with an entire ecosystem of TV partners -- hardware manufacturers, service providers, and chip makers -- to reimagine the living room. All major television and TV device chip makers are participating: ARM, Broadcom, Imagination Technologies, Intel, Marvell, MediaTek, MStar, Nvidia, Qualcomm, and STMicroelectronics.
As we start off 2015 at CES, I’m excited for what’s in store this year for
Android TV
.
Posted by Hiroshi Lockheimer, VP Engineering and Weekend Couch Potato
Your favorite apps, games, movies and more in 2014
Thursday, December 11, 2014
It was a big year for entertainment, from
games
that fed your sweet tooth to
apps
that kept you fit.
Icy movies
warmed your hearts, and your
go-to party song
was literally a dark-horse favorite. You loved reading stories -- real and imagined -- of
love
,
adventure
, and, OK, sometimes
lust
.
Here’s a look at some of the most popular apps, games, movies, music, news and books of 2014 on Google Play. Did your favorites make the list?
Most Downloaded Apps by Category:
Education -
Duolingo
, Social -
Facebook
, Health & Fitness -
MyFitnessPal
, Entertainment -
Netflix
, Music -
Pandora
, Sports -
NFL Mobile
, Photography -
Flipagram
, Travel -
TripAdvisor
Top Downloaded Games:
1.
Candy Crush Saga
, 2.
Don't Tap The White Tile
, 3.
Farm Heroes Saga
, 4.
Subway Surfers
, 5.
Clash of Clans
Movie of the Year:
Frozen
,
TV Show of the Year:
The Walking Dead
,
Comeback Movie:
Toy Story
Album of the Year:
Frozen: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
,
Song of the Year:
Dark Horse
by Katy Perry,
Song of the Summer:
Fancy
by Iggy Azalea
News Sources of the Year:
1.
The New York Times
, 2.
TMZ
, 3.
Forbes Now
, 4.
The Verge
, 5.
The Huffington Post
, 6.
The Daily Beast
, 7.
The Wall Street Journal
, 8.
Gizmodo
, 9.
Android Central
Books of the Year:
1.
The Fault in Our Stars
, 2.
Fifty Shades of Grey
, 3.
Divergent
, 4.
Twelve Years a Slave
, 5.
Insurgent
Posted by Brian Irving, global director of marketing for Google Play
Android dress code: wear what you want
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
Deciding what to wear is a really personal thing—it’s one of the ways you show people what you’re about. Wearable technology is no different, so
Android Wear
offers a wide selection of apps and watches to suit your taste. It’s about expressing who you are, however you want, right on your wrist.
Today there’s even more ways to show your style with Android Wear, including dozens of new watch faces (powered by an official
Watch Face API
), a full collection of devices on Google Play, and lots of other improvements based on your feedback. So try ‘em on for size, and
let us know
what you think.
Watch faces for whatever you’re into
Starting today you can download watch faces from Google Play, just like you do with apps. We’ve got
dozens of examples
to get you started—from the unpredictable Minions in Despicable Me to the X-Ray artistry of Hugh Turvey. And because the new Watch Face API is available to all developers, you can expect even more choices in the weeks and months ahead.
We’ve also updated the
Android Wear app
on your phone to make browsing, downloading, and switching watch faces really easy. So pick the one you like the best, or pick a new one every day.
(Both updates are rolling out over the next week, so don’t worry if you don’t see them yet.)
Examples of Android Wear watch faces
A family of watches to choose from
In only a few short months, the Android Wear collection has grown to include
six unique watches
—the ASUS ZenWatch, the LG G Watch, the LG G Watch R, the Moto 360, the Samsung Gear Live, and the Sony SmartWatch 3. Some are circular, others are square. Some are traditional, others are sporty. And that’s exactly the point. With different shapes and styles, it’s really easy to make your watch your own.
So by all means: wear what you want.
Posted by David Singleton, Director of Engineering, Android Wear
Play here, play there, play anywhere with Android
Wednesday, November 26, 2014
I still remember my first gaming console. For months I was hooked on blocky 8-bit scenes with a repetitive soundtrack of bloops and bleeps. Back then the graphics were primitive, the choice of titles was limited, and gaming was strictly an indoors activity. Today, things are different.
We recently launched
Nexus Player
, the first streaming media and gaming device that brings Android to your TV. Thanks to thousands of games and free online multiplayer, Android is already the first choice for many casual and experienced gamers. And with Android now on screens big and small, you can sneak a quick game while you’re out on the road, then keep playing at home on your HDTV.
Nexus Player makes the perfect holiday gift for family fun and immersive play on the biggest screen in your home. Here’s a quick look at some upcoming titles and a round-up of recently-launched favorites.
Rayman Fiesta Run brings Ubisoft’s classic, wacky and lovable character Rayman to your living room. Jumping and rolling through this beautiful fantasy world looks incredible on your TV. And if you grew up like me, spending countless hours collecting video game stars and coins, you’ll quickly fall for this title with a Gamepad for Nexus Player.
New games are coming in every week and there are now more than
60 titles available on Google Play
. Some of our favorite new arrivals include:
Bike Rivals
: an adrenaline-packed stunt racing game that uses the Nexus Player remote
Prime World
: Defenders: a classic tower defense game with awesome 3D graphics
Goat Simulator
: because who hasn’t dreamt of causing chaos as a goat?
And coming soon:
NBA Jam: a classic, reborn – slam-dunk on your friends with multiple gamepads, phones and tablets
Valiant Hearts: a thoughtful warrior’s journey through World War I, realized as an action game
If you’re looking for a great way to spend the holidays, or to level up your love for Android gaming, grab the Nexus Player and Gamepad for Nexus Player in the
Play Store
. Nexus Player comes with
Badland
and a $20 Google Play credit that you can use for games, movies and more.
Enjoy the holidays, whatever (and wherever) you’re playing!
Posted by Jamil Moledina, Games Strategic Partnerships Lead and in-office gamer, Google Play
Google Keep: Share ideas with friends and family
Monday, November 17, 2014
Sticky notes on refrigerators were once the preferred way to say, “We’re out of bread - could you pick some up?” Now with Google Keep, not only can you jot down ideas or put together shopping lists, you can also share them with friends and family and work on them at the same time. So next time you create a list, share it on Keep and watch as items get checked off in real time! No need for text messages back and forth—get things done together, quicker.
Searching for your notes is simpler now too. You can filter notes by color and other attributes such as whether they’re shared, have a reminder, are lists, or have an image or audio. Find what you’re looking for even faster, and let Keep do the remembering for you.
Google Keep is available for free on
Google Play
for your Android phones (Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich and above). For existing users, the sharing feature will start rolling out today on Google Play and is already available on the
web
and the
Chrome Web Store
.
Posted by Ken Thai, Software Engineer and Chief Listmaker
Curved glass and stitched leather: ASUS ZenWatch powered by Android Wear
Friday, November 14, 2014
Every new
Android Wear
device makes it easier to match your style, and today we’re introducing another great watch into the mix: the ASUS ZenWatch!
For starters, the stitched leather strap and curved, stainless steel body make the ZenWatch both comfortable and attractive to wear. It also has a curved glass display, which provides a smooth surface for easy gestures, and a beautiful window for watch faces. Finally, the ZenWatch includes a unique set of sensors that help you keep track of your heart rate, step count, and even relaxation levels.
The ASUS ZenWatch is available to buy now for $199.99 from
Google Play
and
Best Buy
.
Posted by Jeff Chang, Senior Product Manager, Android Wear
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