Say hello to Google Play. (Credit: Google)
The Internet giant, looking to create a more comprehensive source for movies, apps, music, and e-books, is folding Google Music and Google eBookstore into one store, now renamed Google Play, according to Jamie Rosenberg, director of digital content for Google. The changes go into effect today.
Google Play marks a radical departure from Android Market, which has been a fixture of the company's mobile platform since the debut of Android more than three years ago. The move is a tacit admission that offering apps, games, and e-books--the main features of Android Market--isn't enough to remain competitive even as rival app stores spring up. Google Play is designed to break down the walls separating the company's disparate offerings, Rosenberg said.
"Google Play will become a single experience for users," Rosenberg said. "This creates a more powerful experience around Android and also increases opportunities for content partners" to interact with more of Google's offerings.
Busta Rhymes, the rap artist, helped Google launch Google Music in Los Angeles in November.
(Credit: Greg Sandoval/CNET)
It's a shocking branding shift, considering the resources and energy spent into building the Android name, which will live on as the brand for Google's mobile operating system.
Read more:
