For years, those with an “Apple-tite” have satisfied their cravings with Apple Inc.’s iTunes media hub. It is a one-stop shop for iPod, iPhone and iPad users to obtain and organize all of their music, games, apps, videos and books.
However, Google has recently introduced an online media hub that is looking to match, if not supersede the convenience of iTunes.
Formally known as the Android Market, Google Play is an online media store where users can store and organize all of their digital media on their computer or Android device.
Google rebranded the Android Market because it did not deliver exactly what its users wanted.
According to Google Engineering Director Chris Yerga, Google contemplated rebranding the Android Market for a while but it was not until recently that they felt it was the “natural time” to release it.
The overall idea of Google Play is to eliminate the hassle of finding and storing digital media.
It is described by the Official Google Blog as, “a digital entertainment destination where you can find, enjoy and share your favorite music, movies, books and apps on the web and on your Android phone or tablet.”
With Google Play, users can store up to 20,000 songs for free, buy new tracks, download more than 450,000 Android apps and games, browse a large selection of e-books and rent thousands of movies, including new high-definition releases.
Similar to iTunes, Google Play is cloud-based, so all of the music, movies, books and apps are stored online, eliminating the potential of losing them.
Google would like to use Google Play as a way to focus on broadening the digital media hub experience, as well as opening up the store to everyone, not just Android users.
Those using equipment with different operating systems or no operating system at all can take advantage of Google Play using their online storage option.
