Fueled by purchases from South Korea and Japan, Google Play’s revenue increased 67% over the past 6 months, as compared to Apple’s 15% increase over the same time period. That said, Apple’s App Store earned about 2.6 times more revenue in the proceeding quarter, largely due to the fact that its market share is so much larger. Google Play’s growth is still worth noting, however, and the third, fourth, and fifth most revenue generating apps were from Japan and Korea, pointing to a much larger trend of increased spending abroad.
Tag: google
Amazon Builds Out Mobile Development Services
Amazon Web Services announced a new Simple Notification Service for Apple, Google, and its own Fire devices that allows developers to send notifications to all of these platforms via one, unified API. The new service is free for up to one million notifications per month, and then $0.50 per each additional million messages published. This move comes on the back of analysis that reveals that users want to be updated about things that they care about, even when they’re not in the app itself. Indeed, Microsoft is pushing Windows Azure as a platform for mobile services, including push alerts, so expect to see more news around development push notifications in the coming months.
Google Flights Offers Tips & Best Flights
The Google Flights search service has been updated with a new ‘tips’ feature that’s designed to surface cheaper flights. Tips is designed for those with some flexibility in their schedule, as sometimes the cheaper flights are a day before or after the preferred flight date or time. But if you’re on a budget, the feature will be very helpful to maintain finances – and it reveals whether a different nearby airport is offering a non-stop alternative flight to your destination, and even cheap upgrades to business class. Google Flights also includes a ‘best flights’ section that shows flights that are probably the best trade-off between price and convenience.
Google Launches Chromecast
Google finally entered the streaming fray with a thumb-drive-sized product called Chromecast that promises to deliver digital content to your TV with unprecedented ease. Chromecast is a step above other streaming devices in multiple facets: it’s size makes it simple to transport, Google says that the interface is as simple as plug-and-play over any WiFi network, and it’s only $35 – cheaper than any other similar option on the market (like Roku, Boxee, Xbox, or Apple TV). Chromecast also provides for phone integration, but it’s an open interface; it won’t prevent different makes and models from connecting to the HDTV. It has native YouTube, Google Play, and Netflix apps, but you can also watch video from any streaming device you want. The real kicker, though, is the ability to open new Chrome browser tabs on the TV; there’s finally a way to stream content on an HDTV in the same way as users are used to streaming content on their laptops. So although it’s not quite as sexy as Google promises – you do have to charge the device with a cord that takes away from the sleek aesthetic – at a $35 price point, there will be plenty of willing guinea pigs.
Google Play Passes 50 Billion Downloads
Google Play users have downloaded more than 50 billion apps according to Larry Page. In May, Apple made a similar announcement, while Google was only at 48 billion downloads at that time. They’ve now caught up, and Page notes that more money has been paid out to app developers in the first half of this year than it was in all of last year, marking the growth of the Android marketplace.
Gigya Report: Social Login And Sharing
Gigya has published a insightful report on the social login and sharing preferences across the various platforms from Yahoo to LinkedIn. The findings on Google+ are interesting as they reveal that a decent amount (24%) of social logins are connected via Google+ accounts although the network accounts for a mere 2%. Translation: Google+ is an active network of users (likely stemming from Gmail), but a lack of engagement for their social features.
GlassUp Takes On Google Glass
Google Glass has its first competitor. GlassUp, an Italian startup that recently added its product to Indiegogo, has raised $25,000 towards its version of augmented reality specs that will cost a fraction of the Google Glass. The eyewear works with your smartphone and makes it simple to see emails, text messages, news, and driving directions right in front of your eyes. Gianluigi Tregnaghi, GlassUp’s founder, claims to have created the product two years ago, before Google announced Glass. The information in the smartphone is sent to the glasses via Bluetooth, and the notifications are broadcasted on GlassUp’s lenses – but it projects information closer to the center of vision, much like looking through a windshield. Though there are fewer features as of yet – the company calls GlassUp a “receive only” device – the $399 price point is significantly easier on the wallet than Google’s $1500 asking price.
YouTube Looks To Premium Content, Rehabs Studio In LA
As YouTube continues to expand their paid and original channels, they have begun opening up their 40,000 sq ft LA studio to content creators on their platform. Qualified partners must have at least 100,000 monthly views to book time in the studio. All of this, of course, is geared towards producing higher quality video that will make YouTube a more attractive space for major advertisers who might have passed on all of the cat videos of yesteryear.
Editor’s note: Cat videos are actually still quite popular. See recent Buzzfeed post for reference.
http://www.buzzfeed.com/chelseamarshall/cats-who-are-so-excited-to-see-you
Google Maps Update Includes Discovery Feature
Today, version 7 of Google maps was launched, boasting a new discovery feature, as well as enhanced navigation. The new update is cleaner and faster, and allows you to discover nearby places to eat, drink, and shop by simply tapping the search box. Enhanced navigation shows real-time traffic congestion, incidents ahead, and suggests alternate routes. Zagat is fully integrated into search results, with curated lists and rating systems. Though it’s not a radical shift in the direction of Maps, it’s certainly a step closer to the merging of maps and search. The update is presently available for Android devices, with an iOS build coming in the near future.
Google Helps Advertisers Make Viral YouTube Videos
Google announced that its video service is launching a pilot program designed to educate advertisers on their YouTube content strategies – not unlike what they’ve been doing through Next Lab for many years. The new program, though, is for brands only, and is an extension of the Brand Labs service, which was built to educate advertisers on YouTube content strategies. The goal of the program is to help brands create engaging content, independent of YouTube’s programming efforts. According to those familiar with their plans, Google even wants to go as far as to utilize its production studios in LA and the UK. The program will start in September at YouTube Space in Los Angeles.
