Google Unifies Media, Apps Into Google Play

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Google Unifies Media, Apps Into Google Play

Posted by Unknown on Tuesday March 6, 2012 @08:55AM from the enslavement-was-never-so-much-fun dept.

eldavojohn writes "Google has just announced Google Play to merge their existing solutions for music, movies, books and apps in the new cloud based storage system promising that you will never have to worry about losing or moving them across devices ever again. You'll be able to store 20,000 songs for free. The region breakdown is: 'In the U.S., music, movies, books and Android apps are available in Google Play. In Canada and the U.K., we'll offer movies, books and Android apps; in Australia, books and apps; and in Japan, movies and apps. Everywhere else, Google Play will be the new home for Android apps.'"

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Will Apple file a lawsuit? by walterbyrd · 2012-03-06 08:58 · Score: 4, Funny

Seems like it might infringe on the idea behind iTunes, or App Store, or something.
1. Re:Will Apple file a lawsuit? by imamac · 2012-03-06 09:00 · Score: 2, Insightful
  
  I don't think it would infringe, but it is certainly Google's "me too" moment of the day.
2. Re:Will Apple file a lawsuit? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-06 09:05 · Score: 2, Insightful
  
  What everyone is forgetting, is that iCloud is the same as many other services long before it. Bah, even Ubuntu One was there first.
3. Re:Will Apple file a lawsuit? by Nadir · 2012-03-06 09:07 · Score: 4, Interesting
  
  Actually, the "cloud" experience on Android was there long before Apple. Buy an Android phone, insert your google account, and a few moments later you have all your contacts, calendars and apps.
  
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4. Re:Will Apple file a lawsuit? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-06 09:18 · Score: 2, Informative
  
  Actually, the "cloud" experience on Android was there long before Apple. Buy an Android phone, insert your google account, and a few moments later you have all your contacts, calendars and apps.
  Thats funny because the original iPhone did that too
5. Re:Will Apple file a lawsuit? by Cyberllama · 2012-03-06 09:50 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  Yes, but that's hardly the same thing. It did that by getting them from the corresponding apps on your Mac when you synced the phone. It didn't pull them out of thin air, which is what "Cloud" is all about. It also didn't work unless you had a Mac. You used to need a computer to make your smartphone work. Now the Smarthphone IS the computer--or it least it can be if you're the minimalist sort.
6. Re:Will Apple file a lawsuit? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-06 09:50 · Score: 2, Informative
  
  SHENANIGANS!
  The original iphone 2G required you to connect it to itunes to
  #1) activate (couldn't get past lock screen without initial itunes activation)
  #2) sync contacts/calendar/photos/music etc. etc.
  The cloud functionality for ios came MUCH later (measured in years)!
  In contrast, my first android handset pretty much *never* touched a computer USB port.
7. Re:Will Apple file a lawsuit? by rhook · 2012-03-06 10:00 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  Until recently the iPhone required iTunes in order to sync your contacts/calendar/apps. Android devices have never required a computer in order to sync this stuff.
8. Re:Will Apple file a lawsuit? by rsborg · 2012-03-06 10:12 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  really? a windows user with an iPhone would have all their contacts synced with the iPhone?
  As of iOS 2.0, yes. Using either CalDav+IMAP or Exchange ActiveSync you could sync your calendar and email fine with an original iPhone in 2008.
  
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9. Re:Will Apple file a lawsuit? by Americano · 2012-03-06 10:30 · Score: 5, Informative
  
  No, they sued Amazon for trademark infringement when Amazon opened the Android Appstore, claiming that "App Store" was trademarked by Apple, and complaining that Amazon's use of the mark was infringing.
  There was no patent on "having an electronic store." There was no suit over "having an electronic store." It was a trademark dispute, in which Apple basically said "They should have to call it something else without using the phrase "App Store." Amazon went live with their Android Appstore anyway, and Microsoft has also filed a challenge on the trademark, claiming it was too generic to be a legitimate trademark.
  The most recent I've heard, a few months back, the case is still working it's way through the federal courts.
  Silly lawsuit? Probably. But the USPTO granted them the trademark in the first place, so I'm inclined to believe that the USPTO deserves a fair share of the blame for the waste of the lawsuit, also.
10. Re:Will Apple file a lawsuit? by oakgrove · 2012-03-06 10:51 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  It's called business. Apple makes a lot of money and is in a sector ripe for real competition. It's the war of the ecosystems and with MS and Apple playing for keeps you better believe Google is going to step in the mix.
  
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  The soylentnews experiment has been a dismal failure.
11. Re:Will Apple file a lawsuit? by geekoid · 2012-03-06 11:33 · Score: 3, Interesting
  
  so.. after Android than? And with additional 3rd party programs?
  For certain values of fine.
  
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12. Re:Will Apple file a lawsuit? by farble1670 · 2012-03-06 13:28 · Score: 2
  
  Thats funny because the original iPhone did that too
  no, pre-icloud the iphone only sync'd local resources ... your photos in iphoto, your contacts in address book, etc.
Yay! by MightyMartian · 2012-03-06 08:58 · Score: 4, Funny

At last, somewhere to store all my pirated music and movies!!!!!

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The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
Some background by DeathFromSomewhere · 2012-03-06 09:01 · Score: 4, Informative

It's worth pointing out that all of this functionality is already available. There is nothing new here except the name and an icon. Not even an interface change. Much ado about nothing.

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-1 overrated isn't the same thing as "I disagree".
1. Re:Some background by ArhcAngel · 2012-03-06 10:46 · Score: 2
  
  It's even more worth pointing out that good re-branding can increase sales and bad re-branding can bankrupt companies ( Qwickster anyone? )
  
  --
  "A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it." - K
All my stuff in the cloud... by Picass0 · 2012-03-06 09:12 · Score: 4, Insightful

...until I wake up one day and it's not.
1. Re:All my stuff in the cloud... by geekoid · 2012-03-06 10:01 · Score: 2
  
  I have moved a lot to the cloud.
  I recently set up a computer.
  Install Steam,
  get games,
  install Chrome
  Done.
  No buying software,. no installing office like tools, no looking for game disks, no copying over music, no duplicating the file structure.
  Easy, peasy.
  If you back up now, then you can back up your docs from the cloud. If you don't back up now, then stop being an idiot and do so.
  *Any browser, but I use chrome.
  
  --
  The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
WHY? by DarthVain · 2012-03-06 09:17 · Score: 4, Insightful

USA: Music, Movies, Books, Apps
CAN: Movies, Books, Apps
UK: Movies, Books, Apps
Au: Books, Apps
Japan: Movies, Apps
Um, does this not seem odd? Only the US can store Music in Google Cloud? Is this because the RIAA can sue people there? Why the mashup of various media in various places. I wonder does this have more to do with law in the country in question, or the county of origin? Considering the stellar privacy stuff lately, I think I would rather figure out how to host my own server to take my stuff anywhere I like.
Oh and Books? Really? I mean you can fit like what a million on a micro SD card these days. Hell even music, unless you have a 20,000 song library, you can fit more music than you could ever really want on a 16GB smartphone... 32GB even more.
Video is intriguing. I can just imagine what is going to be uploaded there.
1. Re:WHY? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-06 09:25 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  Each of these industries are entrenched in more than a hundred years of business law and protect their regional fiefdoms viciously. They do so because they all know the internet makes them completely obsolete. They know that without the anchor of a physical pretense some small company anywhere in the world can beat them.
2. Re:WHY? by cmiller173 · 2012-03-06 10:48 · Score: 2
  
  ...
  Video is intriguing. I can just imagine what is going to be uploaded there.
  Not the generic "Video" it's "Movies" and it is Google's movie rental service. Near as I can tell there is no uploading, although you would think they would wrap YouTube in there somehow.
3. Re:WHY? by rsborg · 2012-03-06 11:23 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  Each of these industries are entrenched in more than a hundred years of business law and protect their regional fiefdoms viciously. They do so because they all know the internet makes them completely obsolete. They know that without the anchor of a physical pretense some small company anywhere in the world can beat them.
  Yet, with Apple, you can do all of this and more with iCloud + iTunes Match in 19+ countries. What it means is that Apple figured out there is no winning against the MAFIAA, and have paid their cut. Google is slowly starting to get with the program.
  It's unfortunate, but it does appear that the media industry is going to win vs. the internet by balkanizing or eliminating it entirely.
  
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4. Re:WHY? by JohnFen · 2012-03-06 12:30 · Score: 2
  
  As usual, we don't like the band after they go mainstream.
  No, that's not it. It's that we're being asked to trust third parties with the bulk of our personal data. Running your own server is better because you only have to trust yourself (and it can be just as -- if not more -- easy-to-use as any commercial offering). It has nothing to do with popularity.
The problem with clouds by kawabago · 2012-03-06 09:28 · Score: 3, Insightful

is dissipation.
Re:Why no movies in Australia? by Desler · 2012-03-06 09:30 · Score: 2

Because the dingo ate your baby.
Dumb move. by __Paul__ · 2012-03-06 09:39 · Score: 4, Insightful

"Google Play" sounds like an environment for children. Why would people look there for serious applications?

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1. Re:Dumb move. by geekoid · 2012-03-06 10:22 · Score: 4, Interesting
  
  I'm far past my 20s and love the name. And Google has one of the best privacy policies. read it.
  Google plays too well with others to give the impression they think it's their playground.
  SO stop projecting what ever pops into you head onto others.
  
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  The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
2. Re:Dumb move. by rhook · 2012-03-06 15:30 · Score: 2
  
  You mean that Facebook (another company where you are the product) doesn't operate in a similar (but much worse regarding privacy) manner?
Re:I don't want my cloud provider to know type of by Americano · 2012-03-06 09:44 · Score: 4, Insightful

If security, confidentiality, and permanent ownership of the stuff stored are such overriding concerns, then it's likely that a cloud service isn't for you, and you should avoid using one.
Re:I don't want my cloud provider to know type of by Ihmhi · 2012-03-06 10:05 · Score: 4, Informative

Then go with a zero-knowledge provider like SpiderOak. All of the data is encrypted on their servers. Your password is encrypted before it even leaves your computer. (If you lose your password, your recovery option is "I'm fucked".)
Moreover, even if the feds came knocking on their door, all they could say is that you have x gigs of data on this particular server. The company can't even view your files, no matter how much they (or law enforcement, or a court) might want to.

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First test by jeti · 2012-03-06 10:09 · Score: 5, Interesting

I just tested the new Google Play apps. Here's what I found:
Google Play Books: This item cannot be installed in your device's coutry
Google Play Music: This item cannot be installed in your device's coutry
Google Play Movies: This item cannot be installed in your device's coutry
(German user)
Vetted Apps by WindBourne · 2012-03-06 10:21 · Score: 2

It would actually be better if they would create a secured server in which only vetted apps are in it. My parents and in-laws are now on Android, and I worry about their downloading apps. Basically, it would be better for them to pay $.99-5 / app KNOWING that it is safe, rather than have access to so many apps of which a small number of them are insecure.

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1. Re:Vetted Apps by oakgrove · 2012-03-06 10:49 · Score: 2
  
  If you're that paranoid, word has it Amazon is running some kind of Android app store. If the rumors are to be believed you can even go to their website on your Android device and install the installer.
  
  --
  The soylentnews experiment has been a dismal failure.
Re:Why no movies in Australia? by Adriax · 2012-03-06 10:33 · Score: 3, Funny

They're having problems with the australian correction algorithm. It's actually quite hard to rotate the video stream 180 degrees in real time so they can view it down there.

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Re:I don't want my cloud provider to know type of by Brannoncyll · 2012-03-06 11:01 · Score: 2

Then go with a zero-knowledge provider like SpiderOak. All of the data is encrypted on their servers. Your password is encrypted before it even leaves your computer. (If you lose your password, your recovery option is "I'm fucked".)
Moreover, even if the feds came knocking on their door, all they could say is that you have x gigs of data on this particular server. The company can't even view your files, no matter how much they (or law enforcement, or a court) might want to.
Unfortunately many countries have laws under which you can be forced to give up your encryption keys to law enforcement. God only knows how the US has resisted implementing laws like this so far, although I don't see this situation lasting long considering how the government lately seems hell bent on eliminating the human rights of its citizens.
So, they still don't want my money... by gshegosh · 2012-03-06 11:28 · Score: 3, Interesting

...just because I live in Poland or some other "obscure" country. I say fuck you and go back to piratebay.
1. Re:So, they still don't want my money... by couchslug · 2012-03-06 15:03 · Score: 2
  
  "just because I live in Poland"
  The highway between Germany and Russia is a country? (runs)
  
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2. Re:So, they still don't want my money... by gshegosh · 2012-03-06 23:14 · Score: 2
  
  You can't be from USA, you placed Poland on the correct continent.
Re:I don't want my cloud provider to know type of by geekoid · 2012-03-06 11:36 · Score: 2

And every country has a guy willing to wield a lead pipe.

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The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
Promises, promises by fusiongyro · 2012-03-06 11:36 · Score: 2

promising that you will never have to worry about losing or moving them across devices ever again.
You know, until they shut down the service in 18 months because it isn't popular enough...
The only video I ever lost access to was from Goog by SuperKendall · 2012-03-06 12:14 · Score: 2

A few years ago I downloaded some test video from Google Video... doesn't work anymore since they shut things down.
So it's kind of amusing that Google is trying to solve a problem they themselves took part in at one point.
In contrast any video downloaded from iTunes still works - even if it's not in the store anymore.
However, given the nature of DRM video I still think of all DRM protected video as a rental. It might be a long term rental, it's great if it still works but I'm not silly enough to expect it always will. Until the video content providers managed to get their eyelids forced open Clockwork Orange style and made to see the same light the music industry saw, very little will change about online video as much as Google (or Apple) might claim you can access it "forever".
Here's to hoping whatever Apple comes up with un regards to a newer version of AppleTV is a step towards the video industry seeing that light.

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Re:I don't want my cloud provider to know type of by JohnFen · 2012-03-06 12:25 · Score: 4, Insightful

Then don't use cloud-based services. That's the route I take -- I just don't use them. I do use an Android phone and apparently will be using the cloud for apps, but that's all.
If you want cloud services, then use encryption -- but understand, if you're truly concerned, that encryption will not guarantee that your stuff stays private. All public key encryption is breakable without difficulty to someone who has access to a large sampling of your encrypted data and lots of CPU cycles to throw at the problem. Such as cloud providers do.
Re:I don't want my cloud provider to know type of by Fwipp · 2012-03-06 16:09 · Score: 3, Interesting

For what values of lots?
Also, why are you using public-key cryptography for this?