A new Android Market for phones, with books and movies

Recently, we’ve been hard at work improving Android Market to give you new ways to find great applications and games, purchase books, and rent movies. Today, we’re releasing a new version of Android Market which makes all of these available on phones (Android 2.2 and higher).

In the U.S., you’ll be able to rent thousands of movies, starting at $1.99, right from Android Market on your phone. With the Videos app, available in Android Market, there’s no more waiting for downloads, syncing, or worrying about storage space. Simply sign into Android Market with your Google account, and you can rent movies from anywhere – the web, or your Android phone or tablet – and start watching instantly. You can also download movies to your device so they’re available for viewing when you don’t have an internet connection.

Also in the U.S., you can now purchase books from Android Market on your phone. Like movie rentals, books are linked to your Google account, so they’re instantly available across all of your devices – computer, phone, or tablet – without the need for wires or downloads.

You’ll be delighted to find we’ve overhauled Android Market to make it faster, easier, and more fun to discover great apps, movies, and books. We’ve created more space to feature some of the most interesting content of the week on the home page. We’ve added more top charts, with newer, more relevant items, and we’ve made it easy to swipe through these charts as you browse the store. We’ve also introduced new collections of great content, like staff picks and Editors’ Choice apps.

The new Android Market will be rolling out in the coming weeks to Android 2.2 and higher phones around the world. You don’t need to do anything - the update is automatic on supported phones. If you’re in the U.S., you’ll also be able to download the Videos app, rent movies, and buy books once you receive the new Android Market.

Your phone is about to get a lot more interesting! Enjoy the new Android Market.

Google Friends Newsletter - May 2011 without powertip

Hello Google Friends. We hope you enjoy this month’s update on our newest products and services.




More movies on YouTube

More than 3,000 full-length feature films from major Hollywood studios
are now available on YouTube. Watch one of the hundreds of free movies
available, or rent blockbuster new releases like The King’s Speech,
The Green Hornet or Despicable Me. Many movie pages feature YouTube
Movie Extras: free behind-the-scenes videos, cast interviews,
parodies, clips and remixes from YouTube’s community of content
creators.
http://www.youtube.com/movies


Music Beta by Google

With Music Beta, you can upload your personal music collection to a
single library, even if it's scattered across multiple computers. You
can listen from the web or any enabled device with the Music app from
Android Market. Playlists are automatically kept in sync, and you
don't have to worry about cables, file transfers or running out of
storage space. The songs you've recently played will automatically be
available offline and you can also select the specific albums, artists
and playlists you want to have available when you're not connected.
With Instant Mix, you can automatically build new playlists of songs
from your collection. Music Beta is currently available by invitation
in the U.S.
http://music.google.com/


Chromebooks

Chromebooks are a new type of computer based on the Chrome OS
(operating system). There’s no software or desktop—everything is done
within the browser. Chromebooks launch in seconds, are resistant to
viruses and require no maintenance. The first Chromebooks from our
partners, Samsung and Acer, will be available online June 15th in the
U.S., U.K., France, Germany, Netherlands, Italy, and Spain.
http://www.google.com/chromebook/

Google Advisor

Google Advisor helps you quickly find relevant financial products from
many providers and compare them side-by-side. Enter information about
what you’re looking for in a mortgage, credit card, CD, checking or
savings account and receive a list of offers that match your criteria,
along with rates and contact information. Google Advisor is currently
available in the U.S.
https://www.google.com/advisor/home



New features for Google News

With expandable stories in Google News, you can easily browse the
moment’s top stories, and access diverse perspectives. Each story box
is collapsed down to one headline, except for the top story. When a
headline grabs your attention, click to expand and view related videos
and photos as well as related articles marked according to genre, like
“Opinion” or “In Depth.”
http://news.google.com