Codebreaker

Google adds Play button to nav bar

John Moe Mar 27, 2012


While Microsoft tries to get our game systems to be more like TVs, Google is taking our web services and making them more like a game console. Because APPARENTLY WE NEED TO PLAY GAMES ALL THE TIME AND WE ARE ALL CHILDREN. Man, my issues are really acting up today. The Google navigation bar that you see at the top of the screen now features a new button called Play. Click it and you get a chance to play, sigh, Angry Birds.

But it’s more than games, you can rent movies, you can download music, you can get e-books.
From the About page:

Google Play is your one-stop shop for all your favorite entertainment. With over 450,000 apps, millions of songs and books, and thousands of movies, Google Play has something for everyone. Before you decide what you want, sample a song or book for free, view app ratings, reviews, and screenshots, or watch a movie trailer. Google Play is a more connected, powerful experience.

This is actually the easiest dashboard I’ve seen for Google entertainment products, which have been there a long time but scattered across so many Google sites that it’s been hard to find them and organize them. Is the world screaming out for a web version of iTunes from Google? We shall see.

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