Google Play combines Market, Books, Music and Videos

Android took a major step today as Google unified it’s Google Music, Google Videos, Google Books and Android Market services into one. The new one-stop store goes by Google Play.

Google Play is Google’s effort to put all of its downloadable content, be it apps, movies, music or eBooks and make it easily accessible using Cloud syncing. This would allow you to easily get any music tracks, videos and eBooks you purchase to all of your Android devices, just like with the apps from the Android Market so far.

To make the switch from Android Market to Google Play, the search giant will release an update for the Android Market app on devices running Android 2.2 or later over the coming days. So, from now on, it’s officially Google Play, Google Play Music, Google Play Books and Google Play Movies.

How much music and videos, you ask? The company says that you can store up to 20,000 of your own songs plus any of the millions available for purchase in the Google Play itself. And with the app and video count growing literally by the minute, you can be sure that Google will certainly target global market dominance.

And to make sure it attracts more and more users, Google Play will be celebrating its launch by slashing prices on a ton of applications, books, music and movies. Sadly, the full power of Google Play will only be available in the United States at launch, while the rest of the world will have to have to sit on the sideline, looking enviously.

Finally, here’s Google’s introductory video to Google Play.

Samsung Galaxy S WiFi 4.2 For Gamers Released

Samsung Galaxy S WiFi 4.2 For Gamers Released

As Mobile World Congress officially kicks off, Samsung is showing off some unique devices. One interesting, or perhaps confusing, device is the newly announced Samsung Galaxy S WiFi 4.2. Similar to their Samsung Galaxy S WiFi from last year, this device comes without phone radios, but also adds an improved sound system called SoundAlive, which delivers “great sound either through a front stereo speaker or headphones“. The rest of the specs seem pretty ho-hum.

Android 2.3 Gingerbread
4.2-inch display
8.9 mm thick
512MB of RAM
8GB or 16GB versions
1 GHz processor
1500 mAh battery
2MP rear camrea
VGA front-facing camera
Gyroscope sensor

It will come pre-installed with EA’s Need For Speed Hot Pursuit, which is what makes it a gaming device I suppose. I don’t know. After the Galaxy Note 10.1 announcement, this just seems rather dull in my opinion. Maybe if the price is right it could make a splash since it’s still a decent mid-level device. But when I hear “gaming” attached to the marketing of a device, I expect specs that are at the very high end of the spectrum, not a list that looks like last year’s models.