Google launches new all-in-one media cloud service Google Play

Brian Ambrozy 6 Mar, 2012 at 2:09pm ET Article published in Tech

Today Google announced the release of Google Play, a new cloud storage and sync service that ties all of your media together in a cloud storage service that is accessible from the web and from any Android device.

It’s very similar to Google Music, but now includes a unified interface for books, movies, and apps. As with Google Music, it integrates with Google Plus so you can recommend and share media with the +1 paradigm. Similarly, as friends +1 things, it will affect your recommendations.

It still includes the 20,000 free song storage space so you can import your existing music library into Play.

Existing Google Music users will be upgraded to Play within the next day or two. The Google Music app on Android will also be upgraded to Play.

The grand plan is clear; the device you access your media with is unimportant. Chromebook, library computer, phone, desktop. When all your media is accessible online, it makes the OS you use to access it a non-factor. If this strategy continues to gel, the computing landscape is going to look very, very different ten years from now.

Comments

6 Mar 2012 ~ 2:21pm Thrax I was hoping today's Google Play reveal was actually the Google competitor to Dropbox.
6 Mar 2012 ~ 2:45pm Tushon I'm liking this ... a lot
6 Mar 2012 ~ 2:56pm CB
I was hoping today's Google Play reveal was actually the Google competitor to Dropbox.
6 Mar 2012 ~ 3:18pm Bandrik One step closer to becoming our evil overlords. I'm already rounding some some fine sacrifices to offer upon Mount Brin.
16 Mar 2012 ~ 4:15am grey_area What do they want? Goat? Sheep? My first born? She's nearly five and will put up a fight, but if the Gods of Google so demand then I think I'll just have to do it. I'll miss her, but hey, at least I'll still have this sheep and goat!

Honestly though, I never realised what play was about. I just turned on my phone one day to find that the Android Market had changed names. This is a little different and much cooler all round. Though also a little worrying. Who owns the data they store? Are they really just doing a storage option, or is this going to go the way of saying they own the copyright of any new work you store there as well?
16 Mar 2012 ~ 8:53am JBoogaloo
is this going to go the way of saying they own the copyright of any new work you store there as well?
I was wondering this same thing.