Google Launches Google Play to Replace Android Marketplace

Google tasked itself with streamlining and unifying the Android ecosystem with Ice Cream Sandwich, and now has its sights setting on doing the same with the Android Marketplace. So it’s out with the old — Android Marketplace — and in with the new — Google Play. The closest analogy I can give you is that it’s iTunes for Android users. Here’s the scoop …

Google Play consolidates Android Marketplace, Google Music, Google Books and, now, Google movie rentals into one comprehensive app. Plus, Google has made it easy to sync and deploy all those aforementioned multimedia goodies across the Android device of your choice should you have more than one. Google now can detect how many Android phones are linked to your account and send data and apps only to the requested device, all from the web. Does this all sound a little familiar to you?

Yep, it’s all the cloud-based, cross-platform, cross-device-syncing, iCloud-esque, iTunes-like features you’ve been wanting from Google and were just waiting around to get. Now it’s here, and it’s a good thing, too.

Google’s offerings for Android, while robust and feature-rich, often have been unconnected applications. The Google Books team could care less about integration with the Google Music team. But merging it all together inside a brand new Google Play marketplace makes it a lot easier for a newbie to pick up an Android phone and get started. It also makes Google “feel” more ubiquitous and connected in a world where Google is known for potentially doing too many things without focusing on a single item. What Google Play represents, especially under one name, has the potential to garner more attention and focus, creating a cohesive Android multimedia experience.

I’m excited for this, because I love competition and I always want Apple to play honest. And perhaps more importantly, I suspect this isn’t the last we’ll see of Google’s polishing. It’s taking the smartphone market more seriously than ever. Considering that Jellybean is on its way and Key Lime Pie could be waiting in the wings, it’s time to focus in on Google’s small changes, because they could be hinting at bigger ones to come.