Another record from Google, you may remember that in December of last year, Google announced they had surpassed 10 billion app downloads in the Play Store, and had a $0.10 sale to celebrate. Today, the company is announcing that the Play Store has hit a whopping 25 billion app downloads. It took over 3 years to hit 10 billion; it took just 9 months more to hit 25 billion.

 

Whether you're trying to find directions, checking email or sharing a picture with friends, apps have become an indispensable section of life. Of course, if you're using Android, it all starts with Google Play, the place to find 675,000 apps and games. That's a lot of choice. We've now crossed 25 billion downloads from Google Play, also to celebrate we're offering some terrific discounts for the subsequent five days.

Every single day you'll be able to pick from a collection of apps from a number of the world's top developers including Gameloft, Ea, Rovio, runtastic, Full Fat plus more. And all for just 25 cents. We'll be also offering some kind of special collections like 25 movies you must own, 25 banned books, 25 albums that changed the entire world and our 25 best selling magazines, all at special prices. Visit Google Play a bit later today to check them out.

Twenty-five billion is much more than twice the space, in miles, that the Voyager 1 spacecraft has travelled since its launch 35 years back. It's the amount of time, in seconds, that have passed since a lot of our earliest ancestors began to set foot in Europe. Now, thanks to everyone, it's a Google Play milestone. High quality to the next 25 billion.

 

Source: googleblog

 

Tags: google play hits billion downloads 

As Andy Rubin steps down as Android Head, Google CEO Larry Page announces that Android has already 750 million activations so far, beating Apple by over 350 million individuals in the mobile operating system race. As Sundar Pichai steps in as head of Android, he inherits a rapidly growing market share and ever increasing applications on the Google Play Store.

Conservatively-speaking, only around 675 million of these users have access to Google's products and services, since not everybody will use a smartphone to its potential, especially those who do not have constant internet connection.

This is why Android continues to improve its services in the timeliest manner. Also, although Rubin is stepping down as Android CEO, he will still be around to head a different department for Google.

Source: techcrunch

Tags: google play hits billion downloads 750 million android activations date over billion app downloads 

 

ROUTE 66, a pioneer in mobile mapping and navigation solutions for handsets and tablets, today announced that its innovative ROUTE 66 Maps + Navigation app has been downloaded over a million times on Google Play. The number of downloads of the app puts it in the top 1% of all Google Play downloads by volume. The download rate continues to increase week on week.

 

Personally, I am a fan of this map app, I think if you haven't seen it in action, you should give it a try and let us know how it works out for you?  Feel free to post your reviews in the comments section.

 

FREE MAP VIEWER

+ Instant access to over 100 maps
+ Browse maps, search, calculate and simulate routes: it is all free!
+ The latest, up-to-date maps from top-rated map suppliers like TomTom, AutoNavi, Sensis
+ Free map updates
+ Works both with server based maps and maps stored on your phone
+ Download maps directly to your phone, no computer needed
+ Smart caching map data: never download a map segment twice.
+ High resolution 3D content in hundreds of cities around the world
+ Tap any point on the map and start route calculation straight away
+ Automatic switch between day and night colours, choose custom map colours
+ Access Wikipedia and local weather reports directly from the map
+ Powerful map 3D rendering with full hardware acceleration
+ Multi-touch map browsing: smooth and easy
+ Maps optimised for high resolution displays and tablets
+ Directly call a Point of interest or visit its website
+ Share your favourite locations with friends

PREMIUM NAVIGATION FEATURES

+ Turn-by-turn voice guided navigation with uncluttered visual guidance
+ 2D, 3D and Augmented Reality navigation
+ Drive or walk: always the best route
+ Chose between Fastest route and Shortest route
+ Add waypoints to your route at any time
+ Plan your trip ahead, your routes are automatically saved
+ Navigation shortcuts: easy access to key functions during your trip
+ Adjust the navigation display to your own preferences
+ Lane Guidance
+ Adjustable speed warnings
+ Real Time Traffic information with dynamic route recalculation (in-app purchase)
+ Speed camera warnings with automatic database updates (in-app purchase)
+ Compass enhanced pedestrian navigator: map always pointing in the right direction
+ Fully interactive maps, even during navigation
+ Voice guidance available in 59 different languages and dialects
+ Voice guidance continues when app is in background
+ Try all premium features like Navigation, Traffic information and Speed cameras for FREE before you buy a licence

The app can be downloaded for free on Google Play.

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The Facebook Home has received mixed reactions among those who have tried the "beta" application/launcher. While many approved of its smooth and convenient way of keeping tabs, others complained about difficulties accessing other applications and that they do not really have use for the launcher.

The Google Play Store has recorded at least 500,000 downloads almost a week since it was launched. This number seems quite disappointing, considering that FB users amount to over a billion individuals, showing how diminutive this number actually is compared to the total FB population. Many consider it grossly underperforming and even compared it to Instagram for Android, a photo social networking site that was downloaded a million times on its first day and has reached 5M downloads in less than a week since it was started.

On the other hand, many people were implying that the Facebook Home launcher was in beta and that the figures should not really concern Facebook officials that much, since only a few devices can actually use it as a launcher. It seems like they're missing the whole point of launching a beta test.

If it creates a significant interest and many people tried and LIKED it, then it will most possibly become a profitable launcher in application stores. However, with these kinds of figures, where testers posted less than stellar ratings, it will not be surprising if Facebook officials will overhaul it or write it off on their lists of applications to pursue in the future.

Source:facebook home

 

 

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BlueStacks App Player lets you run apps from your phone fast and fullscreen on Mac and Windows.  The software basically allows you to run Android apps on AMD-powered desktops running Windows 7 or Windows 8. The software will even let you run Android apps on Mac OS X.  In just over a year, the company has managed to get 10 million downloads of its free, still-in-beta software.

"When we launched the beta we all took bets on where we'd be in one year," BlueStacks CEO Rosen Sharma told AllThingsD. " No one said 10 million."

While there's no release date yet, there's no doubt that BlueStacks will get a lot more attention when it officially releases and becomes more widely available than constrained to certain specifications.  

 

Download BlueStacks App now

 

 

 

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Dolphin Browser is celebrating 80 million downloads with a new version, full of improvements.  

Dolphin makes mobile browsing easy, adapting to the way you want to browse with a personalized home screen, voice and gesture control, customizable settings and sharing features.  With lighting fast speed, Dolphin blows the rest of the mobile browsers out of the water.

Download Dolphin's free mobile browser and join the 80 million who enjoy the exclusive features of your very own mobile web browser.

What's in this version:

• +New UI design
• +Web App Store: Easily add popular web apps to your home screen
• +Home screen now supports drag & drop grouping of speed dials into folders, with 60+ speed dial slots
• +Dolphin key: single swipe access to browser menu, tab list or Gesture/Sonar
• +Search directly within Amazon, Twitter, Wikipedia, eBay, Youtube, Twitter or Facebook from URL bar
• +Flash support can be re-enabled in settings
• +Themes & Night Mode have been updated for v10. Install the updated versions from Google Play

Link: Google Play Store

 

 

Tags: google play hits billion downloads 750 million android activations date over billion app downloads route mapsand navigation exceeds million downloads google play facebook home downloads only reach 500k five days bluestacks hits million downloads dolphin browser celebrating million downloads with new version app