Happy first birthday Google Play, and thanks for the gifts

By Andy Boxall March 6, 2013

On March 6, 2012, Google changed the name of the Android Market to Google Play, providing the firm with a single location through which it could sell all its digital content (and as it turns out, hardware too). The more marketable name would eventually tie-in neatly with other, single word services such as Google Drive, and less than a month after it was renamed, a direct link to the Play store was added to the navigation bar at the top of the Google home page.

As a quick glance at a calendar will confirm, today is Google Play’s first birthday and to celebrate, Google and many of its loyal developers have a variety of gifts for Android users to download. The selection of what’s on offer varies depending on your location, but almost everyone seems to have access to a free $15 gift card from Fancy, 10 percent off with Hotels.com, plus exclusive levels and characters in games such as Gnome Village, Royal Revolt and Yumby Smash.

If you’re in the U.S. or another country where music, video and books are available, you can add the pilot episode of Breaking Bad, music from LCD Soundsystem and The Velvet Underground, plus a selection of $0.99 film rentals to the list. It’s going to be a week-long promotion, so if nothing catches your eye today, have a look back tomorrow.

The Play store has been instrumental in making Android even more of a success over the past year, and now contains more than 700,000 applications. Counting the time it was known as the Android Market, Google Play has seen at least 25 billion downloads, but as this figure was reported in November last year, expect it to be revised along with the total app count during Google I/O in May.

All together, then: “Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you…”

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Andy is a Senior Writer at Digital Trends, where he concentrates on mobile technology, a subject he has written about for…

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google assistant mobile.

The world of AI has seen tons of innovation recently, with ChatGPT and OpenAI stealing much of the spotlight over the past year. However, ChatGPT is relatively new compared to two other AI platforms available in 2024 -- Samsung's Bixby and Google Assistant. And while Bixby and Google Assistant might not have the "cool factor" of emerging AI systems, there's no denying their versatility and functionality.
Google Assistant and Samsung's Bixby are available on a variety of Android devices. They'll both take commands and help streamline your daily tasks -- but is one better than the other? And are Bixby and Google Assistant compatible with all Android devices, or are they limited in their reach? More importantly, do they work on devices beyond smartphones?
Here's a comprehensive comparison of Bixby and Google Assistant to help you decide which fits best with your lifestyle.
Bixby vs. Google Assistant: device integration

Google Assistant is available on all Google Nest and Home products, including Android TVs, lights, security cams, speakers, and more. Google Assistant is also available on Android Auto, so you can use the virtual assistant to execute commands when you’re driving. Google Assistant is available on other brands' smart devices too, so you can use Google's voice assistant on Lenovo's Smart Home System. You'll also find it in all of the best Android phones, but did you know you can also download and use it on Apple iPhones as well?
Samsung’s Bixby, on the other hand, is limited to Samsung devices, like the Galaxy S23 Ultra. It's also limited to only being able to control other devices via the SmartThings app, rather than having native support. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it is more restricted. However, full functionality of Bixby is limited to newer devices, so unlike Google Assistant, which tends to be available to older devices, you'll need to keep upgrading to get the most out of Bixby.
This won’t matter much for users who’ve been using Samsung devices for years and want to continue investing in new Samsung products, but if you live with people using different Android devices, Google Assistant might be a better option for smoother integration across devices.
The winner is pretty clear here. Google Assistant is available on a lot more devices, including Apple iPhones, and helps you to create a comprehensive system for convenient use.
Winner: Google Assistant
Bixby vs. Google Assistant: performance and accessibility

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Amid the rise of third-party messaging apps, texting remains a popular means of messaging in the U.S. If you own an Android phone, you've likely used or heard of Google Messages, which is positioned as the default text messaging app for Android. It is the culmination of Google's long history with multiple messaging platforms. Google has pursued smartphone companies to use its Dialer and Messages apps as their default since at least 2017 and now mandates them to use Google Messages as the default messaging app on all devices.

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The Google Pixel 8 on a table showing the screen.

If you're thinking about buying Google's latest flagship smartphone, the Google Pixel 8, then you should take advantage of phone deals so that you can enjoy a discount when purchasing the device. There are offers from retailers, carriers, and Google itself, and we've rounded them all up below so you won't have to go anywhere else if you want to compare them. You're going to have to be quick if you want to shop these Google Pixel 8 deals though, as they may not stick around for long.
Today's best Google Pixel 8 deals
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Google:
Amazon: Buy the phone unlocked
Verizon:
T-Mobile:
Spectrum: