Tag Archives: google

Thanks to a new consumer protection law recently passed in Taiwan, Apple has agreed to implement a new 7-day return policy in the App Store in that country. The rest of the world is still waiting though.

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A Google job ad has seemingly confirmed that the US search company is getting into games.

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It really was just a matter of time, but Angry Birds has now made it online, and is completely playable – in HTML 5 – on Google’s Chrome browser.

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Amazon’s terms and conditions for developers wishing to sell Android apps via its recently launched ‘Appstore’ have come under fire by the International Game Developers Association.

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Of 1400 US tablet users polled, 84% use the sleek touch screen devices for games, 43% spend more time with their tablet than on their home PC. No word on what percentage spend more time with their tablet than they do with their family, friends and partners.

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Google has announced it will launch in-app payment options for Android apps next week.

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Google has officially launched its Android Market web store, which will allow users to buy and install apps on their phones via the Internet just by signing into their Google account.

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Johnny Chung Lee, one of the main developers behind Kinect, has left Microsoft for Google.

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Kongregate Arcade, the app version of the flash gaming website, has released on the Android Market, and – wait, no. It’s gone, removed by Google for “unknown reasons”.

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Google’s launched a brand new Chrome App Store, which features a gaming section.

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Android users should be pleased to know their phone system of choice now has 100,000 different apps to choose from over on the Android Market.

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Gameloft has “significantly cut” back on developing games and applications for Google’s Android platform, according to a report from Reuters.

Apparently, it’s not the only one cutting back on support, as the company stated that others are doing the same thing due to the “weakness” of Android’s application store.

“We have significantly cut our investment in Android platform, just like,” said company finance director Alexandre de Rochefort during an investor conference.

“It is not as neatly done as on the iPhone. Google has not been very good to entice customers to actually buy products. On Android nobody is making significant revenue. We are selling 400 times more games on iPhone than on Android.”

Games for iPhone generated 13 percent of Gameloft’s revenue in the last quarter.

More through the link.

Electronic Arts has appointed Google’s senior vice president of engineering, Jeff Huber, to the company’s board board of directors.

Huber is in charge of technology development and innovation for Google’s advertising systems.

“We’re thrilled to have Jeff on our board,” said John Riccitiello. “His proven track record in technology and engineering will make him a strong addition to the board.”

Prior to joining Google, Huber held managerial positions at eBay and Excite@Home.

Read on for the press announcement.

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Google will be at GDC on March 25 giving a “sneak peak” at the new “game gadgets” currently in development for iGoogle using OpenSocial.

The company will also be on hand to demo the new iGoogle homepage.

Here’s the rundown:

Please join us on the night of March 25th as we give you an exclusive sneak peak at our new collection of gaming themes for iGoogle, Google’s personalized homepage. We will be creating an interactive experience that will bring the gaming industry’s most iconic characters to life and allow you to ride through their adventures. You’ll hear from some of the game publishers involved in the project and Google’s VP of Search Products and User Experience, Marissa Mayer. As an added bonus, you can see an early preview of a few of the game gadgets that developers are building for iGoogle using OpenSocial. It’s an event you won’t want to miss.

Nothing like a last minute announcement to pique the public’s interest.

Speaking to Spong, Valve’s Doug Lombardi has branded speculation of Google being poised to buy the firm as “100 percent rumour.”

The Inquirer originated the talk, as you can see here.

This Inquirer piece is rumouring that Google may be moving to buy Valve.

The story cites “well-placed sources” and was filed from Austin GDC.

If true, Steam is the main target, says the site.

Also, it would be contrary to comments from Gabe Newell at Games Convention last month. Snip from the interview:

So you’ve got no interest in selling Valve?

GN: Right now we’re super-happy. We’ve been an independent company from day one, and we think that that contributes to our good decision-making. We’re much more concerned about finding more people that are like us and want to work with us – and doing a great job for customers – than looking for people that want to buy the company.

Have you had any approaches for the company?

GN: I get approached a couple of times a week by people saying, ‘Can we invest in you, can we buy you?’ That’s been true for several years. We’re having too much fun.

Full thing through the link.

Google made a few pebble-sized splashes when it waded into the videogame industry with Lively, but as with anything Google does, it won’t remain obscure for long. At the Austin GDC, the ubiquitous online company announced the next step in its plan to expand Lively: opening the gates to game developers.

For now, Google plans to provide developers with Lively’s API and go from there, but in time, Google creative director Kevin Hanna noted, the hope is that Lively will become “invisible” – like Java, Flash, or HTML.

“Google has already been in 3D world space, if you think of like Google Earth – a tool a lot of us use every day,” he concluded. “Google in 3D space and online space is here to stay as much as any online company.”

Somehow, we doubt that’s very reassuring for those online companies.

Thanks, GI.biz.

By Nathan Grayson

This Forbes piece, authored by journalist Chris Morris, argues that Google may be considering becoming a games publisher.

In a nuthshell:

While most videogame makers rely heavily on brick and mortar retailers to drive sales (something Google isn’t currently set up for), digital delivery is a rapidly growing industry. Valve Software has seen success with its Steam delivery system. And Electronic Arts (nasdaq: ERTS – news – people ) has been pushing its online store more heavily in recent months. The money’s not as good, but the growth potential is significant. And Google has the bankroll to wait for the growth to come.

“Given all the employees they have and the company’s policy of encouraging side projects, I would be very surprised if there wasn’t somebody in Google who’s not approaching [gaming] as an opportunity,” [Colin] Sebastian says. “Of course, there are a number of hurdles that have to be cleared before it reaches the outside world.”

More guesswork through the link.

Today, Google launched Lively, a pseudo-game that is essentially the result of the equation in the headline.

The “game’s” main bullet point seems to be “self-expression,” as it sets its sights on avatar customization and room creation. Based on the number and variety of rooms already available, it seems Lively is quite versatile.

Currently, Lively will only run on Windows in Internet Explorer or Firefox, leaving proud Mac users without a place to call Home.

That joke doesn’t work so well here.

By Nathan Grayson

And there it is. It works, and everything. PSP: allowing you to found out everything you need to about balls from your handheld wireless device.

The search was added to PSP’s XMB as part of the Firmware 4.0 update this morning.