If you happened to head towards Android Market today by any chance, you would’ve been a little surprised. Android Market is dead. Google replaced Android Market with a new service they’re calling Google Play. Google’s effort with Play is to make the mobile experience more seamless in itself and in its interaction with other devices. Few highlights of the new platform include:

– Bringing the app experience to other media with ratings and reviews
– Pause-and-play functionality with the media that you purchase
– Anywhere, anytime access to content powered by a cloud infrastructure
– The ability to share your interests across social networks

This seems to be a big step ahead in Google’s media strategy. If you’re touchy about your web services like I am, you will probably end up missing Android Market for a little while. It worked flawlessly. My own view is that they really didn’t need to meddle with it. But the good news is that the Google Play App Store retains the form and functionality of the original Android Market. Will the masses like it? We’ll have to wait and watch.

Here’s a video preview in the meanwhile.

So long Android Market, lets make way for Play

About Vishveshwar Jatain

VJ is the associate editor of wireframe. He loves writing, cooking, technology, life hacks, weird people, strange things, and his alone time. When not creating a ruckus about the rampant misuse of apostrophes, he can be found writing stories about startups, entrepreneurship and social web.