Tag: google

Google+ Games to shut down in favor of mobile games

| May 22, 2013

Google+ shuts down in favor of mobile gamesGoogle has high hopes for mobile games

Google has been making some major announcements recently concerning its various online ventures. Last week, the company announced its intentions in the social gaming space. Google has been seeing a great deal of promise in the game industry and has adopted a focus on mobile games, which have become one of the most lucrative sectors in gaming today. Google has plans to make mobile games more social, but not to tether these games to any particular website or online space.

Google+ Games will close at the end of June

In order to keep mobile games mobile, Google has announced that it will be shutting down its Google+ Games service at the end of June this year. Google+ Games served as a platform for social games in the same way that Facebook has done for years. The platform supports games like Angry Birds, CityVille, and Triple Town, as well as various others. The platform does not align with the company’s vision of mobile games, however, and Google will be focusing its efforts on other ventures.

Developers may return unused funds in games to consumers

Those interested in continuing to play the games that were available through Google+ Games will have to contact that game’s developer. According to Google, the funds that consumers spend on these games will also be an issue that must be handled with developers. Some games will be migrating to other platforms, where unused funds will be honored by the development team. Those that will not be migrating may be inclined to returned unused funds, but there is no guarantee that this will be the case with all developers.

Google Play may draw more people to Google+

With Google+ Games coming to a close, Google is likely to put most of its attention on its Google Play service. This service is being designed specifically for mobile games and is meant to introduce social elements into this space. Google expects that this new service will help boost the adoption of its own social network, which continues to struggle to find a foothold against social networking titans like Facebook and Twitter.

Google aims to make mobile commerce more convenient with new Wallet feature

| May 20, 2013

Google Wallet Mobile CommerceMobile commerce convenience remains most attractive feature among consumers

Just two years ago, there had been a significant amount of hype surrounding Google’s efforts in the mobile commerce sector. The company had introduced its Wallet application, which aimed to make mobile payments somewhat common among consumers and the company had made several moves in its various business sectors to make itself more accommodating to mobile commerce. While some of these initiatives have been less successful than the company had anticipated, Google remains invested in the mobile commerce sector and continues to introduce new services therein.

Wallet receives some criticism for lack of convenience

Part of the allure of mobile commerce lies in the convenience it offers to people. Consumers have praised mobile commerce platforms for their ability to make shopping and paying for products very easy and straightforward. In the past, platforms that did not offer consumers an adequate level of convenience received harsh criticism and, in some cases, ended up failing in their given market. Google’s own mobile commerce platform has received such criticism, which has encouraged the company to take measures to make the Wallet more attractive to consumers.

New feature allows for quick mobile payments

Google has announced a new update for its Wallet platform that will allow users to purchase products and applications in as little as two clicks. This is accomplished through the new Instant Buy API that has been introduced to the Google Wallet. This API allows app developers and merchants to offer instant but services, essentially allowing consumers to conduct a mobile transaction in a very simple manner.

New feature may encourage consumers to use Wallet platform

Google believes that the new capabilities of the Wallet will help consumers become more comfortable with the concept of mobile commerce. Many consumers have criticized the Wallet platform in the past because it did not offer an enjoyable experience, a problem that Google expects will be put to rest with the application’s new checkout feature. So far, Rue La La and Expedia are among the companies testing out this new quick checkout feature.