and with people who don't want to save a credit card to their apps
Direct carrier billing, where you pay your carrier instead of a la carte with a credit card, is big in developing countries
Circling back on Google Fit--it's odd that it isn't AndroidFit, isn't it? But Google isn't pushing a health platform here. Instead they're pushing an API--connective software, basically, for health devices. Even so, it doesn't seem to match Google's strategy in the phone, car, or with the TV.
Devs won't have to do much heavy lifting to get this to their players.
Quest is an online, time-based goal in a specific game
Thank goodness, the saved games feature of Play Games is being extended, so you can resume more easily across devices. This is even more important as Android TV now runs games and the like.
Gaming profile will allow you to better manage your saved games, as well as your own leaderboard
Play Games was first announced last year, but hasn't exactly been a game-changer /sadtrombone.
Google Play Games has 100 million new users in past six months.
More than 100m new users in past six months.
"Fastest growing mobile game network of all time," she says.
Now up: Google PLay Games
API available in few weeks
Partners: Nike, Adidas, Asus, HTC, Noom, Motorola, Withings, Mio, Runtastic, and more.
Interesting, Nike is supporting this, not just going full-bore on Apple integration.
Not sure that's going to go over well, permissions haven't exactly been a great problem-solver for Android...
Google Fit APIs allow apps to share your fitness activity, but only with your explicit permission
Another platform to unify fitness data, much like Apple's HealthKit recently announced at WWDC. Unification of all these disparate sources of data is going to be a key piece of functionality this year.
First it was Samsung that debuted a platform for wearables. Then Apple with HealthKit. Now that we have Google Fit, these separate platforms aren't all that unified, are they? #fullcircle
Google Fit platform. Single set of APIs to manage fitness data from apps and sensors on cross-platform devices and wearables.
Announcing platform preview of Google Fit.
Appurify will remain cross platform on iOS and Android, available as a freemium service.
Sounds like they bought them...
Appurify will continue to be cross-platform on iOS and Android, and available as a freemium service.
But they're going to help app makers do cross-platform testing, global device support, and connectivity simulations, Powers says.
Whether they're just partners or were bought.
Not sure what that means.