At Google’s I/O Developers conference today in San Francisco Google top dogs have taken to the stage and announced Google’s latest entertainment service in the form of Google Movies.
Google Movies is a setup similar to the Google Books cloud system where via the Google Cloud, a movie rental can be made via a customer’s Google account and then the purchase is available through any Google product, such a Android Smartphone or Tablet.
This means Movies will be available on Google Tablets, Android OS Smartphones, the Google Android Market and even on Google TV devices.
Available from today, the Market has now been updated with a Movies section and will allow users to download and stream 1000’s of movie rentals for a competitive price (around $1.99 which is £1.20 ish). Rentals will then be available for 30 days to view, and once the rental view has started the user will then have 24 hours to view and re-watch the movie.
Movies will be able to be streamed directly from the Android Market cloud service on your device with the tablet devices interface being very similar to the Market website (Movies tab and quick select) and with the Movies Application on a Android phone offering a slimmed down version of the website.
At the I/O conference, the Movies Application (App) was showcased on a Motorola Xoom Tablet via a new Movies Application, offering full HD movies on the Xoom’s 10.1-inch screen.
Movies can also be watched without the need for a data connection via a system called “Pinning”, which enables users to pre-download movies to their devices and pin it to the device, then watch the movie whenever they like regardless of Wi-Fi or 3G/4G data.
The new Movie feature is rolling out as part of the Android Honeycomb 3.1 update, and will be available to US Verizon customers today. Android Smartphones running software version 2.2 (FroYo) or higher will be able to update to get the new Movies app in the next few weeks in the US.