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Users idly browsing Google’s Android Play app this morning saw a link to digital version of T3 magazine listed on the front page, with links inside its listing letting mag buyers view a decent list of other UK magazines. But you can’t buy them yet.
Listings for mags like Edge, Wired, T3 and, er, Crochet Today come with a “This item isn’t available” tab where you’d expect the price to appear, so clearly Google’s about to launch magazine sales through Android in the UK, but something’s got a bit ahead of something else and the purchasing infrastructure isn’t fully in place just yet.
It looks like it’ll be a good service, though, with plenty of magazines from the big UK publishers like Future, Conde Naste and Imagine all appearing in Google’s nearly-working mag racks. [Google Play via Twitter]
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I already subscribe to a magazine which contains everything I would ever want to know. It’s called the Internet. I even get it on my phone.
For the record, I can see the advantage of picking up a mag for a long journey or a holiday, like when you don’t have the internet or don’t want to waste your phone’s/tablet’s battery, or even when you don’t want your gadget getting ruined on the beach or in a wet and windy tent, but surely this format is dying out.
“It looks like it’ll be a good service, though, with plenty of magazines from the big UK publishers like Future” – Future? What have that bunch of hacks ever done that was worth reading?
In theory I like the idea, I use the Nexus 7 and it would be good to have something other than a book to read if I’m away from a wifi signal. My fear is that it will be a subscription. I really don’t want or need to sign up to a years worth or whatever. Nice though, if I could just dip in and buy one or two if I have a trip planned or something.
Well, hopefully not, I know on my iPod you can buy issues separately. Of course, they tend to be a bit steep for what they are, considering you’d get a paper copy for about the same price. A subscription is the only way I could justify going for a digital version over paper (inconvenience of moving houses, different arrival times each month, etc).
I wonder if TV episodes are about to make their way over too? I noticed an update on my N7 today asking me to update Google Play Movies to “Google Play Movies and TV”. A cursory snoop around showed me nothing new in the store or seemingly the app itself.
There’s no sensible reason for a lack of feature parity between the UK and US stores as the majority of our content is going to be directly re-licensed from America to begin with. Home grown content is pretty solid too, given that BBC is practically required by charter to make their content available and Google already has a deal with Channel 4 and Channel 5 for Youtube.
Google missed the Nexus 7 launch with an incomplete Play store, but they may as well aim to get the Christmas presents going on the full platter. Especially given the stiff competition from Amazon.