As Google Play Store turns 5, Google looks back at most popular downloads

The Google Play Store turns 5 today and Google is having a bit of a retrospective by listing down the most popular downloads the service has enjoyed. Hit jump for a look back down Android memory lane.

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Rumours claim Beyoncé’s new album to drop digitally tonight

Following its world premiere on iTunes and availability on Jay Z’s Tidal music streaming service, rumours say Beyoncé’s new album, “Lemonade,” will be landing on the likes of iTunes, Amazon, and Google Play by Sunday night at midnight. At the moment, fans can purchase the visual album outright on Tidal for US$17.99 (about $22) without having to subscribe to the streaming service. It includes 12 songs and videos as well as the one-hour special shown on HBO. It should also cost roughly the same amount on other services.

However, if you’re waiting for the streaming version to show up on other services, you might be waiting in vain for that. According to an official representative from Tidal, “Lemonade” will be a streaming exclusive on Tidal “in perpetuity;” joining some of the albums that are tied exclusively to the service.

Source: MacRumors

Google Play celebrates the last episodes of AMC's Mad Men with retrospective and free episodes

With one episode left to go, the saga of Don Draper and his Mad Men crew is coming to a close. Spanning 10 years and various changes in the stylish and definitive drama about the golden age of Madison Avenue advertising creatives, is being celebrated on Google Play. A retrospective section can now be viewed on Google Play with the very first Mad Men episode available for free. The full seasons are also discounted for anyone interested in owning Mad Men. 

AMC is running a Mad Men marathon starting on Wednesday May 13th at 6.00 PM Eastern time which will culminate in the finale on Sunday at 10 PM Eastern time.

Google's going retail with a new online store as well as a physical pop-up store

Google has taken the wraps off a new online store to sell its various wares as well as a store-within-a-store in the UK. The new online store seems to have replaced the Google Play Devices section and now features various Nexus products and accessories as well as some Nest connected home sensors and whatever recent Android Wear smartwatches are available. Google supposedly outed the store when it announced the new Chromebook Pixel 2 but as I went to the Buy Now link on the Pixel's page I got a 404 Error page.

As for the store within a store, it will be housed within London's Currys PC World and will allow guests to sample Android and Chrome products as well as various technologies. This is an interesting move by Google, perhaps one that will grow into more pop-up locations and eventually full-fledged retail destinations like what Apple and Microsoft now have, who knows.