Android tablet, an update to compete with iPads

Android tablets are finally getting some attention. Google revealed today New unified platform for TV, movies, games, books, and more on Android tablets: Entertainment Space. Surprisingly, this is one of the types of apps that Apple doesn’t offer on its iPad.

Entertainment Space’s most important feature (besides reducing the number of apps you can use) is its recommended content. In the blog post announcing this new app, James Bender (Google Play Product Manager) points it out The entertainment space will connect to subscription apps that you are already logged into, and apps from those services will appear in “Made for you”.

For now, on an iPad, you need to use the TV, Books, and individual App Store apps to browse all of this content. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it is interesting to see Google looking for an alternative method.

Under the Watch tab, Entertainment Space offers “personalized, targeted recommendations” for content from services like Hulu, Twitch, and (of course) Google TV. Entertainment Space’s visuals are very similar to Chromecast, with Google TV’s interface. The Watch tab will also display Recommended YouTube Videos.

Then there is the Games tab, which imports an interesting concept from Netflix: the “Continue Playing” option, where you can resume the games you stopped the last time. The games here also support Play Instant technology, for that You can try a game without necessarily downloading it.

The Reading tab will have similar functions, to pick up the e-books you have started, as well as search for and buy new books. Audiobooks are also included.

If your tablet device is shared with other members of your family, Entertainment Space has the ability to manage multiple custom profiles.

Entertainment Space appears to want to replace three existing apps: Google Play Games, Google Play Books, and Google TV (formerly known as Google Play Movies & TV). However, it will not replace these applications, it will only increase the number of solutions. This is a change to emphasize entertainment that has a lot of meaning. Tablets, with their large screens, are practically designed to consume content.

This is just the latest reorganization of the Google app. Recently, the company pulled Google Play Movies & TV from Roku devices and Smart TVs, replacing the media distribution channel with similar functionality on YouTube.

The entertainment space will, initially, be available on Walmart tablets in the US, and it is one of the biggest competitors for affordable Amazon Fire tablets. Other Android tablets, from manufacturers such as Lenovo and Sharp, will receive Entertainment Space later this year.