Google rolled out a music service for smartphones and tablets powered by its free Android software, in a challenge to streaming radio firms such as Pandora and Spotify.
The launch of Google Play All Access came at the kick-off of a packed developers conference, which features a range of improvements to the Internet giant’s products, and saw a surprise appearance by Chief Executive Larry Page.
“We are here because we share a deep sense of optimism about the potential for technology to improve people lives,” said Page yesterday, taking the stage to applause a day after disclosing he had been diagnosed with partially paralysed vocal cords.
“Everything I read about Google is us versus some other company or some stupid thing,” he continued.
“I don’t find that stuff interesting. Being negative is not how we make progress; things are not sum zero.”
Page appeared calm and confident on stage and spent a half-hour fielding questions from some of the 6,000 developers registered for the annual event.
Questions ranged from privacy and self-driving cars to Google Glass Internet-linked eyewear and the need for more women developers at a gathering that skewed heavily male.
Page spoke candidly about his childhood; his belief technology companies should be allies instead of enemies and his disclosure about his medical condition on Tuesday.
“After I disclosed my voice issue and got so many great emails and such thoughtful advice, I realised that I should have talked about it sooner,” Page said.
“I wondered why people worried about keeping medial information private, and the answer is insurance,” he continued. “It makes no sense. We should change the rules around insurance so they have to insure people, that’s the whole point.”
Page capped an hours-long keynote presentation that updated ranks of software developers, along with more than a million people watching on YouTube and at viewing parties, about improvements to maps, Android, Chrome and more.
Google Play All Access combines the Internet giant’s music catalog with users’ personal collections in a radio station-style subscription service, according to Android engineering director Chris Yerga.
“Anything I am listening to in All Access I can easily turn into a radio station,” Yerga said while unveiling the service at the annual Google developers conference in San Francisco.
“It allows you to explore radio without rules.”
All Access launched in the United States with a monthly subscription fee of $10 and will roll out to additional countries “soon,” according to Yerga.