By As we inch closer and closer toward Google I/O it seems the Mountain View company is having a hard time keeping a good lid on things. We’ve been treated to a leak of the new Google Play Store redesign before, but yet another leak has made its way to the forefront. This particular instance gives us a look at the Play Store’s main landing page, with a welcome message to let users know that there’s a whole new way to browse and discover their favorite content and apps. The design matches that of the card-like design featured in the previous leak, which is a variation on the UI design featured in the likes of Google Now, Google Keep, and Google+.
Alongside that, the rumors regarding Google Babble are strengthening a bit. The latest leak suggests it won’t be named “Babble,” but “Babel” — close enough, I guess. This bit of information was leaked in a Gmail notification that notified a user deleting messages that some of the messages would be backed up to Babel since they were part of a Babel chat.
The language that the messages would be available in “other Babel chat applications” lends credence to the belief that Google will be unifying all of its messaging servers under one banner for a more uniform chat experience across its various platforms. Other than that, we’re still left wondering what, exactly, to expect from Babel once it finally launches. No screenshots have been leaked yet, and it’s been hard to get a beeline on any concrete information. Regardless, we’re excited for its impending arrival and we’ll be patiently awaiting the day that we’ll be able to get our eyes (and hands) on it all.
I love any new android change it’s always awesome
Except when they broke bluetooth and USB OTG in 4.2 :P
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prostitution is illegal i would not be posting this kind of stuff if i were you.
Change = good.
Change == Good
What you’ve just did was actually made change become good and not equal to good. Be careful with your code.
well, it’s a good thing he was writing code….
//initiating sarcasm
Yea. I was copying and pasting and this broke my main method. It’s a good thing I checked.
Here in the Netherlands there is a rumour that Google has been seeking to buy Whatsapp for over a month now. The price would be north of 1 billion dollar.
I think it isn’t true, but as an avid whatsapp user I would love it was true.
Given the nature of babel unifying chat services, I think the deal would be better if it would open whatsapp services to Google talk/messenger/babel. So that whatsapp users can chat with babel users and vice versa, without Google having to buy whatsapp.
The best part about the agreement would be that Google would not have to buy Whatsapp and as such is free to create their own UI.
Whatsapp ui is good, but Google’s new UI (See market above and google keep) is so much cleaner and better!
There’s no new functionality that whatsapp gives you, and they charge a subscription after the first year. Android already has your phone # and Google account , and could easily use that to extend everyone’s gTalk profile/database to use those #s as handles, in addition to emails.
Usually in deals like this, its the userbase you pay for, and the staff expertise.
The problem is that only 3 other people besides me that I contact use gTalk (and only when I am on a computer, so I can reply using my keyboard, I then force them to switch to gTalk)
Otherwise it is whatsapp, because everyone uses it.
The functionality of whatsapp is basic and indeed adds nothing new, but like James Eagle mentioned Google would be buying the userbase. Instead of having to get everyone to download the new Google Talk/Babel app everyone could just use what they have been the whole time: Whatsapp.
So what I am hoping is that I can download Google Babel and receive Whatsapp messages from iPhone/WP/BB/Android users in Babel and that they receive my messages in Whatsapp if they don’t have Babel and in Babel if they do have that. (SMS if they don’t have Babel or whatsapp, but seriously, who uses SMS even….)
That way, I can contact everyone in babel and everyone can contact me without needing to download a new app or change their text habits.
What “EVERYONE” uses is a very subjective term. That’s like saying “all the cool kids use instragram”. My point wasn’t to say that both couldn’t coexist, but rather that 3rd party apps tend to be created (and used) because they have features the stock/manufacturer OS doesn’t provide.
I’m personally always logged into both gtalk and whatsapp. The former has the advantage of being able to continue a converstation from a PC (e.g. @work). But alot of people aren’t on it (e.g. iPhone users), so I got in the habit of using Google Voice for the majority of my texts (i don’t have unlimited txts) … but that doesn’t work internationally, so I use Whatsapp with my relatives abroad (infrequently).
Morale of the story? We have plenty of choices, but unification is always better. Why do you think Netflix got yelled at when they tried to separate their two services into separate accounts? Because people want unification. That’s kinda what computers were built for :)
Exactly, so buying whatsapp for the userbase makes perfect sense. That way messaging becomes unified into 1 google app (containing whatsapp users and gtalk/messenger/voice/babel users) instead of having some friends on whatsapp, others on gtalk, etc.
If babel launches and is just for babel users they will miss out on people who don’t switch because none of their friends use it. It’s like Facebook and G+ all over again.
HOWEVER:
What I personally am hoping for is an agreement where multiple messaging apps can co-exist. Just like email, you have hotmail, gmail, yahoomail etc. AS long as you can communicate with eachother everyone can pick their favourites. SO I am hoping whatsapp doesn;t get bought out, but allows for communication between whatsapp and babel users.
NO. Spending a billion dollars on something that is trivial to implement is stupid. The “user-base” is simply Android users (they have that already). Whatsapp is a completely different codebase and would have to be ripped apart to integrate it into the rest of google services anyways.
Multi-protocol messengers exist and are nothing new. Pidgin/Gaim and Trillian have been around for over a decade, and there are countless others. They’re a pain to maintain, and tend to drop some functionality of their target messenger platforms (Though, Gaim does provide alot of nice extensions).
Anyways … all this is unified through the People App already, because you can already see what services each particular contact is subscribed to, so your starting point for talking to someone can simply always be there :)
EDIT: go try eBuddy (i haven’t). It’s well rated and supports over 10 messenger platforms.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ebuddy.android
NO. The userbase of Android Users is not good enough!
The reason whatsapp got so big is because everyone uses it. If it was android only it would never get so big. The big appeal of whatsapp is that your friends with a BB/iPhone/WP/Symbian/etc all have access to it.
If none of my friends used whatsapp I wouldnt either, but because everyone does, so do I. It is like having a cellphone to talk to people. If android phones could only call other android phones it would never beat the iPhone (since the iPhone had more customers in the early days)
And I am not talking about those multi-protocol messengers that are just lame.
Those don;t catch on because it is not true unified messaging. It is more a 5-in-1 app, instead of a single messaging service that contacts them all.
When I want to create a group conversation I don;t want to go in the people app and check what messaging service everyone is on. I want to open MY messaging app and have it work with all of those people out of the box.
Someone has crappy service
I’m starting to think that Babel is going to have Google translate built in. That would explain the name pretty well too.
Babel is MUCH better then babble, but still not quite there. It’ll do I guess.
And it makes far more sense.
I didn’t like Babble, but Babel? Love it. As a huge Hitchhiker fan (and have a quote from it running on my lock screen).
Im pretty sure that will not be the final look. Even the current play looks better.
Everyone knows what happened to the Tower of Babel (and the people) right? :-/ not a name I would call inspirational
No. I don’t actually. I’m guessing the game Babel (the one where you spin the tower and you’re “A god” using 4 elements to kill the people) has a close enough story. There were people trying to build a tower to the gods (or God) and The God didn’t like that so The God killed them. I could go look it up…
Babel would finally explain why Google Voice has been ignored for so long, well at least it better be the reason!
I would love to have some unifying app where all SMS, google voice SMS/Voicemails etc is all integrated, hopefully thats exactly what this is.
I just got a Google Voice notification with a new icon. I’m guessing this is Google Babel. I posted the picture on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrBDT/status/321331160322039808
How about changing it back to something logical like “market”instead of play. I don’t play apps, I use them.
I always try to keep an open mind, because after a while I grew to appreciate Google Play but right now I find it beautiful to look at. That update…is…ugly and dull. It’s even more boring to look at than Apple’s App Store. Ugh. Google, please change your mind, please.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=3VL-R4RPx3Q#!
Look at the rest of the app, it looks nice imho.