Android 3.0 Gingerbread will arrive with Google Music, the search giant’s long-rumoured cloud-based tune repository, along for the ride. The news comes straight from Android product manager Gaurav Jain who spilled the details to Israeli finance paper Calcalist. With Apple looking set to deploy an iTunes streaming in September, we could be in for an interesting fight. Here’s what we know so far…
While some juicy Android 3.0 Gingerbread details were flung from the rumour mill last week, leaked Google Music details have been floating around since October last year. They revealed a store that music search, streaming and purchasing with one click.
We got another look at what Google Music might have to offer during Google I/O in May. As well as showing off Android 2.2 Froyo and Google TV, it demoed over the air Android music synching. Now it looks pretty likely that the first handsets to do that in the wild will be packing Android 3.0 Gingerbread.
At the time, Google vice-president Vic Gundotra said the music store was just a demo and that deals with major labels had yet to be inked. But with Android 3.0 Gingerbread due to drop later this year – as early as October according to some rumours – it looks like those deals have been done.
We don’t much more about how Google Music will work or how it will integrate with Android 3.0 Gingerbread. Google snapped up Simplify Media early this year and will be using its music streaming software to power Android synching but who knows what other features will have been squeezed in there.
Let us know: what would Google Music need to offer to get you to grab a phone sporting Android 3.0 Gingerbread? And do you think Apple will beat Google to the punch by finally unveiling iTunes in the cloud?