Google have just launched a new film rental service to enable users to download movies onto Android phones and tablets in the UK. Over 1,000 titles will be available for hire initially, covering a wide range of genres and newly released movies such as Hanna, to classic films such as Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life.
The new rental service will allow movies to be downloaded onto any Android device the user happens to be logged into. Once downloaded, the user will have 30 days within which to view their rented film, and 48 hours from when they first start watching their movie. The cost of hiring a film via the new Google portal varies according to titles, with prices for a single movie starting at £2.49
Movies have been available to hire via Google owned YouTube for some time, with the capability to download onto a range of devices. At the moment, it’s not clear if the catalogue of movies available for hire via YouTube and the Google Android Market will be the same.
Google have also just launched a new eBook store, putting them in direct competition with the likes of Apple and Amazon, with Music By Google, a service which allows users to download tracks, likely to follow in the coming months. The eBook store and the Google movie rental service have both been up and running in the US for several months and so the portals have been well tried and tested before being released in the UK.
