Google Play gets a facelift

MONTAIN VIEW, Calif., April 9 (UPI) -- Google has announced a makeover for its Google Play store for Android smartphones and tablets it says will simplify getting music, movies and apps.

"The new design focuses on bigger images that jump off the page," Michael Siliski, group product manager for Google Play, wrote in a blog post. "Similarly themed content is grouped together so you can hone in on a magazine to read or an app to try."

Smartphones and tablets running Android version 2.2 and above will see the new design of Google Play rolling out beginning Tuesday, Google said.

"People around the world should see it over the next few weeks," Siliksi wrote. "Get ready for a simpler Google Play."

In the new design, categories -- apps, movies & TV, books, games, music and magazines -- appear at the top of the Google Play home screen for quick access.

Google Play debuted a year ago as a merging of the company's Android Market, Google Music and the eBookstore.