Google has been making some interesting moves recently and today seems to be no different. Well, to be more accurate, the news circulating today refers to an event which dates back to the fall of last year. According to details obtained from The Information (source link below), back at the end of last year, Google purchased a startup called Agawi. It seems the purchase went through without anyone knowing or Google announcing, as the news of the acquisition is only now coming to light.
On the face of it, it is not exactly big news that Google purchased a company ‘quietly’, as chances are, this is an occurrence which happens more often than is imagined. That said, what is of interest on this occasion, is what Agawi do. The company is one which has been credited with created technologies that allow for the streaming of apps and games. This can be done straight from the cloud and straight to mobile devices and it is believed, it is this particular ability that has attracted Google towards Agawi. The assumption being made, is that Google might be looking to try and utilise the technology so that they can offer users the ability to effectively test-run apps before downloading. Users would be able to stream an app and then if they like it, they can download it. If they don’t, then no problem. No money has changed hands, there is no refunds needed and the user can move on and test run another app until they find one they do want.
In fact, the premise is not too dissimilar to the Test Drive feature that Amazon tried to implement on their Appstore. However, in Amazon’s case, the feature was terminated back in April of this year and was a much more basic approach to testing an app before downloading. In Google’s case, using the Agawi (any game anywhere, instantly) technology, Google will probably be able to offer a more advanced and user-rich app testing experience. Of course, with Google’s emphasis on cloud-based services, it could be the case that the company may be looking for a more cloud-based approach to their apps in the future. One where a user does not need to download an app at all. Either way, until Google officially announce that they have purchased Agawi and the reasons why, everything remains speculative for now.