Whoever is using an Android phone knows Google Play Store very well. Many of us even visit it on daily basis. It will take a lifetime to explore each and every category of play store, the database is that vast. It has approximately 1, 50, 000 applications till now(for the 1st quarter of 2015) and is still growing. Only Apple Store has more apps than it. This quick development has been possible, only for Android being an open-source platform. Many of the apps in play store are free and some are paid. Even many Indian developers have uploaded many apps and games in this store.
For the last few years, the number of apps developed for Android platform saw a phenomenal increase. As smartphones are within the reach of numerous number of people throughout the world(thanks to the global reach of some not so eminent companies like Micromax, Gionee, Huawei, Xolo, Lava, Xiaomi etc to name a few), mobile apps industry flourished by leaps and bounds. And we have also become not just users but consumers of this particular industry as many of the apps require to be purchased online.
Interface:
Its interface is very well organized and neat. The Home Page shows several customised Quick to Find categories for your convenience of searching any app like - New and Updated Games, Popular Games, Recommended for You(as per your previous download history), From Familier Faces(apps that your friends are using), Indian News and Magazines(this section changes depending upon your locality) and a few more. These Quick to Find categories are not fixed though, they can be changed from time to time. But it will of course help u in some ways to find your desired apps. There is a Search Bar which works pretty well and gives suggestions as u type the name of the app. But u have to keep in mind one thing, a few apps and games are region and phone model specific and they will not appear in your search(though it is there) if those criteria dont match.
In the left hand side, there are some main categories like Apps, Movies, Books, News Stand and Devices(please take a note that the whole interface of play store is often updated, so u may confront a different outlay of the home page or other pages).
Ease of Use and Functionality:
Finding any app is easy and the download time depends on your connection speed. For each and every app, there is description from the Developer/Company. There are also a Star rating and User Reviews too. U can see the size of the app u want to download. Even there will be a warning every time when u want to download a large app or game recommending you to download them via Wi-FI.
Purchasing any app is also trouble free. U can pay online through Credit or Debit Card and get the so called pro version of the app. U can also save details of a particular Card for future use and to avoid giving details of the Card every time.
U can save some applications in your Wish List too. U will find a Settings button wherein U can see all the installed apps in your device in one place. Which of them are up to date and which needs an update is also shown in separate lists. In Settings u can select whether to Auto Update the apps or not. I recommend not to check this box, rather update manually whenever u feel. U can also have an option to update only through Wi-Fi.
Now a brief look to some of the main categories. Many of the categories have some sub-categories under them, like App has several sub-categories like Books, Communication, Utility, Education, Entertainment and many more. This kind of categorization helps to refine your searches.
Apps:
Whether u need to recharge your fone online, or book a ticket for a movie, or want to chat with someone, or want to make your fone faster, or want to be updated with latest cricket or soccer score or want to download some social networking apps.there are some apps for your each of your need, just name it. Before downloading your desired app, just take a quick look in the star rating and a few reviews and the number of downloads. I just cant resist myself to mention some of the apps which I found to be excellent in its own department like -
Music Player - PowerAMP, Call Blacklist - Blocker, Battery Saver - 2X Battery Saver, 3rd party Keyboard - Touchpal, For Football Lovers - Goal.com and 365 Scores, Video Player - MX Player, Back Up - Titanium Back Up, Browser - CM Browser, Camera app - Camera 360 etc.
Themes & Wallpapers:
There are numerous Static wallpapers to choose from. Many of them are great and many are of very low quality. Live Wallpapers are actually’object moving’ wallpapers. There are many great live wallpapers but they are battery hog. Themes come in the form of Launchers which can change the look of your fone completely.
Games:
Different kind of games are there like Racing, Casual, Endless Running, Arcade, Board, Strategy, Multi-Player etc. Some games are really nice and serious type, some are just time pass. Many HD games are also available but their size are very big. I will just recommend one game to all the fellow members to try - Candy Crush Saga. It is really enjoyable, sometime very easy, sometime too hard, but overall very enjoyable and a quality time pass. The number of downloads of this game surpasses the number of fans of Shakira in facebook.
Books and Movies etc.:
Of course u can find some international and national best sellers in the book section but unfortunately most of them are paid. I did not visit the Movies section so I can not tell you anything about it. All I can say is u can download and watch some movies from there of course.
Disadvantages:
The main disadvantage is that many of the apps are crap, u have to be careful in time of downloading something. And there are some security issues with some apps particularly in some banking, finance and payment apps. It is better to instal any anti-virus app before using them.
Lastly on a different note I want to tell that I was really surprised that I had to put a Mouthpad request to write about Play Store. Mouthshut even has its own app for play store!