Houzz is an interior design and decorating resource application and is the overall best Android app of the year, according to Google, who announced the results of the first-ever Google Play Awards today at its developer conference, Google I/O. Earlier, the company had rounded up a large number of apps for its coveted “Best of” lists, while the new Google Play Awards now follows Apple’s model of selecting its winners across a variety of categories, which makes winning the competition even more coveted than earlier.
There is a slight difference in the approach followed by Apple and Google though. Apple chooses best apps for different devices like phone, tablet, and watch, along with its categorized selections like “most innovative,” etc, Google followed a different path. The company selected 5 nominees across 10 categories, and did not bother to differentiate between those built for tablets or phones. Google then also nominated certain apps that reflected a group of developers who were reportedly taking the best advantage of Google’s services, for instance, “Best Use of Google Play Game Services,” and those who did the best job of implementing Google’s latest design language, the Material Design.
Google did not limit itself to only one category focused on innovation, but the company chose several other angles, like “Standout Startup” and “Early Adopter also including the “most innovative” app. The move probably had a hidden agenda as well and was likely meant to signal that not all of the best and creative new apps are exclusive to iOS, or launched on iOS first. The company also live-streamed the ceremony. This live streaming had never happened before in any I/O conference. The company also spoke of Google Play’s evolution through time and noted that the online storefront now caters to over a billion users on a daily basis.
