Temple Run 2 released for Android

As promised a week ago, the sequel to the most popular never-ending running game, Temple Run has arrived for Android users, who can now head over to the Google Play Store to download Temple Run 2 and start running again!

The game, which launched for iOS last week has already crossed a whopping 20 million downloads in just four days. Fans have already played the game 210 million times. That's over 1,775 years of gameplay. The free app reigned the charts of the App Store as the 'top free app' for 12 hours after its debut.

"The response from fans has been overwhelming. We are thrilled players want more of the Temple Run universe, and we hope to grow and expand the game over the coming months," says Keith Shepherd, co-founder of Imangi.

Developed by Imangi Studios, the original game was an instant hit with over 170 million downloads across the App Store, Google Play and the Amazon Marketplace.

In June last year, Imangi Studios had teamed up with Disney for a special edition of the game and brought Temple Run Brave for iOS and Android, with the the locale and character based on the Disney - Pixar movie, Brave. You are in control of Merida, the main protagonist - helping her run, slide, jump and turn and shoot your way across the wilds of Scotland.

Temple Run 2 promises beautiful new graphics, more vibrant environs, new hurdles, more power ups and achievements. The basic gameplay stays true to the original game, which means you still are the thief behind the stolen cursed idol and continue running. But this time round, there's one huge weird-faced monkey chasing you down the temple cliffs and ruins instead of three as seen in the original game.

The sequel has also introduced rope swinging and mine trailer riding sequences reminiscent of a game called Pitfall! Nevertheless, the game is even more exciting and colourful than before.

Temple Run 2 (iOS, Free)
Temple Run 2 Google Play, Free)

Google agrees to acquire Canadian startup BufferBox

Google has agreed to acquire Canadian start-up BufferBox, which manages self-service parcel lockers to help consumers avoid missed deliveries, the companies said Friday.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The company began with a pilot project in Waterloo, Ontario, and has been rolling out a network of pick-up stations across the Toronto area.

"We are now excited to share that we have been acquired by Google," BufferBox said in a blog posting.

"We have a huge vision for this space and we couldn't be happier to be building it out within a fantastic organization."

A Google statement said: "We want to remove as much friction as possible from the shopping experience, while helping consumers save time and money, and we think the BufferBox team has a lot of great ideas around how to do that."

The move comes with Google increasingly entering the retail space with its own shopping site and a Google Play Store, which sells not only digital products but hardware such as Google-branded tablets and smartphones.

The service could help Google compete with other online retailers like Amazon, which have similar services.

On Wednesday, Google said it agreed to buy the marketing firm Incentive Targeting in a move that gives the tech giant more tools to work with retailers on discounts and other promotions.