Google has been working on improving the process to find apps and games, purchase books, and rent movies on the Android Market. The search giant today announced a new version of the Android Market app (Android 2.2 and higher required). The new Android Market will be rolling out in the coming weeks; you don't need to do anything as the update is automatic on supported phones.

In the US, the new version lets you rent thousands of movies, starting at $2 apiece, right from the Android Market on your phone. The Videos app has also been updated to support streaming so that you don't have to wait for downloads, syncing, or worry about storage space. All you have to do is sign into the Android Market with your Google account, and you can rent movies from the web, your phone, or your tablet, and start watching immediately. You can also download movies to your device so they're available for viewing when you don't have an Internet connection.

Also in the US, you can now purchase books from the Android Market on your phone. Like movie rentals, books are linked to your Google account, so that they can be made available across all of your computers, phones, and tablets without the need to connect cables or start additional downloads.

Last but not least, Google has overhauled the Android Market to make it faster to discover new apps, movies, and books. There is now more space for featuring some of the most interesting content of the week on the home page. Google has also added more top charts, with more relevant items, and made it easy to swipe through them as you browse the store. This part of the update is not just limited to the US, but on the other hand Google has not made it clear when international users will be able to download the Videos app, rent movies, and/or buy books.