Slashdot Mirror
Android's "Flea Market" Needs Urgent Attention
andylim writes "According to Barry O'Neil, ex-President of Namco Bandai Network Europe, Google needs to understand that a constantly evolving 'beta' product doesn't cut it. It has to learn from the mistakes of the Java business in order to save Android. 'If Google is to present a threat to the Apple App Store ecosystem, it needs to address discovery and purchasing as a matter of urgency, or abandon control and hand over the entire management of the Android Market to carriers, OEMs and trusted publishers.'"
I'm sorry, but does android really need saving? I see more and more and more android based phones every day.
NewslilySocial News. No lolcats allowed.
http://www.cyrket.com/ http://www.androlib.com/ http://www.appbrain.com/ http://www.androidzoom.com/ Just to name a few... Sure, one by Google might be nice.
Sorry this clown can’t make money there it wasn’t built for him to make money off.
I'm pretty sure Google would disagree with you on the intent of the Android Market.
How convenient to forget that, with the arrival of Apple Appstore, the typical price of apps & games for mobile phones was lowered approximatelly by an order of magnitude.
One that hath name thou can not otter
click the market app on your G1 and search
A highlighted set of apps and games available in Android Market.
Apple wins this one. I'm sorry, but the AppStore is far more polished and suitable for business use.
iPhone/AppStore:
- Daily reports, with regional totals for downloads and updates.
- Five screenshots for your apps
- Keyword search
- Large app descriptions
- Descriptions for app updates
- Semi-opaque approval process, but it's getting better and tools are moving many of the code-level stoppers to dev visible before submission.
- iTunes. For as many things that have been bolted onto it, it's better than nothing, and gets the job done.
- Up to date SDK with current examples on all major code paths, and iTunesU access to the Stanford iPhone Dev course.
Android:
- No reporting aside from a total download and currently installed count. (Yes, your android device phones home and lets Market know that app hasn't been deleted)
- Two screenshot max (Pet peeve: zero or two screens... one isn't permitted.)
- No keyword search
- 325 character app description
- No update descriptions, you get to fit them in the above.
- No approval, aside from the $25 to register on Market.
- No access to your app reviews, unless you're on the handset.
- SDK docs are up to date, but can be annoyingly sparse or wrong in spots. What examples there are often down-rev, hiding on the net and using deprecated APIs. Alas, it's a common fault in OSS: the code is the fun bit, the docs and examples aren't so much fun. They're often quickly written, are terse or flat out wrong.
The biggest problems I have, aside from the search problem, are the seemingly arbitrary limits on things, and the last of any meaningful web side to Market. It really feels like Market is someone's 20% project.
There's an app called "Where's my droid" that is useful for this. If you text "Wheres my droid" to your phone number it will start ringing...even if it is on silent. This is mostly useful if you lost it in the house or car or something. If you text "Wheres my droid GPS" it texts back with the coordinates. You can change the text strings it responds to--this may be a good idea so people don't mess with you when you have your phone on silent.
"Frequently wrong, never in doubt."