Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Latest News
    • Reviews

    Test-Driving the Android Market

    By
    Andrew Garcia
    -
    October 16, 2008
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      One of the primary attractions of the Android operating system is the potential for a vibrant developer community to create a mass of useful apps allowing users to squeeze a little more usefulness from their mobile experience. As I’ve learned during my prerelease testing of the first Android phone, the T-Mobile G1 with Google, there may not yet be a lot of action in the formal application distribution channel, but there are some gems already there to liven up the Android experience.

      Taking a cue from Apple and its AppStore for the iPhone, Google has created its own one-stop shop for Android applications, called the Android Market. Available as a preinstalled application on the G1, users can immediately begin browsing the Market directly from the device either over Wi-Fi or a cellular data connection.

      At the time of my testing, there weren’t any for-pay applications, so I can’t speak to the quality or security of the buying process, but I can testify that downloading and installing some of the free apps was a really simple proposition. Just browse the store, click “install,” review what rights the application will have on the device once installed, and that’s it—you are ready to roll. The information screen for each application provides a brief rundown of what the app does, shows user ratings and reviews, and provides a bit of detail about other work the developer has done (as well as a way to contact him or her).

      I particularly liked Task Switcher, a small application that helps take advantage of Android’s process management capabilities. As noted in my review of the G1, Android users don’t close applications, instead just switching away from them. Android keeps processes open in the background, closing little used processes only when system resources are needed for other things. Task Switcher let me easily access those applications running in the background, giving me an -like functionality to switch between running applications.

      Barcode Scanner is also proving useful (to my girlfriend). This application lets me scan a bar code using the built-in 3.0-megapixel camera—the application doesn’t take a picture, but instead requires me to just hover the red line shown on the screen over the bar code until it is recognized. Then I (she) can compare prices online—either at the Google Product Search site or via a Web search.

      For my tastes, I preferred some of the entertainment options in the Market. Shazam is there, letting me sample a snippet of a song to identify the name of the tune and artist via an online database. And Video Player fills a sorely needed hole in the G1, letting me play MPEG4 video files from the MicroSD card.

      One thing that Google has definitely changed for the better from Apple’s approach to running an application store (certainly from the developer’s perspective, but for the consumer it remains to be seen) is the role of the company takes in monitoring the content in the store.

      By now, anyone who cares about these things is well aware that Apple takes an iron fist approach, subjecting developers to a two-stage vetting process before applications get the Apple seal of approval. There’s a technical evaluation—presumably to make sure that the application doesn’t interfere with the iPhone’s core services—that each and every application (and every version of application) must pass before entering the store. And there appears to be a major logjam waiting to clear this hurdle. Then there is also Apple’s stealthier, subjective content evaluation for which there appear to be few rules. Applications can be denied or, for those already in the AppStore, pulled for issues of content, usefulness, competitiveness and whatever else Apple deems best in the interest of the store (and Apple).

      Google, on the other hand, is going out of its way to make sure everyone understands it doesn’t want to be the arbiter of what is decent or appropriate. It says so right in the Android Market Terms of Service, Section 3.9:

      “Google reserves the right (but shall have no obligation) to pre-screen, review, flag, filter, modify, refuse or remove any or all Products from the Market. However, you agree that by using the Market you may be exposed to Products that you may find offensive, indecent, or objectionable and that you use the Market at your own risk.“

      If the Market winds up becoming a free-for-all zone, where developers unleash their wildest dream applications without much attention paid to quality or stability, the user comments and reviews will therefore become the de facto measurement stick for an application’s usability, allure and stability. If this Wild West scenario comes to pass, it will be exciting to see whether this kind of crowd-sourced arbitration can pass muster on a large scale, to see whether the applications and developers can prosper amidst the dampening effects of flames, trolls and uninitiated opinion without at least a little bit of comment moderation.

      Andrew Garcia
      Andrew cut his teeth as a systems administrator at the University of California, learning the ins and outs of server migration, Windows desktop management, Unix and Novell administration. After a tour of duty as a team leader for PC Magazine's Labs, Andrew turned to system integration - providing network, server, and desktop consulting services for small businesses throughout the Bay Area. With eWEEK Labs since 2003, Andrew concentrates on wireless networking technologies while moonlighting with Microsoft Windows, mobile devices and management, and unified communications. He produces product reviews, technology analysis and opinion pieces for eWEEK.com, eWEEK magazine, and the Labs' Release Notes blog. Follow Andrew on Twitter at andrewrgarcia, or reach him by email at [email protected]

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      Alteryx’s Suresh Vittal on the Democratization of...

      James Maguire - May 31, 2022 0
      I spoke with Suresh Vittal, Chief Product Officer at Alteryx, about the industry mega-shift toward making data analytics tools accessible to a company’s complete...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×