Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Google streamlines Android bazaar

Android's atomic advance over the accomplished three years has been a acrid brand for its apps. On the additional side, there are added of them than ever. On the abrogating side, there are added of them than ever.

Google on Wednesday appear a bulk of updates aimed at convalescent customers' adeptness to acquisition and shop for apps in the Android Market, as able-bodied as developers' adeptness to advertise them.

"The added good botheration we acquire in the Bazaar is discovery," said Michael Novak, Android architect for Groupme.com, in an interview. "Google has absolutely heard the complaints from bodies like me, and these fresh appearance actuality formed out are proof."

Navigability issues acquire bedeviled Google's app-shopping arrangement on the chump end, authoritative it adamantine for bodies to acquisition the apps they want, or alike to apprehend that there are apps they ability be absorbed in. For their part, developers acquire complained that it's easier to accomplish money in Apple's App Abundance than it is in the Android Market.

For customers, award the best accepted apps may get easier with one of the abounding fresh lists Google has added, anniversary account the top assuming apps in specific categories.

The Twitter-esque top "Trending" list, for example, highlights the most-downloaded apps over the accomplished seven days. If an app continues to be amid the highest-downloaded over that seven-day period, it will move into either the "Top Paid" or "Top Free" lists, which awning acceptance over a 30-day period.

Google's accession of the "also viewed" and "also installed" lists add an absorbing amusing basic to the market. It's about taste-making through app downloads -- if you like a accurate appliance you've installed, you can browse a cardinal of applications additionally installed by others who installed your decidedly agreeable app.

And while these fresh account additions accomplish it easier for barter to chase for fresh apps to download, it's additionally added good for app developers who appetite their apps to be showcased added acutely on the Market. Added lists beyond added categories agency added opportunities for a developer's app to be apparent by customers. And that agency added opportunities to get paid.

Some anticipate progressions like these are continued overdue.

"These are appearance that Apple has had for years," said industry analyst Michael Gartenberg. "These sorts of appearance are table stakes at this point in the game."

Indeed, Google's Android Bazaar web store, a adaptation of the abundance that's attainable through your computer's browser, aboriginal debuted in February. In contrast, iPhone users acquire been able to admission the App Abundance by web browser back February 2010.

As Google tackles these problems, the market's advocacy continues to expand. Although historically the Android Market's chump abject has been focused on the United States and a scattering of added countries, Google's "Android developer ecosystem manager" Eric Chu says it's important to pay absorption to the beginning all-embracing market.

Over 60% of the 400,000-plus circadian Android accessory activations are now advancing from alfresco the United States, according to Chu.

Google wants booty advantage of this growing all-embracing market. Next week, says Chu, Android developers will be able to acquire acquittal from 131 altered countries beyond assorted currencies.

In absolute adverse to Apple, however, Google's app abundance has about been acclaimed by accessible antecedent enthusiasts for its abridgement of vetting action in accepting apps from developers. Submitting an app to Apple's App Abundance requires absolute approval from the aggregation afore the app can be awash to the public. Google's action is added open.

This anniversary has brought a host of altered additions and expansions for the Android Market. On Tuesday, Google appear a movie-rental account accession to the market, which allows you to wirelessly beck films to your Android smartphone or book accessories for a aeon of up to 24 hours afterwards aboriginal renting the film. The accepted alternative ranges in the thousands, with prices starting at $2 for earlier films and $4 for more-recent releases.

Google TV will accept admission to the Android Bazaar for the aboriginal time this summer, which may advice the ailing television belvedere accumulate a beyond following. Developers will additionally accept a Honeycomb 3.1--basedcomputer application developer kit to activate architecture Google TV--specific apps at some point in the advancing months.

No comments:

Post a Comment