Informationweek: Droid devs unhappy

[destrekor]

I hate scrolling through app lists and only seeing skins and soundboards. I would love for them to have a dedicated section for skins/themes so it's easier to find the actual programs necessary to run them.

I agree.

The marketplace is full of alot of crap. It needs to be sorted much better. On that note, a 'sorting' feature would be great. I would love to be able to see the highest rated items first.

Agreed.

With enough focus, it isn't terribly difficult to find what you are looking for if it is something specific, at least with a little perseverance. If you are looking for something less specific, as in not one specific app, it gets quite a bit more challenging. And the market is just flooded with unimportant junk. Granted, this stuff has use for some people, but there needs to be better sorting. I shouldn't need to see Themes if looking for apps, and looking at the "highest rated" shouldn't be such a crapshoot.

 

[keiichi25]

Yes, the market is definitely one of the weak spots for the Droid. I am sure, also, iPhone has also made improvements over their market due to having more experience with the issues of it with their i-products. Even Blackberry is currently suffering a problem, as I know they are just now instituting an App market type thing, but it is just rather small in comparison to third party groups with a little bit more.

I think part of the issue with the Market right now, is also its attempt to round up all the other locations. The official website, if I recall correctly, for Android Market is something much more obscure, Android Market

When you look at that site, it is worse than the market app and makes it hard to really locate various market items. The one on the app seems a bit more robust as far as looking up and finding things. Apple, from what I have been told, made efforts on both the Web and App side of it which is where a fair deal of people are well focused on.

I do agree that Market needs to be updated for granularity sake, like some of the examples, I found more related to 'addons' versus the actual app I was looking for.

 

[VitsDroid]

Needs Improvement for sure, I still use the Ipod Touch and like the Apple apps store way more. I do get aggravated by the search, I am looking for open home for instance and get all the dumb themes. There is a better way for sure. We have to remember though that this is a baby compared to apples app store, It will grow and get better! I love my Droid and really like Android, its more capable than the Iphone but its still a baby, it will grow and mature, it has potential to be the best, we just need to give it time.

I guess google could set standards for screen size and resolution, and other aspects but then that would go against what they represent with Android. There are better ways! There are always better ways, and they will keep getting better, that's my point.

 

[Backnblack]

Interesting since Google was a search company first. You'd think the search would be the strongest point rather than being so weak (in the Market anyway).

Looks like a 3rd party is doing the searching in the market....

Skyhook Wireless, whose location technology is used by developers to provide pinpoint navigation in their applications

 

[Martin030908]

In agreement with the rest of you... the Market needs an overhaul... especially it's 'search' function. Too difficult to find certain apps... even when you know they're there.

 

[tktouch12]

the problem is also going to be all the devices on android wont all have compatible apps. so every app should have to say what devices it works with, then just show those in my droid

 

[Mojo]

I agree that the market could be a lot more user friendly as well. I hope that Google is working on a solution already. My biggest complaint about the market is all the "fluff" apps like soundboards, fart apps, and photo apps of not so hot chics! It is really stupid to have so many useless apps that just clutter up the market. Do people even download that crap anyways??

 

[Martin030908]

I agree that the market could be a lot more user friendly as well. I hope that Google is working on a solution already. My biggest complaint about the market is all the "fluff" apps like soundboards, fart apps, and photo apps of not so hot chics! It is really stupid to have so many useless apps that just clutter up the market. Do people even download that crap anyways??

oh i'm sure people love fart noises :icon_eek:

 

[mitchm11741]

Screen Aspect Ratios

I think one of the biggest issues for the Android marketplace is the fact that there is not a standard on the screen aspect ratios. This was mentioned in the article. What this means is that developers need to create applications that look good on both Moto Droid aspect ratio screens as well as screens which have different shapes, as well as being larger and smaller. I am an anti-Apple guy but you have to give them credit that the screens they use across the iPhone market are the same size, same aspect ratio. Develop once, get it right and you're done. It does not look like this will be the mode in the Android world. Harder for developers, more chances for errors, more dissatisfied users. Not a great situation.

 

[LordKastle]

There is only one Apple phone per generation.

It's not that hard... if you can't please everyone then you can't please everyone. At least default to a resolution they think is satisfactory.

If PCs and Macs can handle various sizes, so can't Android devices. It's okay if developers want to be lazy...so be it. Then they can default to whatever level they want. People can be upset they have a small bar on the screen but everyone can benefit from good quality programs.

I'd also say this complaint should be more aimed at games, not apps. (Resolution). There are easy ways to compensate in an app, possibly adding a toolbars area or options for those where there is greater resolution capability.

 

[MoeDaddy]

The market is lacking for sure! As stated better search is a must bu a PC/Mac portal is also needed. We should be able to search and buy/manage apps from our PC as well as on the phone. The article says iTunes billing is more intuitive? How? U enter a card number, billing info once and ur done. ITunes, except for gift cards, only gives you one billing option as well... apple. The big issue I see with the billing is no support, not via phone or even email... WTF! That is a huge mistake.

As for different hw specs well back in the day devs said the same thing about PC vs apple. Look how that turned out ; -) androids biggest advantage is its variety... a phone for Everyone!

I hope Google gets it together with the market soon...

 

[Mongoose]

Man..how many apps do some of you guys need ? It's a phone ! Sounds like some of you guys need to lug around a full blown PC 'cause even a laptop won't do what you want...or wait for another 3 - 4 years. Makes me wonder. Also, unless one is doing something wrong, the App Marketplace is just as simple as iPhones...hell, they are almost identical for heavens sake. I haven't ever had any difficulty finding or purchasing an app that I need. Some initial attention to detail is needed when setting up the acct...and has anyone ever tried to get money back from an iPhone app purchase. ?? Heh !!! (Same developers guys)

It seems to me that a good "search engine" would be the solution to "categorizing" and doesn't Google have the best on the planet...patience patience patience. The DROID's almost a couple months old and the Android system is also still in it's infancy...the iPhone's been around several years...the mere fact that they are even being compared at the levels they are, speaks volume's for the Android...it cant help but succeed. Personally, I'd buy Google stock if you can afford it...:icon_ devil:

 

[LordKastle]

There are problems with the design of the market, not the actual apps so much. For example like I said in another thread... type in "Widgit"... no results show up.

An average consumer might say hey, let me search for random widgits and nothing will come up. I am sure this type of issue will be resolved as a whole soon enough.

EDIT: Corrected by later post "Widget"..but I suppose that if you are looking for a program and don't know the exact name this is part of the problem.
<---Has no WidgEts

 

[Foolish]

Lol I. Could of sworn I just started a thread about the same issues b4 this article comes out. I understand that android is still in its infancy but honestly itws not an excuse. They have seen and heard all of the complaints of an apple store firsthand so at launch we should not have had these problems. Developers have every right to be pissed..they have to code for different phones every launch and its going to get worse. Right now we have what 3 phones to launch at a time. What is a developer supposed to do when thered 12 a quater with different specs resolutions and screen sizes. He can't even test his apps on a phone cause he can't afford 12 phones a quater. There needs to be some sort of regularity. With touch screens and not this way it makes it easier on developers and that's what we want because thqats where are games and apps come from. Another is quality the games suck on android. The graphics everything. Gameloft and ea are huge developers yet I can't play uno on my droid. Jewellust looks awesome. Yet it takes a quarter of my screen and the devs say because of the way android is set up they can't do nothing about it. I know we can store most files on sd and make a launcher and so that needs to be manditory so that devs can use more resources.

Consumers are another issue how man android users are pissed because they just bought a hero yet gameloft is only going to code for droid and above? If I'm wrong about the hero I'm sorry but you get my point. You think they are going to go back to android when there contract is up?

I know that technology is better so yada yada but the avg consumers don't care about that. They care they just signed a 2 year to have to play some bs game while the guy next to them is playing some huge great game. And look I love android and my droid but google needs to step up and get developers here and now otherwise android is not gonna live past three.....I mean you think the iphone would still be around and as popular with out the app store I know it wouldnt

 

[atomicwedgie]

There are problems with the design of the market, not the actual apps so much. For example like I said in another thread... type in "Widgit"... no results show up.

An average consumer might say hey, let me search for random widgits and nothing will come up. I am sure this type of issue will be resolved as a whole soon enough.

Maybe because it's spelled "Widget?"