Marketplace needs a makeover!

[kniven]

:greendroid:I’m not going to be very popular for the comments I’m about to make.

I purchased the Droid when it launched and sold my iPhone. I’ve been looking forward to buying an Android, sick of the whole apple thing. I have to say the marketplace is a huge disappointment! Apps seem like they are thrown together without much testing. My new best friend is “Force Close” The quality and resolution on 90% of the apps are terrible!! Searching through the market is an exercise in pure frustration! Google could take one thing from apple and copy it. The app store on the iPhone is very well thought out and easy to find what you’re looking for. Even when it says the application is compatible with Droid, they still look like crap! I know in my case I would be more than happy to pay for good quality programs and I’m sure I’m not alone. I want Android to succeed, but unless Google gets a handle on the Market, I feel it will kill its chances of being a serious contender in the smart phone arena. I’ve also used an unlocked HTC Hero and the Sense widgets truly make it a very useful business phone. I only wish the Droid had a similar interface. The Droid hardware is great and has a quality build. Just hope we start seeing some serious applications in the near future.

 

[BillTheCat]

Sounds like I've had better luck with Android Apps than you have. But keep in mind, early adopters of any technology are going to essentially be late stage beta testers. You have to be ready for some growing pains. Remember the nightmares getting iPhones activated, and the complaints about missing cut & paste, no flash support, no MMS, etc., etc.?

The real indicator of future success for the Droid will be how nimble Google, Motorola, & Verizon are when it comes to addressing shortcomings & glitches as they arise.

 

[texasPI]

Wrong, you won't be popular for posting multiple threads about the same thing.

 

[SoftwareForMe.com]

I think these are very good criticisms, and aside from your worry over the success of Android, I agree completely.

That said, and given that they started from scratch, I think Google has done a remarkable job. I would love to see the bugs ironed out (such as some phones not seeing some apps) and new features such as a more Google-quality search feature, but I trust that it will get there, in time.

As for the apps, Google deliberately made it very easy for people to publish apps. Really, this benefits us all, but at least now, it can make finding good stuff frustrating. Droid caught a lot of developers off gaurd. In fact, I'm sure there are still some out there who aren't aware of just how poorly their stuff looks on this gorgeous screen.

Personally, I'd like to see search preferences such as:
* I only want to see apps with [n] or more ratings
* I only want to see apps with [n] or more stars
* I only want to see apps that explicitly state support for my screen size (in other words, exclude all apps that will try to get by with 'compatibility' mode)
Etc.

SoftwareForMe.com
Makers of PhoneMyPC

 

[texasPI]

Its not that bad. At least not compared to the BB app world. I'm ok with it overall as it will only improve as more devices and consumers migrate to it.

 

[sstrool]

I have only had my droid for a few days but I am a fast learner. i have installed about 10 apps and want to rate them. I see that I can set a rating and write a comment but how does Market know my name. The one I added showed anonymous as my name.

Where do you set the name for the market comments?

Found it. You need to set it on your Google Profile. its your nickname.

Thanks

 

[PowerPlayGraphix]

I agree. The App store is VERY cumbersome in the way it's designed and it really is a lousy interface. Also, the search is very weak. As well as google does search in everything else, their App store is just plain sad. I've found some cool stuff but several things don't come up in a search but then I'll stumble up on them. I wish they had an online store that resembled the iTunes store, with sorting ability, filtering, reviews, etc, that sinked with your google account. Maybe even stored everything there and let you sync to it in the cloud and pick apps you want active. As much as I love my Droid, I hope they improve the App store FAST.

Google also needs to partner with Amazon to offer ebooks in a bad way. The readers are kind of neat but lack contemporary titles.