What to do with the Market?

[schoon]

My biggest complaint with my Android phone (the HTC Incredible) is the Market. I think most of what is out there is trash, just pure trash. I realize that there are apps to help with apps, such as AppBrain and that is appreciated but how can you the application stores (Market and iTunes App Store) even be compared when probably 90% of the apps on Market are ridiculous. It's like every developer who even thinks they can write something useful just throws whatever junk they design out there. It clutters up the marketplace and makes it difficult for any of us to find anything useful or good.

Case in point, run Market right now and go to the games section. Look under Just in. Scroll down a few titles and bask in the glory of a version for everyone puzzle game where clearly each designer is ripping off the intellectual property of some movie or production house. There's one for South Park, one for Go Diego, there's even one called "God Damn Sexy Girl". You can't make this stuff up. It's gotten to the point where I don't even go to the market anymore.

AppBrain is a start, they try to do a Genius type thing where they recommend apps for me but there is still not enough quality out there for me to have purchased ANY apps at all. The problem is, that I am an app purchaser and if there was something decent I'd gladly pay for it. Take a look at my track record with my iPod touch. I've purchased well over $100 worth of games and apps for that platform. I have embraced digital distribution and this was one of the selling factors for me with going to the android platform. I am beginning to wonder if things will ever get better with the Market.

Flying in the face of our open-source world I suggest that Google starts purging crappy apps from the store. I mean, they make millions of dollars anyway right? Why not hire a few people straight out of college to whittle through the junk that's out there. While they are at it let's make the android developers kit and app fee larger which will get rid of the people who aren't really serious about making a good app. While you're at it let's make the rating system more robust and get rid of the simple 5 star rating system and break it down into sections. Also require real information when people are rating the applications so developers can't boost their rating by telling their friends and family to 5 star it.

Finally there is the possibility of virus, malware, trojan with these applications. If there are not enough checks and balances then malicious software can and has been published to the Market. Also the ability to get apps outside of the Market needs to be reconsidered.

Anyway, I just wanted to state that I think this is a real problem with the Android platform and I hope something is done soon.

 

[andrew_ja]

I was talking to a friend of mine about this a couple of days ago. I own a first gen iPod touch, and to replace that, and my phone, I upgraded to the Incredible (he got an HTC myTouch [Magic] a while ago). The one thing that I am completely disappointed in is with the Market. They don't have the quality apps that the Apple App Store has. Granted, it is not Google's fault. Besides BlackBerry, Apple was the first mainstream App store (thanks to jailbreaking), and with all of the hype, developers jumped on because they saw the opportunity. Apple and the iPhone (and the iPod touch) are not going bye-bye anytime soon, so Google has to prove that they can be a profitable market.

The problem that I think developers are seeing is with the compatibility with so many different Android based phones. It is the Mac versus Windows argument all over again. You have the limited, yet uniform Mac/iOS, versus the open, and customizable Windows/Android. Apple versus the world.

There are so many apps I have on my iPod touch that I wish I can use on my Incredible. Even though I don't like Apple's policies, and they have their own faults (fart machines, flash lights), finding quality apps is much easier on iOS. I have no doubt that the approval process is responsible for this (and also to blame for the aforementioned abundance of useless apps).

I don't think separating the ratings will help. If anything, I think it will detract from honest people giving their opinion. There is already a problem with spam ratings, I think it will only make it worse.

The thing that gets me is viruses. I came across an anti-virus app the other day, and it made me really sad that there is a chance of this on my phone. I was happy that there was almost zero chance of this happening on my iPod (well, barring anything I downloaded through Cydia, but I only did the must haves anyway). Not only do I have to be careful of what I download on my computer, but now I have to be weary of what apps I download on my phone, too? Disheartening.

 

[jkhonea]

The problem with viruses is they will happen on ANY popular platform. Is the iPhone and iPad popular? Yes, but still Mac based and not as open source. In the meantime, the Android is gaining steam and completely open source, leaving it open to jackasses, pardon my french, that have nothing better to do than destroy other people's computers and electronics items. Unfortunately, it's the nature of the beast. We want open source AND Apple control, almost impossible to achieve. (And I'm not being snide, I swear, I'm typing this on a MacBook Pro, have an iPad and iPod Touch). The open source strength IS its weakness, if that makes sense.

 

[Emtronics]

Ok, lets see...In about 9 months, most of the phones here will be obsolete and newer more desirable phones will be coming out and in less than 2 years, all those apps you have for your Incredible or iTouch will be obsolete. Technology changes so fast I have to ask; What's the big deal? Don't like the apps on Market, then ignore it otherwise, take a pill. This will all mean nothing inside of 2 years.

 

[markymark]

LOL Schoon.....dude you sound like a fish out of water. You are an iPhone person stuck in an Android world. The very things you complain about in Android are why those who like it like it. If you want an safe, antiseptic, controlled environment where Big Brother will tell you what apps you should have and will keep you free from big bad viruses, then go get an iPhone and be done with it. Some of us like the freedom to load what we want, when we want and are willing to assume the risk that accompanies it.

Almost all major apps these days have both Android and iPhone versions. Pretty much anything you can get for the iPhone, you can get the exact same app or something just like it in Android.

And so what if there is a lot of trash in the Android market? Frankly who looks for stuff by scrolling line by line through the market? I don't even go to the Market until I know exactly what I'm looking for. Do a search and poof....it pops right up. THere it is. Download it and be done.

 

[slinky]

My biggest complaint with my Android phone (the HTC Incredible) is the Market. I think most of what is out there is trash, just pure trash. I realize that there are apps to help with apps, such as AppBrain and that is appreciated but how can you the application stores (Market and iTunes App Store) even be compared when probably 90% of the apps on Market are ridiculous. It's like every developer who even thinks they can write something useful just throws whatever junk they design out there. It clutters up the marketplace and makes it difficult for any of us to find anything useful or good.

Unless you think fart apps and babe apps are useful, I'd say that the Market is far more productive than iTunes. I know, having an iTunes equipped device (that we use for testing.)

 

[Cobraxxx]

Well said markymark.....You are the man.