Google Details its Android Application Strategy
Android Market, an open-source answer to Apple’s Phone App Store, will act as the hub of Google’s platform for users to buy, download and review applications and other content. Google said it was trying to make it easy for developers to produce applications and get them into users’ hands.
Credit: Google
From CNET:
Google on Thursday announced Android Market, an online center that will let people find, buy, download, and rate applications and other content for mobile phones equipped with the open-source operating system.
Attracting developer attention is a key part of the Google-led Android software effort, and those who produce applications will have an easy time getting them to the market, Eric Chu of Google’s Android project said in a Thursday blog post.
“Similar to YouTube, content can debut in the marketplace after only three simple steps: register as a merchant, upload and describe your content and publish it,” Chu said. “We chose the term ‘market’ rather than ’store’ because we feel that developers should have an open and unobstructed environment to make their content available.”
Though the first Android phones are planned to arrive later this year, Chu said to expect the initial phone-based Android Market application to be a beta version that might only support distribution of free applications. An update later will handle different versions of applications, support for different profiles of Android phones, and analytics to help developers track adoption.
From InformationWeek:
[The] Android Market [is]an open content distribution system that will help end users find, purchase, download and install various types of content on their Android-powered devices. The concept is simple: leverage Google’s expertise in infrastructure, search and relevance to connect users with content created by developers like you.Developers will be able to make their content available on an open service hosted by Google that features a feedback and rating system similar to YouTube. We chose the term “market” rather than “store” because we feel that developers should have an open and unobstructed environment to make their content available. Similar to YouTube, content can debut in the marketplace after only three simple steps: register as a merchant, upload and describe your content and publish it. We also intend to provide developers with a useful dashboard and analytics to help drive their business and ultimately improve their offerings.
I also wanted to share some early details to help with planning your efforts so that you can be ready as our partners release the first Android-powered handsets. Developers can expect the first handsets to be enabled with a beta version of Android Market. Some decisions are still being made, but at a minimum you can expect support for free (unpaid) applications. Soon after launch an update will be provided that supports download of paid content and more features such as versioning, multiple device profile support, analytics, etc.
From ZDNet:
Google released early details yesterday about their plans for Android Market, an online bazaar for programs that run on Android phones. Essentially an Android version of the iPhone’s popular App Store, it offers three key advantages over Apple’s offering:
- It will follow the YouTube model of instant gratification: just upload and publish. Your content will appear immediately in the Market. By contrast Apple requires each iPhone app to be vetted and approved. Android’s multi-level security model will help protect your handset from malicious or just plain broken programs.
- It will provide developers with a dashboard and analytics to “help drive their business and ultimately improve their offerings”. All iPhone devs get right now is a daily count of downloads.
- If you don’t like it, you don’t have to use it! Unlike the iPhone, if someone comes up with a better store interface with their own catalog they are free to do so. Of course the Google one will be pre-installed on phones, which gives it an immediate advantage. But in theory a 3rd party store could work out their own deal with carriers and have theirs bundled too.
Initially all content in the Market will be free, but the next phase will include paid apps, probably purchased through Google Checkout. Google hasn’t said what their “cut” of the price for non-free programs will be, but it will most likely be less than the 30% Apple takes from App Store sales.
Tags: Android, Android Market, Android Photo, Android Picture, Android Screenshot, App Store, Apple, CNET, Developer, Ed Burnette, Eric Chu, Eric Zeman, Google, Google Android, InformatonWeek, iPhone, Open Source, SDK, Stephen Shankland, YouTube, ZDNet
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