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[Keylime]

Google Checkout. You also have 24 hours trial period where you can uninstall the app and get a full refund.

Yikes.

That's a sweet feature for consumers, but app makers have to hate that shit. The ideal process would be to release a demo version of the app (or lite version) and be able to upgrade that app into a full version by either accepting ads or paying for the app...kind of like how XBLA lets you download demos of Live games and upgrade them from within the game itself.

A full refund before 24 hours is excellent for the consumer, but also seems like it'd be too easy to pick up something and toss it away.

Not saying it's a bad feature, but I'm sure app developers aren't thrilled about it and would prefer a demo -> full flow instead.

 

[FunBoy]

I've spent $100 on just one app that I use daily and is not available on Android.

Fucking hell! *faints*

 

[numble]

I've talked about it before. It's called Pleco and Its a universal app for iPhone and iPad. It combines 10 licensed Chinese-English (and one Chinese-Chinese) dictionary, an eReader (that is great on iPad) that let's you load up Chinese documents and give you a ton of popup definitions from the various dictionaries when you poke on a Chinese word, a modified Safari browser that does the same as the eReader, andca spaced-repetition flashcard system that integrates with the dictionaries to test you on everything from writing and tones. There's a long Android thread on the site's forum, and the developer is adamant that there won't be an Android version for a long time.

Living in China at the moment and it's great--I use the iPad version at work to read Chinese documents and at home to read Chinese news articles, and on the subway and out and about I'm either drilling myself in vocabulary or looking up words that I encounter on the street or when spoken to.

The open source Chinese dictionary out there that a lot of apps are based on isn't up to snuff (and I can use it with the other paid licensed dictionaries on Pleco anyway), at least for my current needs.

 

[soco]

the number that impresses me most is that in less than one year the android marketplace jumped from about 10K apps (before the droid i believe) to over 100K. the explosion has been insane.

i tend to stick more to free apps personally, but that's because finding decent apps on the marketplace is kinda tough. i'd be more into buying some 99 cent ones if i could find more of them easily. word of mouth maybe?

 

[Jayge]

I love the Android market. There's a ton of crazy shit on there you'd never find on iDevices simply by virtue of the core philosophies of each platform. I like finding and testing new apps and always trying to improve my overall experience. My phone gets better every day. It takes a bit of work to get everything you want integrated correctly but it's totally worth the pay-off and then some.

The Android Market is probably the biggest letdown of Android to me. I have a few other complaints about Android, but the Market, well, blows.

(I'm a developer and I tried to develop for Android, so I'm a bit bitter/biased)

First of all, Android users expect everything for free. Only a few apps are deemed worth of purchasing. Oh, and my free app that I released constantly got 1 star reviews and negative comments due to users not reading the instructions which I placed on the Market description and in the app. I've since pulled the app out of frustration.

Also, the Market is FILLED with spam apps. Try searching 'wallpaper' and see how many apps show up for half naked ladies from the same developer.

Searching, featured, etc all suck on the Market. Impossible to find anything. Froyo added a few 'where were these before' features, such as 'Update All' and 'Did you mean', but shit, those should have been there from the start.

I haven't used the App Store much. I'm recently switching from a Droid to an iPhone 4, so we'll see.

Regarding the first point, you're wrong. Android users don't expect everything for free. We just need what we pay for to be quality. That, and there is usually a nearly-as-good or better solution to whatever paid app you happen to be using found on the Market anyway, so why pay for most stuff? I've got an even 120 apps on my phone, and I've got 8 paid apps. The total value of those is 20 dollars. This doesn't count the donation versions I have of things like Titanium Backup and Launcher Pro Plus. All in all, still less than 30 dollars. I don't even have a comparison between how much functionality my 30 dollars and change has gotten me vs. what it would get me on the iDevices because the programs I've actually bought do things that iUsers wouldn't even dream of. Waaaa, you're bitter over the fact that you didn't see the sales you wanted. It's not the user's fault. If you don't have something bleeding-edge competitive, it probably won't see many sales. And anything over 5 dollars is a crapshoot unless it's something like Locale or maybe Slingplayer.

Of course, I say that without knowing what your app is, or what the price was, or whether I would even purchase it, so I recognize that my argument could easily be flawed. What was your app?

As for the second one, all I have to say is Appbrain. It didn't do update all or automatic updates but it is still the far superior market app. There's no reason not to use it. It's great.

 

[KtSlime]

Name and function of said app please so I can point you in the direction of the free alternative

Eh, I don't understand this argument. I can gain sustenance from a dollar hamburger at McDonalds, but it doesn't mean I should, or that I even want to. I'm willing to pay for an app that I can get similar functionality from if the app is of quality and has a good developer.

(That is not to say that I think all Android Apps are the equivalent of McDonalds hamburgers, I am sure there are many good developers with well designed apps, but just because it is free or really cheap is not a valid argument in my opinion)

 

[AstroLad]

just for clarification my comment wasn't at all regarding the quality of apps on either device (pretty great and getting better all the time, though i have more experience with the app store) but more just how cheap and widely available everything is right now. we truly are in a golden age for consumers when you see people bitching about the killer app they just bought for $2 going on sale for $1

 

[ZZMitch]

True in some cases.

...but I bought the TomTom app on my iPhone back in the day, and that was a $70 purchase or more at the time. With the number of games I've spent money on and that TomTom purchase, I'm pretty much locked into the Apple ecosystem unless I'm willing to accept losing that stuff. Between the iPhone and the iPad, I'm sure I've easily spent close to $400 on apps if not more. Not saying I'm the norm, just reiterating that for some people, switching is much harder than it is for others

Well to be fair, Android has free turn by turn navigation... and it is actually very good

 

[Jamesfrom818]

I've probably spent about $20 on the Android Market.

SetCPU
WidgetLocker
Armored Strike
CaligoChaser
HeavyGunner
Sky Force Reloaded

I think that works out to $20. I'd probably pick up the Slingbox app too if I had a Slingbox.

 

[SimleuqiR]

I've talked about it before. It's called Pleco and Its a universal app for iPhone and iPad. It combines 10 licensed Chinese-English (and one Chinese-Chinese) dictionary, an eReader (that is great on iPad) that let's you load up Chinese documents and give you a ton of popup definitions from the various dictionaries when you poke on a Chinese word, a modified Safari browser that does the same as the eReader, andca spaced-repetition flashcard system that integrates with the dictionaries to test you on everything from writing and tones. There's a long Android thread on the site's forum, and the developer is adamant that there won't be an Android version for a long time.

Living in China at the moment and it's great--I use the iPad version at work to read Chinese documents and at home to read Chinese news articles, and on the subway and out and about I'm either drilling myself in vocabulary or looking up words that I encounter on the street or when spoken to.

The open source Chinese dictionary out there that a lot of apps are based on isn't up to snuff (and I can use it with the other paid licensed dictionaries on Pleco anyway), at least for my current needs.

That sounds fucking awesome!

 

[neojubei]

How much have you actually spent? And how much would it cost to replace to the extent you wanted to? Probably cost you like five bucks or less.

I would have to doubt that.

 

[ZZMitch]

I've probably spent about $20 on the Android Market.

SetCPU
WidgetLocker
Armored Strike
CaligoChaser
HeavyGunner
Sky Force Reloaded

I think that works out to $20. I'd probably pick up the Slingbox app too if I had a Slingbox.

I have spent around that too...

SetCPU
Beautiful Widgets
Armored Strike
AudioManager Pro
ROM Manager
BetterCut
Robo Defense
Jewellust
WidgetLocker

I also bought Launcher Pro Plus, but that is not on the market because Google does not support paid apps from the developers country... that is another thing they need to step up their game on.

 

[Zeppu]

A full refund before 24 hours is excellent for the consumer, but also seems like it'd be too easy to pick up something and toss it away.

Well really, isn't that true for everything? If you can buy something from a shop and return it why shouldn't that be the case for DLC?

 

[KtSlime]

Well really, isn't that true for everything? If you can buy something from a shop and return it why shouldn't that be the case for DLC?

Think it depends on the nature of the return. If you buy a shirt and decide you don't like it, bring it back. If you buy a shirt to wear to a fancy occasion once and return it the next day that seems wrong.

 

[Nerevar]

I would have to doubt that.

I think it depends on the user, but the overwhelming vast majority of users I know who use iphones don't spend boatloads of money on apps. They'll pick up a bunch of entertainment software in the $.99 -> $4.99 range, but that's really it; for the most part the heaviest usage is in the free app segment (stuff like yelp, facebook, twitter, foursquare, etc) that is pretty platform-agnostic. Sure, as is evident in this thread there are the occasional users who have invested a lot more heavily and get more out of their experience, but that in no way reflects the majority of users (not even remotely close).

 

[JonathanEx]

I think the gap of not having a program like iTunes to officially browse and download through is a disadvantage to Android's marketplace. Now, not everyone wants to have one program, for all Android phones, and even though there's stuff like DoubleTwist, you don't get the same install base for it to have an impact.

I'm torn on a curated market - on the one hand, I love Android being open. But yeah, there is room for a more controlled section too. But the general populus can be idiots - having 2 markets?

I mostly rely on recommendations and QR codes.

 

[Deleted member 22576]

Marketplace just kinda blows, it's not a joy to use, it's impossible to find good stuff, PacManCE came out for Android and I didn't even know! In the future they're supposed to have a desktop version of it which will probably help some, but for right now unless you know EXACTLY what app you want because someone recommended it to you good luck finding something worth downloading.

 

[negreenfield]

A full refund before 24 hours is excellent for the consumer, but also seems like it'd be too easy to pick up something and toss it away.

I don't know if this has been mentioned or if it matters to anyone but one thing to be aware of is you can only do this one time for an app. After that you cannot get a refund if you purchase it a second time.

 

[Jayge]

Yikes.

That's a sweet feature for consumers, but app makers have to hate that shit. The ideal process would be to release a demo version of the app (or lite version) and be able to upgrade that app into a full version by either accepting ads or paying for the app...kind of like how XBLA lets you download demos of Live games and upgrade them from within the game itself.

A full refund before 24 hours is excellent for the consumer, but also seems like it'd be too easy to pick up something and toss it away.

Not saying it's a bad feature, but I'm sure app developers aren't thrilled about it and would prefer a demo -> full flow instead.

Most app makers who actually do pull down sales let the users use Lite or Ad-supported versions of their apps and then tease features the users (having experienced the bare-bones platform) know will be great in their paid versions. All the apps I own (with the exception of one, possibly two) were ones I used the Lite versions of first. I don't really care what developers would prefer though, I've returned two apps that I bought and found to be shit. I don't think there's as much of an excuse for apps with trial or lite versions but for apps without them the return feature is essential.

The thing that really sucks about the 24 hour thing is that if you're a rooted user, you can make a full backup of the app with Titanium Backup and return it, but still have the app completely unlocked and available. I'm not sure if you can do this next thing with paid apps, but the paid version of Titanium Backup can also re-link restored backups to their market versions, making them updatable like you just downloaded them off the market itself. It does it to paid apps you have a license for as well, but I don't think it does it for paid apps you don't own anymore though. Either way, it's quick'n'easy app piracy at its finest. I don't do it but I've seen it talked about quite a bit.

 

[golem]

Marketplace just kinda blows, it's not a joy to use, it's impossible to find good stuff

I hear this all the time from my Android friends and I think its going to be a problem for Google unless they clean it up a bit or make it easier to find stuff. It seems most of my friends have given up on the Marketplace and dont really download apps unless they heard about it directly from someone else.

 

[giga]

I love the Android market. There's a ton of crazy shit on there you'd never find on iDevices simply by virtue of the core philosophies of each platform. I like finding and testing new apps and always trying to improve my overall experience. My phone gets better every day. It takes a bit of work to get everything you want integrated correctly but it's totally worth the pay-off and then some.


Regarding the first point, you're wrong. Android users don't expect everything for free. We just need what we pay for to be quality. That, and there is usually a nearly-as-good or better solution to whatever paid app you happen to be using found on the Market anyway, so why pay for most stuff? I've got an even 120 apps on my phone, and I've got 8 paid apps. The total value of those is 20 dollars. This doesn't count the donation versions I have of things like Titanium Backup and Launcher Pro Plus. All in all, still less than 30 dollars. I don't even have a comparison between how much functionality my 30 dollars and change has gotten me vs. what it would get me on the iDevices because the programs I've actually bought do things that iUsers wouldn't even dream of. Waaaa, you're bitter over the fact that you didn't see the sales you wanted. It's not the user's fault. If you don't have something bleeding-edge competitive, it probably won't see many sales. And anything over 5 dollars is a crapshoot unless it's something like Locale or maybe Slingplayer.

Of course, I say that without knowing what your app is, or what the price was, or whether I would even purchase it, so I recognize that my argument could easily be flawed. What was your app?

As for the second one, all I have to say is Appbrain. It didn't do update all or automatic updates but it is still the far superior market app. There's no reason not to use it. It's great.

Cydia would offer those freedoms, right?

Well, don't we all want what we pay to be of quality? Paid apps only totaling just 6% of your share seems incredibly low, but it's inline with that recent survey showing that the majority of apps on the Android Marketplace are free. I get the feeling that this is due in part to developers not charging for their apps as they either can't or a large proportion of their customer base can't purchase paid apps. (see my previous post on paid app limitations)

Developers still have to monetize somehow. Perhaps they're providing an ad or click supported version that users can tolerate.

Here are some of the apps I've paid for. Now, I know it's hard to get a feel of the quality of these apps without using them first hand, but you can trust me when I vouch for their value. Sure there are free options that provide similar or near functionality, but they're often hampered by their UI, performance, and design. Would Android users (or yourself) be willing to pay extra for that extra touch of quality?

Reeder: http://reederapp.com/2/
PCalc: http://www.pcalc.com/iphone/index.html
Deep Green: http://cocoastuff.com/products/deepgreen/
Pastebot: http://tapbots.com/software/pastebot/
Convertbot: http://tapbots.com/software/convertbot/
Flight Track: http://firemint.com/?page_id=565
Camera+: http://campl.us/
Delivery Status: http://junecloud.com/software/iphone/delivery-status-touch.html
Articles: http://www.sophiestication.com/articles/
iMovie: http://www.apple.com/iphone/features/imovie.html

 

[Blackhead]

I hear this all the time from my Android friends and I think its going to be a problem for Google unless they clean it up a bit or make it easier to find stuff. It seems most of my friends have given up on the Marketplace and dont really download apps unless they heard about it directly from someone else.

Doesn't Google have like spotlight sections? The AppStore isn't much better for finding good stuff but Apple has a dedicated section for "Staff Favorites" and they highlight made up categories like 'Digital Nomads: Apps for Designers' or 'Huddle Games: Multiple players. One iPad' every other week. It keeps people coming back to the AppStore often enough.

 

[WanderingWind]

Doesn't Google have like spotlight sections? The AppStore isn't much better for finding good stuff but Apple has a dedicated section for "Staff Favorites" and they highlight made up categories like 'Digital Nomads: Apps for Designers' or 'Huddle Games: Multiple players. One iPad' every other week. It keeps people coming back to the AppStore often enough.

Nah, the Apple store is much better than Android. Even when you know roughly what type of App you're looking for, the Marketplace is frustrating to navigate. It's cool for a phone, but I've got to say, I sort of wish there was more of the Apple mindset in the Android market, and a vice versa. There has to be a middle ground between the iron first dictatorship of Apple and the open sewer of Android.

 

[andycapps]

I think the big issues with the Android marketplace is fragmentation (there are a lot of android phones out there that only use 1.5) and the quality to crap ratio.

I don't think there is any way to patch up the current fragmentation of the phones, a lot of 1.5 and lower phones are basically lost forever to the void, and they will probably be abandoned - the more important thing is going forward, having a game plan (which I can say with some confidence I think Google has). When all the phones are on the same page, developers and consumers alike will immediately find more use in the app market.

Not really. 1.5 is only 15.7 % of users, 20.3% are on 1.6, 59.7% are on 2.1, and already 4.5% on 2.2 (after only being out for a few days for anything other than Nexus One). So basically, 2.1+ represents 64% of the market. It does seem like there's a lot more guidance and coordination from Google and the manufacturers now with how fast HTC has been able to crank out 2.2 iterations of Sense and Motorolla has been able to skin their version as well in pretty short order.

That being said, if a consumer goes out and buys a budget phone, they need to look at it as a disposable phone and not expect any updates from the manufacturer for it as most have stated their priority is on the high end phones like EVO, Droid X, Samsung Captivate or whatever it's called on the different carriers, etc.

 

[Minsc]

I remember seeing an article on some blog not too long ago where Android OS owners were looking to make a group/club of users that buy an app every week of the year (totaling $5-$10, so $250-$500 year), whether as a gift or for themselves, to help get developers on board and see that people spend money so there's be more stuff ported from the iTunes store to Google's. I guess those numbers in the OP show some truth to that.

I've had my iPhone for about a month now, and I believe I've spend around $200 so far on various apps/games, mostly at the $2-$4 price range (a few at the $10 range), totaling around 80 apps. I tend to just buy a $50 gift card when I need and let the credit float, simpler that way. By the end of the year, I'll essentially be locked in to owning at the very least an iPod touch for a very long time if I ever switch to another brand of phone.

 

[negreenfield]

Doesn't Google have like spotlight sections? The AppStore isn't much better for finding good stuff but Apple has a dedicated section for "Staff Favorites" and they highlight made up categories like 'Digital Nomads: Apps for Designers' or 'Huddle Games: Multiple players. One iPad' every other week. It keeps people coming back to the AppStore often enough.

When you first log into the market you have some highlighted apps, about 10 or 15, I've never really counted, not that it's any wonderful thing but it does have something.

 

[WanderingWind]

Not really. 1.5 is only 15.7 % of users, 20.3% are on 1.6, 59.7% are on 2.1, and already 4.5% on 2.2 (after only being out for a few days for anything other than Nexus One). So basically, 2.1+ represents 64% of the market. It does seem like there's a lot more guidance and coordination from Google and the manufacturers now with how fast HTC has been able to crank out 2.2 iterations of Sense and Motorolla has been able to skin their version as well in pretty short order.

That being said, if a consumer goes out and buys a budget phone, they need to look at it as a disposable phone and not expect any updates from the manufacturer for it as most have stated their priority is on the high end phones like EVO, Droid X, Samsung Captivate or whatever it's called on the different carriers, etc.

Except even high-end Android phones from some major carriers (T-Mobile) are still waiting on updates.

 

[Kinitari]

Not really. 1.5 is only 15.7 % of users, 20.3% are on 1.6, 59.7% are on 2.1, and already 4.5% on 2.2 (after only being out for a few days for anything other than Nexus One). So basically, 2.1+ represents 64% of the market. It does seem like there's a lot more guidance and coordination from Google and the manufacturers now with how fast HTC has been able to crank out 2.2 iterations of Sense and Motorolla has been able to skin their version as well in pretty short order.

That being said, if a consumer goes out and buys a budget phone, they need to look at it as a disposable phone and not expect any updates from the manufacturer for it as most have stated their priority is on the high end phones like EVO, Droid X, Samsung Captivate or whatever it's called on the different carriers, etc.

Fair enough, I didn't realize how few phones were still in 1.5 - as far as I understand most of everything 1.6 above is cross compatible?

 

[andycapps]

Except even high-end Android phones from some major carriers (T-Mobile) are still waiting on updates.

They don't have any high end Android phones, yet. The Samsung Galaxy S or whatever they're calling it on their platform will be the first high end phone. Mytouch and Cliq aren't high end phones.

Fair enough, I didn't realize how few phones were still in 1.5 - as far as I understand most of everything 1.6 above is cross compatible?

I'm thinking you're right, but I'm not completely sure. I've seen pretty much every app that I've gotten supports from 1.6 to 2.2 at this point. If they're a popular app, like most of the ones I get, they make it work for as many people as it can obviously so they can get more ads if they're free, and more money if they're paid.

 

[Blackhead]

Nah, the Apple store is much better than Android. Even when you know roughly what type of App you're looking for, the Marketplace is frustrating to navigate. It's cool for a phone, but I've got to say, I sort of wish there was more of the Apple mindset in the Android market, and a vice versa. There has to be a middle ground between the iron first dictatorship of Apple and the open sewer of Android.

Palm's App Catalogue. Shame it has such few apps but the basic structure is in place and should be scalable.

 

[WanderingWind]

They don't have any high end Android phones, yet. The Samsung Galaxy S or whatever they're calling it on their platform will be the first high end phone. Mytouch and Cliq aren't high end phones.

I'd consider the top phone in their line "high-end" because it's on the upper end of their scale. But, we're talking different metrics here. The point remains that even the major carriers aren't doing enough to get their best Android phones up to speed. Perhaps it's just T-Mobile, but overall, the Android phone selection has been fairly weak, IMO.

I'm hoping over the next few years they start taking the platform a bit more seriously.

Palm's App Catalogue. Shame it has such few apps but the basic structure is in place and should be scalable.

I've never seen this. What's different about this one versus the other two?

 

[gcubed]

i think most people in the apple world fail to realize that there are plenty of free apps on google that are much better then pay for alternatives. I use Subsonic as my music streamer at home. It costs 1.99 on the app store for the idevice streaming app, it's free on android. This is a random example, but it happens often. Also, maybe one of the drawbacks for android is, the majority of early adopters in its first boom lifecycle were computer savvy people... you often see a lot of down rating on the market when an app is either 1) more expensive then the same thing by the same dev on the app store or 2) is the same price but far far less functionality and support (MLB app i'm looking at you, you SOB). I've spent north of 50 on the market, around 100 if you add in the 29.99 slingplayer app. I'd spend more (would buy the mlb app if it offered equal functionality for equal price)

that being said at the last google conf they did demo their own app store outside of the phone that you can browse, buy etc and push to your phone. This will help greatly, but considering this is august and gingerbread is releasing in about 2-3 months i'm assuming this is a feature in that

 

[WanderingWind]

i think most people in the apple world fail to realize that there are plenty of free apps on google that are much better then pay for alternatives. I use Subsonic as my music streamer at home. It costs 1.99 on the app store for the idevice streaming app, it's free on android. This is a random example, but it happens often. Also, maybe one of the drawbacks for android is, the majority of early adopters in its first boom lifecycle were computer savvy people... you often see a lot of down rating on the market when an app is either 1) more expensive then the same thing by the same dev on the app store or 2) is the same price but far far less functionality and support (MLB app i'm looking at you, you SOB). I've spent north of 50 on the market, around 100 if you add in the 29.99 slingplayer app. I'd spend more (would buy the mlb app if it offered equal functionality for equal price)

I don't think this is true whatsoever. I have about 30-40 apps on my iPad and I think I've paid for one of them. There are plenty of free alternatives to paid iApps, too.

 

[turnbuckle]

Not surprising at all. I'm a recent convert to Android (from iphone 3G to the Evo) and the only thing I find disappointing is the market. Seems like google should have a direct competitor to itunes that has the same type of functionality and ease of app navigation. Most of the apps I've downloaded I got rid of pretty quickly. The only paid app I have is the MLB one. Outside of the MLB, all the apps I have on my phone were found through gaf suggestions. While appreciated, it's certainly not an efficient way of finding content.

 

[Zeppu]

The thing is that it is quite true that some of the apps on the android market cannot even be dreamed by the iGuys.

I don't want this to turn in any sort of bashing but real multitasking allows apps to run as services and handle events global to the phone. Locale or Profiles Settings is a prefect example of this.
Turn off bluetooth while I'm at work since I won't need it.
Turn on WiFi during the day only.
When connected to my work Wifi set the volume of notifications to be slightly lower than when I'm not connected.
When it connects to the car BT and I insert headphone jack please run XiiaLive and start playing internet radio.
Turn off the program when I remove the headphone jack.
If battery is less than 15% turn off WiFi, BT, GPS and notify me.

That kind of shit. It really is useful.

The result of this is that a lot can be achieved with fewer programs. In fact, most of my apps are some sort of UI customizations, mostly because I like everything exactly as I want it.

 

[KtSlime]

i think most people in the apple world fail to realize that there are plenty of free apps on google that are much better then pay for alternatives. I use Subsonic as my music streamer at home. It costs 1.99 on the app store for the idevice streaming app, it's free on android. This is a random example, but it happens often. Also, maybe one of the drawbacks for android is, the majority of early adopters in its first boom lifecycle were computer savvy people... you often see a lot of down rating on the market when an app is either 1) more expensive then the same thing by the same dev on the app store or 2) is the same price but far far less functionality and support (MLB app i'm looking at you, you SOB). I've spent north of 50 on the market, around 100 if you add in the 29.99 slingplayer app. I'd spend more (would buy the mlb app if it offered equal functionality for equal price)

that being said at the last google conf they did demo their own app store outside of the phone that you can browse, buy etc and push to your phone. This will help greatly, but considering this is august and gingerbread is releasing in about 2-3 months i'm assuming this is a feature in that

Once again I will refer you to my burger example. Sometimes simplicity and presentation matter. I have no problem paying for apps, so this argument is moot.

Fewer options is a good thing. I buy apps such as twitteriffic because it just works.

 

[Zeppu]

Once again I will refer you to my burger example. Sometimes simplicity and presentation matter. I have no problem paying for apps, so this argument is moot.

Fewer options is a good thing. I buy apps such as twitteriffic because it just works.

I understand completely what you're saying. I believe devs should get the reward if they did a good job which is why I always get the paid version if I like the lite version even if I won't be using any features of the Plus version.

However your burger example isn't really that valid because sometimes a burger may also look and be delicious and be free. There are plenty of good free apps which work better and look better than paid ones.

 

[gcubed]

Once again I will refer you to my burger example. Sometimes simplicity and presentation matter. I have no problem paying for apps, so this argument is moot.

Fewer options is a good thing. I buy apps such as twitteriffic because it just works.

the other poster said it, but your ignoring the fact that there are free apps that are better then pay apps. I dont get free apps because they are free, i get them because they are the best apps available for the functionality i want... i'm not going to pay for a shitburger just because its a pay for app so "it must be good for me"

 

[Corran Horn]

I just recently got the Captivate and enjoy the marketplace. I never had a Iphone/touch to compare it too but still enjoy it.
My only issues which have been described in here. To find apps I rather go online and look at webpages/recommendations than search their market store. Also some apps need to arrive there soon, stuff like ESPN radio just appeared a few weeks ago? And costs 5 dollars :/

 

[CharminUltra]

The thing is that it is quite true that some of the apps on the android market cannot even be dreamed by the iGuys.

I don't want this to turn in any sort of bashing but real multitasking allows apps to run as services and handle events global to the phone. Locale or Profiles Settings is a prefect example of this.
Turn off bluetooth while I'm at work since I won't need it.
Turn on WiFi during the day only.
When connected to my work Wifi set the volume of notifications to be slightly lower than when I'm not connected.
When it connects to the car BT and I insert headphone jack please run XiiaLive and start playing internet radio.
Turn off the program when I remove the headphone jack.
If battery is less than 15% turn off WiFi, BT, GPS and notify me.

That kind of shit. It really is useful.

The result of this is that a lot can be achieved with fewer programs. In fact, most of my apps are some sort of UI customizations, mostly because I like everything exactly as I want it.

Meh. Most of those features seem to be designed to help you save battery life. My iPhone's battery life is excellent, even with all features on, I can use the damn thing all day long and the battery life will still be at 55 or 65%. In short, iPhone devs don't dream those up because they don't need to.

I can see those features being useful on battery hogging Android phones like the Evo though.

 

[Minsc]

When it connects to the car BT and I insert headphone jack please run XiiaLive and start playing internet radio.

Why would you need to connect anything to the headphone jack if you're connected to your car's bluetooth? Doesn't it just use the bluetooth connection to play the audio over your car's speakers?

 

[gcubed]

Meh. Most of those features seem to be designed to help you save battery life. My iPhone's battery life is excellent, even with all features on, I can use the damn thing all day long and the battery life will still be at 55 or 65%

I can see those features being useful on battery hogging Android phones like the Evo though.

all i see from most of your posts is an ignorant headline reader.

 

[KtSlime]

the other poster said it, but your ignoring the fact that there are free apps that are better then pay apps. I dont get free apps because they are free, i get them because they are the best apps available for the functionality i want... i'm not going to pay for a shitburger just because its a pay for app so "it must be good for me"

In one of my previous posts I said that I am sure there are many exceptions, and that I am sure there are many great free android apps. That being said, I have found for the most part with my purchases on the apple app store that you typically get what you pay for. Sometimes that is not the case, sometimes there are great free apps,and sometimes there are really shitty pay apps, fortunately I read some reviews and get advice and recomedations from friends and the Internet. I am simply saying that to me and I am sure to many people, 'android has more free apps' is not a good argument. 'android has better apps and here is why...' is an argument I am willing to listen to, regardless if those apps are free or pay.

 

[gcubed]

In one of my previous posts I said that I am sure there are many exceptions, and that I am sure there are many great free android apps. That being said, I have found for the most part with my purchases on the apple app store that you typically get what you pay for. Sometimes that is not the case, sometimes there are great free apps,and sometimes there are really shitty pay apps, fortunately I read some reviews and get advice and recomedations from friends and the Internet. I am simply saying that to me and I am sure many people 'android has more free apps' is not a good argument. 'android has better apps and here is why...' is an argument I am willing to listen to, regardless if those apps are free or pay.

but that ignores the premise of this argument though. Its not that android has better apps, its that it has good apps that are free. I don't know very much about the app store so i can't go "i have this for free but you pay for it", i only have my one simple example. I happily buy apps that are worth it.

 

[Zeppu]

Meh. Most of those features seem to be designed to help you save battery life. My iPhone's battery life is excellent, even with all features on, I can use the damn thing all day long and the battery life will still be at 55 or 65%
I can see those features being useful on battery hogging Android phones like the Evo though.

True some are to save battery. Rest are just pure functionality. Phone goes silenter at work so I don't bother anyone. Autoplay in when I attach jack if and only if I'm in the car. There are more. Autosync only when connected to a specific WiFi, profiles activation on calendar event keywords, location, call from particular user, sms's, docks, etc...

Why would you need to connect anything to the headphone jack if you're connected to your car's bluetooth? Doesn't it just use the bluetooth connection to play the audio over your car's speakers?

Unfortunately it's not built into the car but just one of those hands free kits you put on your sun visor

In one of my previous posts I said that I am sure there are many exceptions, and that I am sure there are many great free android apps. That being said, I have found for the most part with my purchases on the apple app store that you typically get what you pay for. Sometimes that is not the case, sometimes there are great free apps,and sometimes there are really shitty pay apps, fortunately I read some reviews and get advice and recomedations from friends and the Internet. I am simply saying that to me and I am sure to many people, 'android has more free apps' is not a good argument. 'android has better apps and here is why...' is an argument I am willing to listen to, regardless if those apps are free or pay.

The only real effect it has is that considering that there so many free apps on the Market and considering it's so easy to publish stuff on there, the overall quality of the apps increases. This is not at all contrary to your argument. This means that for most cases paid apps really have to be excellent because there are so many free alternatives which are already very good. That was my point. I'm not disagreeing with you I'm just trying to show you what I mean.

 

[negreenfield]

Meh. Most of those features seem to be designed to help you save battery life. My iPhone's battery life is excellent, even with all features on, I can use the damn thing all day long and the battery life will still be at 55 or 65%. In short, iPhone devs don't dream those up because they don't need to.

I can see those features being useful on battery hogging Android phones like the Evo though.

I will admit I use it partially to help battery but mostly I use something like the above for the convenience of sound profiles based on my location. I can have vibrate at work, then during meetings go to complete silence, when in my car on the way to and from work, loud setting, then at home a normal setting. All of this without me having to touch a thing, it does it automatically based on several conditions.

 

[CharminUltra]

all i see from most of your posts is an ignorant headline reader.

Funny, all I see from you are posts that don't make sense, like this one. :lol

 

[Blackhead]

I've never seen this. What's different about this one versus the other two?

Palm reserves the right to refuse apps and they don't just let anything into their store. However, it's extremely easy to gain developer access on your phone, Palm encourages and promotes homebrew developers, and there's even an app in the Palm App Catalogue whose only purpose is to describe how to install the homebrew app store (Preware) and you can download separate App stores as well. You can download and install apps from websites so you don't even need the store. I'd imagine that once there's a very large number of apps available, Palm will keep their catalogue curated (or link to catalogues with more stringent guidelines) and let those who want to install whatever they want do so on the side.

So I'd say it's the perfect mix between Apple's dictatorship and Andorid's anything (the carieer says) goes

 

[KtSlime]

but that ignores the premise of this argument though. Its not that android has better apps, its that it has good apps that are free. I don't know very much about the app store so i can't go "i have this for free but you pay for it", i only have my one simple example. I happily buy apps that are worth it.

I think that is something both android and iPhone users can agree on. (except for filthy 'pirates' which muck up everything, pay the damn 99c)

I admit I don't have enough knowledge of individual apps on the android platform either. Maybe this is something one should look at rather than these silly 10000 per week approved, I can turn off Bluetooth with telekinesis etc arguments.

I know I have good and bad experiences with my iPhone and I am sure android users have similar problems.

 

[gcubed]

Funny, all I see from you are posts that don't make sense, like this one. :lol

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=22690278&postcount=206

this post basically sums up every thread you are ever in in relation to phones.