Android's gaining a head of steam as it heads
towards release -- Google just posted up some details on the upstart OS's app distribution system, Android Market. Just like Apple's iPhone App Store, Android Market will run on Android phones like the
HTC Dream and allow users to browse and install apps, as well as comment on and rate apps they've already purchased. (Somewhat terrifyingly, Google describes the rating and comment-system as "similar to YouTube," but we're hoping the reference is to user-generated ratings in general and not the grammar and language catastrophe that is YouTube comments.) Unlike Apple's store, however, Android Market will be open to all -- Google wants devs to "have an open and unobstructed environment" for their apps, and it'll only take three steps (register, upload, describe) to put content on the service. The first Android handsets will come with a beta version of Market that supports free downloads only, but a version that has app sales, versioning, and other features will arrive soon after launch -- given the number of mediocre apps that have somehow passed Apple's vetting process, it'll be interesting to see what shows up in Google's store with no filters at all. More screenshots after the break.
[Via
Mobile Burn]
posted Aug 28th 2008 3:37PM
This is SOOOOOOOO CHEAP........
They have to Name it also APP STORE?? HAve to come with something JUST like the Iphone APP STORE?
I `mean... BE YOUR SELF......THis is just a Copy Paste thing...
Firstly Every one wanted to copy Apple`s & Google`s Idea and Graphics styles etc....everything...
Now its google time to Coypy of Iphone Appstore? and other Interface?
This sucks...Also..the interface is so ugly..
Take an iPill and relax iBoy.
It's called "Marketplace".
excuse me for proving you wrong, but the App store that Apple took to be its own, was originally spotted on the original iphone, with the blessings of the Jail breaking Gods of tech,
so it is Apple that is also one of the culprits of this "copying" misdeeds.
Google's Android interface is very much like WinMo in that a programmer can completely overhaul it and produce it as an app.
I haven't used WinMo's standard interface in over two years. XDA has a load of developers offering quite awesome GUI's for WinMo. The talent of the users on that site will take Android places also.
How much can customize the iPhone's interface?
Firstly: Grammar?
Next: The app store works great. Why not copy it? It seems to be a well accepted means of app deployment. Everyone copies from everyone. If it makes a better product, why are you complaining?
funny you mention "iPhone" and "copy/paste" in the same sentence, as those two just dont go together :p
u make me want to burn my iphone.
you are a disgrace to the iphone community.
ironic that you use the term copy and paste pertaining to the iphone, dont you think?
OMG, Apple totally copied Alexander Graham Bell's idea for the modern telephone!
AGB fanbois unite!!!!
ever think that "APP Store" is actually short for APPlication Store...unless apple coined the term "application", Google isn't copying anyone
there is nothing wrong with companies copying each other's best ideas. After all, free Linux distros have had centralizd app finding and updates for over a decade. The popularized name following the idea is just a fact of life. Consider it a credit to the innovator of that idea with the most recognition.
Maybe they called it an app store because, oh I don't know, its a fracking APPLICATION STORE?!?
Damn fanbois need to have a hot poker shoved up their ass so they scream themselves senseless so they shut the hell up.
Alexander Graham Bell didn't invent the telephone or had the idea. He stole it from an italian guy who invented it and went to have it patented but couldn't afford it. AGB stole it and patented it himself, he was a junior patent officer working at the patent office the italian guy went to. the italian guy went to find some money to pay for the patent. Thats the scottish or ya.
So there all you 12 year olds learn't something.
Copy & Paste? Unlikely, given the app store is for the iPhone.
SignalEye (iFan), its called Android Marketplace not Android app store. The term app store was added by Engadget when describing this application store. Take your blinders off and welcome to the world outside of the Steve Jobs hype.
Not to completely burst your bubble but not only did Apple not come up with the term app store but Apple also wasn't the thinnest laptop to date with the MBA (as Jobs claimed) & wasn't the first to have a touch screen (as Jobs wold like every iPhone user with blinders on to think).
There are a whole world of products outside your view. Apple knows it, that's where they get their inspiration (and some stolen ideas that bring Apple into patent disputes on a regular basis).
This will blow SignalEye's mind. Apple is just as bad as other companies when it comes to copying. Apple wasn't even the first mouse based GUI. I know all Mac faithful like to bag on Microsoft for stealing the idea from windows from Apple. But really they both sole it from Xerox who got it from another guy. That's right, Apple has been built off the ideas of others, not a lot of originality.
As for the app store look and rating system... ever looked at any rating system or list on the Internet. An argument could be made the Apple App Store list and rating system looks a lot like YouTube with the ratings.
I appreciate Apple for the things they do first and well. But blindly giving credit to Apple & bashing others after Apple is foolish.
TImmy,t-t-t-immy, Ti-m-m-m-y timmmy,
dear God if your spelling and articulation are that bad, i can only imagine why you've recieved so much iFlac. so here's to you, iphone, i-i-i-phone, iphone-iphone.
the only thing wrong with this phone is that it's potential, is being grossly raped by the ancient technology of T-mobile. they have no 3G, they are introducing 3G, but if you read the fine print, its 3G voice, not data. (sorry to piss in you T-mo fans' cheerios) but fact is fact. if the data were on 3G, or possibly EVDO-REV-A which is much better, but alas, T-mo is balls-to-the-wall bullshit. sorry google that you have been ponied into rape. good and cheap voice plans for T-mo service, but you get assraped on data.
Ahem - AppStore was a trademark of Salesforce.com. Apple didn't come up with it originally.
And oh, by the way, they weren't the ones that came up with the name iPhone either. I am sure you have heard of that.
And, finally, the store for google is called Android Market, NOT AppStore.
To Nightmare...perhaps you should do some more research... T-Mobile's 3G network is already up and running in a handful of cities. They're flipping the switch in new cities almost on a daily basis now to have the network up and running for the official October launch. Now as far as the Voice only on 3G.. You don't think T-Mobile spent $4.5 BN just to give their subscribers a clearer voice??? It's not even UMTS... They're going straight to HSDPA. All it takes is a bit of research on the net and it would save you some embarrassing comments.
"I `mean... BE YOUR SELF......THis is just a Copy Paste thing...
Firstly Every one wanted to copy Apple`s & Google`s Idea and Graphics styles etc....everything...
Now its google time to Coypy of Iphone Appstore? and other Interface?"
Silly fanboy, the iPhone can't copy & paste :)
And Apple aren't copy and paste? Most of Apple's Services are just companies that have been bought off as a result of bad marketing skills. Apple are good at advertising. That's it.They just take current technologies, tweak it a bit, patent it, and boost the price up. I may have an iPhone, but that's only because I used to have an N95 and a iPod Touch, and I made 100+ profit on that.
This is great. I love the idea of an 'open environment'. We will have a wide range of Android devices which can run these programs while Apple's apps would run only on the iPhones. Developers would have reach to wider audience plus no 'review system' to approve/disapprove an application. Sounds great.
Meant to say "While Apple's application only run on 1 device: iPhone".
*cough* iPod touch *cough*
Damn verbal diaohrea...
"Verbal diarrhea"?
Stay away from me.
I agree, the more open, the more awesome. I stuck with Palm for a few years longer than I would have otherwise because they had some really good free apps.
Cool. An AppStore for a device that no one has !!
This looks EXACTLY like the App Store! They even got it down to the 5 star rating system!
Well at least these guys are using a dark background, light text, whereas Apple's is the other way round. ;-)
You can't patent a list that is ridiculous. Apple can make no claim on a list with a rating system and its dumb to waste time comparing the two. Its a logical way to organize a set of objects while also summarizing user opinions.
I know, what a crazy ratings system!
@Nickerson: It's called sarcasm. Just smile and play along.
Yeah!
You know what else looks like the app store? Firefox plugins, freeware distribution sites, the GUI for my linux repository manager, Valve's online store, cnet.com's product listings, most online shopping sites...All of them clearly copied Apple and therefore suck.
I could go on, but honestly, no matter what is being sold/given using a web page format, there are tonnes of similarities in layout. Not because they copied apple, but because the format is logical.
Some people just have broken sarcasm-dars. Don't judge them for it.
@jorvay: you forgot the xbox live marketplace :)
Would there not be a problem with different phones having different specifications or are all phones built more or less the same. I realise that they're not computers but I suppose the apps won't require much.
This is my concern as well. As I understand it Android can be put on many different devices. The one spec that would see the most difficult to develop around is screen size. If there are a bunch of different resolutions must you developer a bunch of custom UIs?
Android apps are Dalvik byte code compiled on the fly ( Yes you can port the Java ME apps you have already written to Android ) so they run on all Android phones - no more writing, testing, installing one of a kind apps for one handset. Hoo Ray!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dalvik_virtual_machine
Thats exactly my point, thanks
@Jason,
From what I've read, the window manager will scale the apps to the screen size, it is linux after all...
I've been waiting for the Android to come out. Seems like it's living up to its hype!
SignalEye. Your complaint is totally irrelevant.
If you think that way, then all the hotels in the world should change their name because ALL of them have "Hotel" in their names. Well, most hotels.
No doubt the interface is interchangeable with other themes. It's Google for crying out loud. They're smart enough to implement themes. Unlike some other company...
The UI looks stupid .. how about a decent soft background texture?
Because the OS is called "Android."
I'm not saying I like it or not.
But it does look very Android.
I've come to associate your avatar with dumb posts, just so you know :P
Hmmm...This sound like a ripe place for abuse by hackers and hacks. Does Google require some kind of Developer certification?
You're aware you can also install any application you want on your computer, right?
@Darth Abe:
You're aware that most people have all kinds of lovely crapware floating around in their computers, right? I don't want to have to run Spybot and AVG Antivirus on my phone at all times.
I have heard of a certification program called "Developers Developers Developers Developers"
Exactly. Freedom means having the freedom to do whatever you want...whether it's stupid or not. I like the idea of not being treated like a child by my technology...That's why i dropped MS and Apple for linux. I like to choose what is 'user friendly' for me.
"I don't want to have to run Spybot and AVG Antivirus on my phone at all times."
Actually, that sounds like an app programming opportunity for you.
@ crapware guy, I don't care if other people are idiots and screw themselves (and only themselves), I don't want any protection from my own stupidity, I can fend for myself thank you.
i can only hope they will have 23 different flashlight apps too.
"How much can customize the iPhone's interface?"
You can also customize the iPhones interface as much as you want in your app. There is no requirement you have to use the standard Cocoa widgets. You can subclass the Cocoa widgets to give them your own appearance, or you can draw everything yourself.
He was talking about the interface itself. For example the home screen, it's always a 3 x 4 grid of icons.
On touchscreen WinMo devices you can pretty much put whatever interface you want on it, completely change your Today screen, etc.
Nothing short of SICK. Sounds like it blows the iPhone App Store out of the water.
Two great forums to continue the conversation:
http://AndroidForums.com
http://MobileRoar.com/forum/htc-dream
Yeah, bro, I can't WAIT to install BARCODE SCANNER on my Touch! Shit, I've been waiting for that my whole life, dude.
But John, you CAN'T.
This is the barcode utility they are talking about:
http://www.alleyinsider.com/2008/01/googles-newspaper-ads-big-hopes-for-small-barcodes-goog.html
In other words, a way to automatically enter info into you phone based on stuff you see in the real world (the way they've been doing it in Japan for a while now). It's not exactly neutral marketing, but it's elective so you can choose to look up only stuff that interests you.
Give me Gamestop/EB coupons, or a 10% on the holiday latte I see on a poster while standing in line. Or load that movie trailer I see from a code on a Red Bull can.
looks like they already have more apps than the nokia download service =(
...When will there be a killer Android superphone for AT&T? I am getting impatient :[
I don't think it is coming to AT&T in a few months to come since AT&T and Verizon are not part of Open Handset Alliance, T-Mo and Sprint are. And for Verizon users, don't expect android on Verizon phones anytime soon, Verizon hates giving ppl the freedom to install stuffs on their phones. The only thing from google you'll see on your future Verizon phones is the search bar, that's about it.
@TOY: Your rant is pointless because: a)Verizon has said they will offer and support Android based phones, b)while Verizon may not be a member of the OHA, they are a member of the LiMo Foundation because they want to mainly support a Linux distro that isn't tied to a single company, c) Verizon will be opening their network to 3rd party devices by the end of the year meaning any CDMA2000 device, such as a Sprint phone, will work, and d) my HTC Titan already runs Android and it's not even officially released yet.
@limaxray I call bulls__t without a screenshot.
Hey Zephyr....I think you are bringing to different Things here on stage..
What the hell does the Name Hotel have to do? That is something very different than what we are talking about here...
Then why does some body else in this world has the same name you have? I mean...you really like to have something unique or at least that not much people have..
Do you want your home to be the same as every one, Do you want everyone to have the same car as you do? Go think about it.
What we`ve got here is something called OUT OF IDEAS.....Think about it...It`s opensource...so many people can work on it change it fix it and try to bring something special of it. But Why have apple to come with the Ideas and than people has to copy their interface?
Why did Android have not been released or even be on plan before iphone? So than we can say APPLE YOUR STUPID >>>YOU COPIED SOME INTERFACE....
It's not so much the fact that this kid is an obvious Apple fanboy that makes him such a successful troll, but his utter disregard for English and logical arguments (or thought, for that matter) that pisses me off.
I hope for your sake that English is your second language.
zomg0t, just ignore SignalEye. He is an obvious fanboy. SignalEye is probably a young kid that thinks everything Apple is original. Probably also thinks Knockin' on Heaven's Door was originally done by Guns 'n' Roses and Smooth Criminal is an original Alien Ant Farm song.
Or like most people thinking Black Magic Women was a Santana song. The guy needs to get his head out of Steve Jobs ass and needs to try Andriod to see how good it really can be.
If they have flash working in their web browser and turn by turn GPS nav, then the iphone is in trouble.
although the iphone GUI is dope... it doesnt help if it doesn't support some basic user needs in a mobile phone.
You can download the Android emulator for Windows/MacOS/Linux and try the browser yourself if you like. http://code.google.com/android/reference/emulator.html. It doesn't let you play flash games so presumably it's the same restricted internet experience as the iPhone.
You do realize that it CAN have those things... that's the point of open source. If there is enough demand, it can be written. And TbyT navi is definitely a high demand feature nowadays
Im happy enough with the GoogleMaps App on my GPS-less phone but that's just me :-)
Yeah, you implement an open source flash player better than gnash that acutally works, and on a mobile device... without company support and let me know how it goes. Granted, gnash could be ported, but anyone that has used gnash is already laughing.
Another example of the rejection of a great product.
William Love
Worry about there not being any filters for the content? Isn't that what the rating system is for? Works so far with Firefox extensions so I don't see what's so hard about sorting by rating by default.
MY only worry is weather or not there will be a system requirement for certain apps. They said Android will be on simple phones and advanced smart/touch phones too, so obviously there will be some apps that won't work on the simpler phones. Does the app-compiler thing in the SDK get around that problem somehow?
SOAB. I wish all the damn fanbois would up and die. You people stink up the internet in general and make like more difficult then it needs to be because you have nothing of self value so you latch onto Apple's shit to feel special, so when ANYTHING, and I DO mean anything comes along that remotely looks like Apple's half assed shit you throw a damn stink because you think it devalues your artificially inflated self worth because its one less thing that is unique on your iHype. Here's a thought. You don't need a gadget or a toy to get satisfaction in your life. Go better yourself. Go do something for the community. Go take a class at a college and learn something new. But stop being asshats because its a GOD DAMN LIST or ITS CALLED AN APP STORE! You try and make yourself out to be trendy and special with iShit and yet this behavior and attitude smacks of pathetic losers.
Dude you need to chill. I agree with everything you said but you still need to chill.
I wonder if Android will support themes of the UI and home screen. I release theme's for iPhone and if I could actually sell those I'd be one HAPPY camper!
Signaleye you are crazy in a Madonna sexing up Rosie O'donell kinda way. Totally absurd but can't help myself from watching.
Good good, so does this mean yet another BETA app from google?. I wish they would get their act together now and get some of their apps out of BETA stage.
@Mike
Not really sure, but I did hear that GetWhatYouPay4 has hit alpha stage.
I'll be getting an Android based device in 18-months, just as soon as the contract on my Blackberry Bold is up.... *rolling eyes*
looks good. looking forward to getting an android phone to replace my ancient Nokia
I'd like to see android on an iPod touch-like device, actually. That would kick ass.
Ferarris are beautiful,but i can't put a bike rack on the back, a canoe on the roof and all my gear in the back. If you pick your tech for fashion over function, then you don't really need the tech at all.
one day trolls will say nonsensical shit and also couple it with spam, thereby creating the ultimate in shitty comments
Sweet.
This is what scares Steve Jobs and his worshipers most; "Free" and "Open"
What's worse than money going to his competition? Money staying put.
Uh, you're aware that OS X is based on BSD, right? And that BSD is FREE AND OPEN?
How much do you think that scares Steve Jobs again? Oh wait, I forgot, logic doesn't work on Apple haters. Never mind.
So? Just because what it's based on is open doesn't mean the product is open.
Oh wait, I forgot, logic doesn't work on Apple fanboys. Never mind.
"Somewhat terrifyingly, Google describes the rating and comment-system as "similar to YouTube," but we're hoping the reference is to user-generated ratings in general and not the grammar and language catastrophe that is YouTube comments."
Would you rather they use your comment system, Engadget?
Agreed. I don't find anything wrong with the youtube system. In fact it's the best online rating system there is, so far.
Engadget's the worst, of course.
+1 The store is sprinkled with malware...
Honestly, this OS is the reason that I (a Mac user) have held off on buying the iPhone 3G. I'm always excited to see open platform development, though, I admittedly don't know as much about it as others. I hate the idea of being locked in to one piece of software for everything - i.e. iTunes: the music/movies store, jukebox, video rental service, apps marketplace, movie phone/iPod syncing tool.
The one thing that made me weary was the availability and quality of apps. And until now, I hadn't heard anything about the apps store for Android, so that started to sway me even closer to getting an iPhone over the past couple of weeks. But this looks really good!
It'd be nice if they had a rating system for the apps, so that kids couldn't be allowed to download ones with content that the parents don't want, but I'd imagine things like that will come in time.
I'm super excited about Android again. Now, um... get an AT&T phone out, puh-lease. :)
@tubes,
clearly you have made the right choice. from everything I have read the iPhone has been a disaster.
for me though now there is a definate stigma attached to being an iphone owner/user. this is a stigma that I would not want for myself. i have managed to steer my organization away from Apple in all aspects; thanks to me alone Apple lost out on over 3700 iphones. This makes no mention of the hardware that they have lost out on. Last year I was solely and jointly responsible in total for $38 million in computer purchases (each under $3000). I went to the board, showed them the figures, told them that Apple would cost them money, then showed them an Apple advertisement. The board does not like negative campaigning.
It would be great if all these menus where given a much needed OpenGL ES 2.0 tint.... They look nice and simple, but they could look better.
kccboy: Seriously, who cares? Did anyone ask you to share this with us? Are you trying to separate yourself from all the other tech geeks here? But since you did. . .you're full of sh*t. Real corporations care about the bottom line, and the bottom line only, and thus the "negative campaigning" you mentioned is a non-issue. That is, unless the company involves is Microsoft, for whom you aren't smart enough to work. No offense, but I would also question your story since a guy with that much control over a real corp wouldn't stop mid-post to capitalize "Apple," but then only capitalize some of the sentences. In fact, he (or she) probably wouldn't even know what "Engadget" was, since he'd be paying someone else to bother with such things, like some loser on this board. Now, there are exceptions to this rule as any, but you simply haven't demonstrated that you're smart enough to be one of them. Oh, and remember that bottom line I mentioned? The bottom line for Apple is this: nearly 5 million premium phones sold since 7/11. Again, if you really had the pull you claim to have, you wouldn't neglect this fact. But like I said, you're full of sh*t.
With all that money you'd think they could high some decent visual designers.
Actually they are doing exactly what the target market loves. Remember this will be used by users who believe that WinMo/Samsung/HTC/BB have incredibly high end interfaces. Yes for a 2 year old using crayons designing a UI. Google is doing the right thing by sticking with the type of UI that they are used to. Crayolla pre-school house of design.
The great thing about Android is that, although Google is starting its own market, Google isn't insisting on being the only market for Android apps. Others (like us, www.getjar.com, if I can humbly mention it), who are already in the apps download space, will help them and all of the Android developers to maximize distribution of Android apps across many more channels. So, we all owe Google a big pat on the back for knocking one more hole in the walled garden.
Total failure. I'm looking forward for this release. It will simply cause havoc to end users with uncontroled rogue apps running freely. Kudos for Google acknowledging Apple as a true innovator by copying Apple. Apple proves again that they are leaders and the rest are followers. HTC/RIM/WINMO/SPRINT/SAMSUNG are all just "me too" players.
except apple was one of the last companies to do a touch screen phone. Odd isn't it.