Journey in Android Development, Android Market - the good, the bad
Submitted by kai on Fri, 2009-12-11 20:36. ::
Android Development - the good
- Easy to extend/customize existing functions - a few examples:
- You can write a new dialer to handle calling - in fact, I am using StartContact because the default dialer sucks(no contact search function, need to scroll).
- Add your application to contextual menu of native functions(eg: handling the calling of a number)
- You can override the home screen lock. see FlyScreen
- With the backing of Google, Android SDK evolves very quickly( this is really a double-edged sword).
- It's written in Java!
- You can run background tasks!
Android Development - the bad
- It was nice when there were only G1 and myTouch. Now, the claim of write once, run everywhere = write once, write different layouts for many device resolutions, handle different SDK versions, debug everywhere(get ready for a miserable life of dealing with 50+ Android phones in 2010). For iPhone development, your life is simpler. One screen resolution with two device types(iPhone, iPod Touch).
- It's inevitable with a open platform where every handset manufacture will try to differentiate with something new, so the market is fragmented
- Right now, there are SDK 1.5, 1.6, 2.0 out there. There are no way to specify different app packages for different SDK versions under the same app name.
Android Market - the good for users
- You can find all the iPhone-forbidden apps there: Google Voice, podcasting apps, music streaming apps.
- A user can get a refund on downloaded apps within 48 hours.
Android Market - the bad for users
- Android Market website is terrible. You can only browse top apps. For the rest of the apps, you'd need to buy a Android phone or browse a 3rd-party site like AndroLib.com.
- Users sometimes have problems downloading apps from Android Market and thought that's developer's problem. NO, it's not. It's your carrier's network problem or Android Market's problem. Android Market needs to do a better job explaining the download problem!
Android Market - the good for developers
- No approval is needed. It's a self-policing environment where users can flag apps as inappropriate.
- You don't get screamed at by users because your bug fixes won't get hold up by a gate keeper(Apple)
Android Market - the bad for developers
- The developer app admin interface is too simple. There's no way to get reports for sales/download trends.
- You can put 325 characters in your app description. 325 characters are enough for Chinese, but hell NO in English. When you publish your app, you need to go through the exercise of optimizing your wordings in the app description.
- You can only upload TWO screenshots.
- You can't have different app versions of the same app for different SDKs. Say you have an app called XYZ, you may think that you can have 3 separate apps: App XYZ 1.5, App XYZ 1.6, App XYZ 2.0 on Android market. But if you have a paid app, a user with App XYZ 1.5 will demand that it works on 1.6 when his phone is upgraded. There's no way for him to easily upgrade frm App XYZ 1.5 => App XYZ .16.
- There's no in-app purchase!
- Developers from many countries still cannot sell paid apps(I guess it's because Google Check Out hasn't established some ways to make payment to developers in these countries). Once your app is on Android Market, you are prohibited from providing a alternative payment method in-app.
- Majority of the world(all the crossed-out countries) still cannot buy paid apps on Android Market.
Tags: google android android-market apple-app-store android-development
