Android Market is Google's answer to Apple's App Store, allowing for an organized listing and easy way to download applications made for the specific phone operating system. With the release of the Nexus One, phones with Google's Android OS are expected to greatly expand and with new users will come a new hunger for applications. Google has stated from the start that the vision for Android Market is not only for users but as a way to attract developers. Such was the reasoning in choosing the term "market" over "store." Android Market is not so much a store run by Google but a market made to bring together app developers and Android OS phone users.
History of Android Market
The first announcement of the coming of Android Market was on August 28, 2008 and it was made available as a beta version on two months later on October 22, 2008. Android Market began by offering only free applications during beta testing with the full purchase system being implemented in the U.S. and U.K. in February of 2009. Once month later, in March of 2009, 2,300 applications were available to users.
By the end of 2009, the applications available on Android Market had grown to over 20,000. This number put it ahead of Windows Mobile Market but still far behind the iPhone App Store at 100,000 applications. Even though Android Market falls short compared to the App Store, proponents are quick note that they reached the 20,000 mark much faster than the App Store. These same proponents also say that many of the App Store's 100,000 applications are only duplicates of already existing applications and they serve only to make it more difficult to wade through for the average consumer.
Android Market Developers
In the beginning, only developers located in the U.S. and the U.K. were allowed to publish applications that carried a price tag. In April of 2009, Google announced plans to allow developers in Austria, France, Germany, Netherlands, and Spain to publish their priced Android apps and, making good on their word, soon afterward these countries had the ability to expand Android Market with their applications. Soon afterward, Japanese and Italian developers were added to the list. Australia, strangely, is absent from the list of countries that are allowed to publish priced applications and there has been much speculation about the reasoning behind this decision. As of today, the reasons why Australia has not been added remain a secret. Android app developers, no matter the country, do have one advantage over iPhone app developers and that is the fact that distribution of Android apps is not limited to Android Market. iPhone apps can only be distributed and purchased through App Store, but Google allows Android Apps to be distributed from any source, so many developers make Android apps available on their own website or on secondary Android application websites.
User Availability
Android Market is available to users in several countries around the world. The list of open Android Market countries includes:
Australia, Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, United Kingdom, United States, Japan.
Android Market Devices
Some of the devices that use the Android OS and have Android Market available are:
Acer Liquid A1 Archos 5 Internet Tablet Barnes & Noble Nook Dell Mini 3i HTC Dream, Magic, Desire, Hero, and Tattoo Google Nexus One T-Mobile Pulse Lenovo OPhone LG Eve Motorola Droid Samsung Behold II, Galaxy.
Moment Tethering Applications
One controversy sparked by Android Market is the availability of applications that allow tethering of mobile devices to laptop or desktop computers. Tethering is a means by which a mobile device acts as a modem to provide internet access to a "tethered" computer. This type of internet access undercuts the separate internet service available to customers and tethering a mobile device in such a way is in direct violation of the T-Mobile user agreement. As a result, Google initially pulled all tethering applications off of Android Market. Later, however, they were restored to all other carriers exceptT-Mobile.
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