In a recent TalkBack on the ZDNet blog by Matthew Miller titled “Where is the excitement and buzz for the Android Market?“, he raised some valid points about the quality of apps in the Android Market. Here was our response:
@Matthew I agree with all of your points. I too, just knew the flood gates of great paid apps would come with paid apps, but that has not been the case. Many of the paid apps are subpar and have the audacity to charge anything for it.
We run an Android app review website http://www.AndroidTapp.com and the lack of quality paid apps put a damper on our editorial schedule for a few weeks. As we wasted a lot of time reviewing poor, overpriced, over hyped paid apps, that where ultimately not worth placing on the website at the time. The Market has become diluted with a sea of greed to make a quick buck from digital downloads. But there is light at the end of the tunnel, as the consumer will drive the demand for quality apps for their buck.
At the Flourish Conference 2009 held in Chicago a few weeks back, I asked developers Matt Hall and John Watkinson (developers of Retro Defense) about whether they would produce that iPhone-Quality game users are seeking. Their response was “…probably not“. This is the response of many developers as the return on investment is not worth the effort with Android at the moment. Other limitations such as; no native multi-touch, full refunds within 24 hours, and portions of the Android ADK that needs improvement are some of the turn-offs for developers.
Even Michael Martin of Google and Blog vented his frustration about the inferior quality of the majority of paid apps in the Market.
Not all paid apps are poor, here are a few noteworthy paid apps we’ve reviewed and worth mention:
Exchange by TouchDown, Push email for Android. ActiveSync allows full integration of your Microsoft Exchange server. Price: $29.99
Texas Hold’em Online, the classic game of poker brought to Android with online opponents. Price: $2 or $5
PhonePlus Callback, an app that allows you to send premade SMS text or email to caller when you’re busy on the phone. Price: $1.49
Wuzzle, Android word game mashup similar to Boggle and Scrabble classic board games with unique game play modes. Price: 1.99
WordUp! Another Android word game similar to Boggle. Price: $1.99
Air Hockey, brings the classic game to Android with smooth graphics, fast game play and a tough computer opponent. Price: $0.99
WordWrench, Android game of word anagrams is very addictive. Price: $0.99
Gube 3d Rubik’s Cube, the Android virtual 3D version of the classic Rubik’s Cube puzzle. Price: $0.99
Tippobillosplitamus, fancy Android tip calculator. Price: $2.99
Mileage Ledger, track mileage for business expensing with the built-in GPS. Price: $8.95
Retro Defense, tower defense back ported to Android with neon retro graphics. Price: $4.99
Do you have some good Android Apps to mention? If so, drop a line or two in the Comments below:
