Mobile Tweaks

Is the Android Market ready for the Paid App Pledge? Survey says…[OPINION]

Posted on July 25, 2010 by Mobile Tweaks

Though there are many good paid applications in the marketplace, there is a belief on the part of potential Android developers that Android users are much less likely to spend money on applications than their iPhone counterparts. Several weeks ago, Chuck Falzone, a blogger over at Android Guys, launched the Paid App Pledge as a means of making a statement to developers that Android is a viable platform for launching paid applications as a means of making money.

The Paid App Pledge is a pledge Android users can take to indicate they are willing to spend $5 per week on applications as a way of supporting the hard-working developers that bring top-quality Android applications to the Market. To date, the paid app pledge has amassed 187 twitterers who have vowed to spend $5 per week on applications, bringing the pledge up to a whopping $935/week or $48,620 per year. That’s a pretty nice chunk of change going back to Android developers.

Though the Android community’s reception of the Paid App Pledge has been positive overall, it has not come without its share of criticism. Several users are suggesting that there simply aren’t that many good paid applications out there to justify paying $5 a week. Others argue that there are significant problems/drawbacks to the Android market itself that prevents users from being able to find these apps in the first place. Still more point out that the paid applications in the Android market is only available in 13 countries, preventing international Android users from being able to purchase paid applications.

Though developer frustrations in the lack of Android users willing to purchase applications can be partially chalked up to the fact that Android users aren’t as willing to purchase applications as users of other platforms, this appears to only be part of the problem. Google’s cluttered market, the lack of a web interface for browsing applications, and the lack of availability of paid applications in many international markets also play a significant role in Android’s paid app problem.

Fortunately, we have the opportunity to remedy at least a part of this problem if we choose to adopt the Paid App Pledge. Now, I’m not going to argue that you should agree to pay $5 a month to pay for applications, as I believe that may be the wrong way to go about it. What I would instead encourage you to do is to commit to buying 2-4 paid applications per month when you deem it appropriate. Have you been using a free application for ages that has a $2 paid/donate version? Pony up the $2 and support that application. Is there a new game you’ve wanted to try, but haven’t been able to justify the $6 price? Fight your initial instincts and pay the $6. Treat yourself to paid applications from time to time; several of them truly go above and beyond what you could ever hope to get from a free app.

Taking the Paid App Pledge (or a version of it), leave some comments about your experiences, apps you’ve downloaded, anything you want really. Oh, and don’t forget to share your paid app purchases on Twitter using the #PaidAppPledge hashtag.

RSS feed brought to you by the Android and Me Store

Drew Bamford sheds some light on the future of HTC Sense

Posted on July 25, 2010 by Mobile Tweaks

The beauty of the Android OS is the fact that it’s completely open source and each core application can be tweaked or swapped out for another. This ability has allowed manufacturers to customize their devices with their own applications, giving their phones a unique feel and user experience.

Unfortunately, Android’s openness seems to be causing some friction within the Android community. On one side, you have fans of the stock Android UI, features, and set of applications that are bundled with a vanilla install of the OS. The other side has fans of the custom UI’s, tweaks, and application integration from companies like HTC, Samsung, and Motorola.

Rumors about the upcoming Android 3.0 build, expected to be unveiled within the next 6 months, indicate that Google is focusing a lot of their attention on enhancing the stock Android UI and adding in many of the custom feature sets that manufacturers have created for their handsets to bring the functionality and design of Android up to par with the custom builds. Many Android purists are hoping that with the unveiling of Android 3.0, manufacturers will start shying away from their custom UI implementations which do add a significant time investment into the development process.

But fans of HTC’s Sense UI can breathe a sigh of relief. A recent interview with Drew Bamford (Manager of HTC’s user experience design team) has revealed that HTC is still hard at work on Sense and has no plans on shelving their custom UI when Android 3.0 is introduced. Bamford noted that, “Google may focus more on improving the user interface on the stock Android [software], but I don’t think they’ll preclude manufacturer customization.”

New features such as the application sharing widget found on the recently release HTC Wildfire will be ported over to other HTC phones in future updates. Bamford also mentioned that HTC is looking into cloud computing integration which would allow HTC users to sync, store, and stream their data and media.

We know that there are a lot of HTC Sense fans around here. Are any of you glad that Sense will be sticking around when Android 3.0 is released?

RSS feed brought to you by the Android and Me Store

Samsung has a cure for iPhone 4 users with antenna problems: A free Galaxy S

Posted on July 25, 2010 by Mobile Tweaks

Steve Jobs may be giving out some bits of plastic to help iPhone users make calls with their phones, but Samsung has come up with a better plan for at least some of the troubled iPhone users in the UK.

Earlier this week Samsung UK Mobile began reaching out to select individuals tweeting about their problems with the iPhone 4 or their difficulties deciding on their next phone and sending them a free Samsung Galaxy S. So for those of you that feel like you are screaming into the void when you are whining about something on Twitter, just remember sometimes it can pay off.

Samsung isn’t a complete white knight in this situation as the individuals that have been selected have for the most part been involved in marketing or publishing thus guaranteeing fairly significant visibility for the campaign, but you have to give Samsung credit for a clever PR move.

One of the most recent tweets suggested that they will still be giving a few more phones away so if you are in the UK and in need of a Samsung Galaxy S it can’t hurt to give tweeting your sob story a shot.

RSS feed brought to you by the Android and Me Store

Age Calculator

Posted on July 25, 2010 by Mobile Tweaks

Summary: This software calculates age on entering the birthdate. software is really simple to use and self explanatory. Decent and bold fonts and clear text.

This is my first attempt to write mobile application. — more on freewarepocketpc.net

Found in: age calculator, birthdate, calculator

Download Age Calculator

Mobile friendly download

Source: Pocket PC freeware downloads

Category Windows Mobile

myPlayer

Posted on July 25, 2010 by Mobile Tweaks

Submitted: 2010-04-02
Price: 0.00 USD

Summary: A light-weight application that provides access to BBC iPlayer, Hulu, Five On Demand, MSN Video and SBS directly, eliminating the requirement of a (flash-enabled) mobile browser.

More details at: myPlayer

Source: Handster.com updated software

Category Windows Mobile

MoneyGoesAway

Posted on July 25, 2010 by Mobile Tweaks

Submitted: 2010-04-02
Price: 0.00 USD

Summary: A personal finance manager that facilitates the handling of expenses and revenues on pda.

More details at: MoneyGoesAway

Source: Handster.com updated software

Category Windows Mobile

Sudoku Mobile

Posted on July 25, 2010 by Mobile Tweaks

Submitted: 2010-03-31
Price: 0.00 USD

Summary: An ideal app for those who love solving Sudoku! Features many levels, possibility to enter your own, save/load game state, 2 themes and much more.

More details at: Sudoku Mobile

Source: Handster.com updated software

Category Windows Mobile