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Android Tablet apps....depressing

V

volcanicstrad37

Newbie
Android tablet apps are in a weak spot right now, and has not been getting better like others have been saying for over a year now. As the New Ipad continues to get updates for other apps I feel like I am being forced into the platform if I want quality apps. I mean just look up the difference between the Ipad PGATour golf app and the one for android....it is depressing if you are a golfer in the Android eco system.

Nine Possible Explanations for the Lousy State of Android Tablet Apps | Techland | TIME.com

The iPad Wins Because Android Tablet Apps Suck: An Illustrated Guide | News & Opinion | PCMag.com
 
"2. Google thinks stretchy apps are a pro, not a con."

I agree with Google. The reason I think it is a "pro" is because it doesn't require a whole new app designed specifically for tablets. Sure, a purpose-built app can take advantage of the real estate, but until the apps are created/modified, there is an app that works. Like an iPhone app? Too bad, you have to wait until the dev remakes it for the iPad. Like an Android Phone app? There's a decent chance that it works on the tablet too.

One thing that I have noticed so far with the tablet is that there are quite a few apps that have both phone and tablet interfaces within the same apk. I think that makes the number of Android "tablet apps" skewed because I doubt that the numbers take that into account (but I could be wrong). The ones that don't have a dedicated tablet UI seem to work just fine for me.

What it comes down to for me is form vs. function. Android functions better, iOS has a better (although more boring) form.
 
The form vs function thing is probably the reason I am still in the Android eco system. Plus I hate Apple's lies and marketing. But the function aspect begins to skew for me seeing things like the PGA tour app. When developers are eager to make very well designed apps that give 3x the information as the android app and it fits within what I see as a function of my tablet, it is hard to sit back and wait.
 
I hate to say this but, it is easy to complain about this in a forum. Has anyone considered writing to the app developer for whichever app you want to see optimized for Android tablets to make a request. Perhaps if this were to happen, they might move faster at getting it done. As xyelot points out, it is possible to make an app that has both phone and tablet displays within the same apk. The CW Network app is an example of this. It looks completely different in portrait and landscape modes...portrait works great on phones and landscape works great on tablets. Perhaps there is a belief that an entirely new app needs to be made when that may not be the case.
 
The so-called lack of Android tablet apps is a load of crap. Almost every networking or productivity app I have on my prime is tablet optimized. Apple devotees love to bemoan that there are few dedicated tablet apps for Android, but they fail to take into consideration that Android apps often have both tablet and phone versions build into one apk file. That is a win for Android users, because it means that if we spend $5 on an ad-free app for our phone, we don't have to spend another $5 on an ad-free app for our tablet.
 
Zebulon said:
Apple devotees love to bemoan that there are few dedicated tablet apps for Android, but they fail to take into consideration that Android apps often have both tablet and phone versions build into one apk file.
Click to expand...

There are more examples of this being released. I already mentioned the CW app above but now the TripIt app does the same thing. I have to wonder if the reason developers aren't optimizing the apps has to do with believing the need to write a new app from the ground up. Hopefully, this continues to change as more phones and tablets get ICS.
 
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