This has been a very interesting forum to read. I should probably start, by stating that I'm simply a consumer, and not a developer, nor will ever be a developer. (I'd rather stab myself in the foot to earn a trip to the hospital than have to go back to programming... Find it way too tedious and monotonous for me.. Sooo kudos to all those who CAN develope 
)
There have been many good points here, and I find that I agree strongly with hansschmucker and thoroughly enjoyed reading his list of program selection rules. It sort of clarified what I look for when trying to find a game.
I would like to add something specifically about ads though. They may be providing you money, but they ARE NOT FREE. From my end, if you're downloading an ad, REGARDLESS OF IT'S SIZE, then I'm paying to view your ad. This is extremely wrong in my opinion. I completely understand that the developers need to earn their living for their wares, but this in my opinion is stealing.
Point in case, it was determined in the US decades ago, that advertising via the fax machine was stealing the companies resources. It was forcing the company to use their paper, toner/ink, electricity, and wear on their machines, to force them to view your advertisements. Putting an advertisement in a 'free' or 'demo' version of a game is the exact same thing. I have to pay for that download bandwidth, and therefor: it is mine. Not yours. The result? That if there is any program which requires any internet connection, AT ALL, then it is history and I'm on to the next app.
As for the remaining permissions? The only permission that I can feasibly accept is writing to the SD card. I mean, if it's going to save the game then there isn't any other option for it.. Anything else about my phone state, location, (network or GPS), phone id, call state etc... they're all crap and result in the same forgone conclusion: this app is not worth having on my phone.
So my solution? Offer me the limited 'trial' version. But it has to be ad-free, and it has to be playable and functional. I'm not opposed to purchasing something that I like, but I'm not going to blindly go out and hand out money in the hopes that I do like it. By giving me this option, it tells me that you, as a developer, actually care enough about me, as a consumer, to ensure that if you're going to take my money you want me to enjoy what I've purchased. It also ensures that I will use the search feature to look for other programs you've created, and if I like them, guess what!? I'll buy them too!
I will freely admit however, I may not be in the majority market. I'm smart enough (at least I like to think so) that I actually look at what I'm about to buy, review it, test it, and make an informed decision about whether to purchase it. Every time I don't go through that (for instance my Dell XPS x702l laptop, do NOT ever buy one of them
Huge mistake...) I regret it...
In addition, yes, I have an android (obviously) and I shelled out good money for it! So I do feel entitled that I should be able to have some apps/games that I will actually use on it, that I shouldn't have to pay for, because honestly? Verizion/Google are ******ed when it comes to putting apps that they think I will use. The VAST majority of their apps get immediately uninstalled or at the very least hidden (haven't yet taken the plunge into rooting my phone, it's a bit more technical than I'm willing to do as yet.. sadly..) Point in case: I hate professional sports. Always have, especially after working as a medical responder (EMT) for football and soccer games. People leave their brains in the vehicles, or at home, when they attend, and thus I can't enjoy them. I'll play the games with friends, in a non-competitive manner, but will have nothing to do with the professional versions. Thus, forcing me to have an NFL game on my phone? that just pisses me off! I feel it's a waste of my available resources, and thus a waste of my money. Not good business...
Anyway, that was a bit of a rant, but hopefully it aided in demonstrating my response...
Oh, and by the way hansschmucker, as an update for your original post: Missile Intercept seems to no longer have a free version (according to the aforementioned rules) it now requires the internet for ads.. An alternative, which I found, and does not have any permissions at all, was Simple Missile Command..
Opensudoku also now requires the internet, and states that it has ads. Again, a very sad discovery. A possible alternative is Anduko Sudoku
There were several others..
But thanks for the awesomeness to post this thread! Prior to finding it I had the following games:
MiReversi
Mi Firework
Dice Shaker
Andoku Sudoku
And have been able to add:
Solitaire
Trap!
Mines
Simple Missile Command
Gurk
aequilibrium
Frozen Bubble
Mastermind
So again, many thanks for this post!
)There have been many good points here, and I find that I agree strongly with hansschmucker and thoroughly enjoyed reading his list of program selection rules. It sort of clarified what I look for when trying to find a game.
I would like to add something specifically about ads though. They may be providing you money, but they ARE NOT FREE. From my end, if you're downloading an ad, REGARDLESS OF IT'S SIZE, then I'm paying to view your ad. This is extremely wrong in my opinion. I completely understand that the developers need to earn their living for their wares, but this in my opinion is stealing.
Point in case, it was determined in the US decades ago, that advertising via the fax machine was stealing the companies resources. It was forcing the company to use their paper, toner/ink, electricity, and wear on their machines, to force them to view your advertisements. Putting an advertisement in a 'free' or 'demo' version of a game is the exact same thing. I have to pay for that download bandwidth, and therefor: it is mine. Not yours. The result? That if there is any program which requires any internet connection, AT ALL, then it is history and I'm on to the next app.
As for the remaining permissions? The only permission that I can feasibly accept is writing to the SD card. I mean, if it's going to save the game then there isn't any other option for it.. Anything else about my phone state, location, (network or GPS), phone id, call state etc... they're all crap and result in the same forgone conclusion: this app is not worth having on my phone.
So my solution? Offer me the limited 'trial' version. But it has to be ad-free, and it has to be playable and functional. I'm not opposed to purchasing something that I like, but I'm not going to blindly go out and hand out money in the hopes that I do like it. By giving me this option, it tells me that you, as a developer, actually care enough about me, as a consumer, to ensure that if you're going to take my money you want me to enjoy what I've purchased. It also ensures that I will use the search feature to look for other programs you've created, and if I like them, guess what!? I'll buy them too!
I will freely admit however, I may not be in the majority market. I'm smart enough (at least I like to think so) that I actually look at what I'm about to buy, review it, test it, and make an informed decision about whether to purchase it. Every time I don't go through that (for instance my Dell XPS x702l laptop, do NOT ever buy one of them
Huge mistake...) I regret it...In addition, yes, I have an android (obviously) and I shelled out good money for it! So I do feel entitled that I should be able to have some apps/games that I will actually use on it, that I shouldn't have to pay for, because honestly? Verizion/Google are ******ed when it comes to putting apps that they think I will use. The VAST majority of their apps get immediately uninstalled or at the very least hidden (haven't yet taken the plunge into rooting my phone, it's a bit more technical than I'm willing to do as yet.. sadly..) Point in case: I hate professional sports. Always have, especially after working as a medical responder (EMT) for football and soccer games. People leave their brains in the vehicles, or at home, when they attend, and thus I can't enjoy them. I'll play the games with friends, in a non-competitive manner, but will have nothing to do with the professional versions. Thus, forcing me to have an NFL game on my phone? that just pisses me off! I feel it's a waste of my available resources, and thus a waste of my money. Not good business...
Anyway, that was a bit of a rant, but hopefully it aided in demonstrating my response...
Oh, and by the way hansschmucker, as an update for your original post: Missile Intercept seems to no longer have a free version (according to the aforementioned rules) it now requires the internet for ads.. An alternative, which I found, and does not have any permissions at all, was Simple Missile Command..
Opensudoku also now requires the internet, and states that it has ads. Again, a very sad discovery. A possible alternative is Anduko Sudoku
There were several others..
But thanks for the awesomeness to post this thread! Prior to finding it I had the following games:
MiReversi
Mi Firework
Dice Shaker
Andoku Sudoku
And have been able to add:
Solitaire
Trap!
Mines
Simple Missile Command
Gurk
aequilibrium
Frozen Bubble
Mastermind
So again, many thanks for this post!
I'm sure I can find a reason to say the same about your occupation. What do you work in?
