First off:
Google sold us what? Something that is free? The problem is that the Android market isn't making anyone that much money.
People are going to look for alternatives every time we see another article about malware on Android. Amazon is the best known alternative since most people use it all the time for other things.
Parried with:
Angry Birds Revenue From Android, iOS Now Roughly Even, Rovio Says
Though your comment may be true, it is not Truth. Some people aren't making money, while others
are getting wealthy.
Now, turning to the Amazon vs Google debate, these were my first impressions. I joined the Android legion about a week ago, and since that time, I have used the Android Market extensively and have dabbled into the Amazon Appstore.
I too agree, that Google could make better search capabilities implemented to find apps. Part of the reason that we have to
sift through the dregs is that developers will TAG an app that has similar, or not complete, capabilities as popular counterparts in the Android Market, which leads to the sifting. Another observation that I have made, the Android Market
does not sync well with the Gmail account that you have to provide. I installed numerous apps, then doing a factory wipe, had no record in the Market of what I had previously downloaded. One place where I think
the Android Market shines, you do not need to setup a credit card to "purchase" free apps.
For Amazon, apps I had "purchased" though free, were shown immediately on my account when I logged into the Appstore again, from a restored phone state. Like I said, my only grip is
I had to set up a credit/debit/electronic payment method before I could even download any kind of app. I did already have an Amazon account set-up having made purchases there. The Appstore permissions were easy to set, but this snag in their delivery method made app downloading
much more difficult than Android's Market. This could cost them the advantage. Another setback could be their
lack of app quantity, there is a plethora of apps to choose from in the Android Market vs the Amazon Appstore, though apps listed with Amazon seem mostly good quality. Another plus, I can purchase
adfree versions of popular apps that I want, though Google will be on par once they implement in-app purchasing. I don't know if it will be a game changer or not, but Amazon also
has a free paid app every day deal.
These two markets meet even on: ratings, developers and user base. Both of their
rating systems need an overhaul for how apps are rated. For the Android OS it would be experientially beneficial, not just for users, but for developers, it the ratings were based off of multiple criterion for the rating. IE: Your phone, your network, overall quality of the app, etc... I know that there are games and apps that I have used that worked great on my device, then other reviewers have posted that the app sucked on theirs. Google vs Amazon developer-wise are about even. I'm not for sure about Google's method of app submission, but just being over at Amazon's developer page, they are requiring a
yearly fee to submit apps. Last, they have just about as many users. I have plenty of associates that
use Amazon more frequently than they use their Android Market for apps. Though two different domains of buying: Amazon has more exposer to the general masses for buying, Google having the
Android Market preinstalled on every Android device. Tables could turn easily with that should Amazon strike a deal with carriers to also install their app also.
I would say that in my opinion
I liked Amazon's Appstore. What made me want to use it more was an overall, user friendly experience, finding quality apps (though a few more steps obtaining them), and they reliably linked to my account apps I had downloaded.
