Filed under: android

New Android Market

P368

I've been reading articles about the new Android Market lately. It sounds like Google has improved it quite a bit, but there is one change that doesn't sit well with me. They've shrunk the return window down to 15 minutes.

App refunds are one area where the Android Market rises above Apple's App Store. When I had my Android phone, I was more likely to buy apps knowing I could return them if they didn't work, or if they just plain sucked. With the Apple App Store, I'm more hesitant to buy because once I hit that buy button, that's it; I own it.

I can understand decreasing the 24 hour return window. But 15 minutes seems extreme. For example: The official Geocaching app had battery drain issues when I initially bought it, but I didn't know about them until hours later. I had bought the app in the morning, knowing I'd be doing some caching later in the day. It wasn't until I had finished caching and shut the app down that I realized it was eating the battery even when it wasn't running. If I pay $10 for an app, it damn well better work perfectly from the get-go. If not, I want (and deserve, I believe,) a refund.

There are just too many apps for Android that require more than 15 minutes of testing.

On the flip-side, 15 minutes is more than us iPhone users get.

Android users: what are your thoughts? What is the magic number for refunds, in your opinion? 1 hour? 12 hours?

The new Android Market will be rolling out over the next two weeks for users with OS 1.6 and higher.

http://android-developers.blogspot.com/2010/12/android-market-client-update.html

Get Over Here!

So the first version of my little Android app was a total #fail. This one *should* work. It works on my EVO, anyway.

When your friend clicks the link in the text message, it should take them to Google Maps and prompt them for a starting location for directions to where you are. On my phone, that defaults to my current location, but ymmv. Would be interested to see what the link brings up in the iPhone, for example.

Download the APK here: http://goo.gl/ItYv

App Inventor is pretty friggin' cool as far as simple IDEs go. I can't imagine creating a truly complex app in it, but for basic stuff, it's an impressive web application. (See attached images.)

Let me know if you download and try my little app. Would love to know how it works in different Android phones, and what the link brings up in various phones.

(download)