Android Market web store launched

At the Android-themed event today, Google gave the world an in-depth look at Honeycomb (Android 3.0) and its features. After the Honeycomb presentation, they had something else in store for the crowd – the launching of the Android Market web store. Following in the footsteps of the iTunes App Store, Google has created an official online store for the Android Market, and with it comes a host of features that make app purchasing much easier and more intuitive as well as options that give developers more control over the apps they put on sale.

Every single app available on the Android Market can now be purchased online using the Android Market’s web interface. App purchasing is just as simple as looking for an app and clicking install. Users can now purchase apps online and the apps will be directly pushed onto their Android devices. No hassles of having to connect any cables or perform any synchronization, just one click and they’re done. Talk about convenience! Now if only they had the ability to download the app onto your computer so you could transfer it yourself, for those times when you don’t have a WiFi or 3G connection for your phone to download apps.

The Android Market web store also has a more polished and useful interface which allows users to discover new apps easily. There are featured apps on the homepage to help attract customers, apps are sorted by categories, and can be filtered by compatibility, cost, and popularity. Links to the Android Market on the phone automatically open the Android Market app to bring you to the app’s page.

App pages are more important now. Developers can submit high-res pictures and videos to promote their apps, and app pages will list other apps by the same developer. Apps will also support in-app purchases, allowing them to release additional content, bonus/premium features to users through the app itself. Developers will also be able to explicitly state the costs of their apps in different currencies in the future. No more having to deal with odd digits like $2.37 after conversion.

Sounds like Google are really doing their best to make the Market as attractive as possible to both consumers and developers, and it looks like they’re on the right track. Hopefully this new web interface will help them in driving up the sales for Android apps. The Android Market web store is now live and can be accessed here.

George Wong
Categories: Cellphones, Web
Tags: Android, Apps, launch, market, online, store, web