Okay Geek Farm
Coming Android Market Update & Refund Policy
Darryl Cobb
Jay Z released an album not too long ago entitled it The Gift & The Curse. The saying itself means something giving that is good and also a burden to the receiver. This describes El Goog’s latest update to the the Market (The Gift) and the Market refund policy (The Curse).
The Gift: The Market gets a facelift:
- Carousel View for Promoted Apps
- 2 New Sections: Widgets & Live Wallpaper
- Related content link in the Apps detail page
These are changes that I am very excited for. Call me superficial but the Widgets & Live Wallpaper are long overdue in my opinion. I can honestly say, most of apps that end up on my phone, were at times directly related to what the widgets were like and how well they functioned. Also, live Wallpapers are a booming part of the Android 2.1 and above experience. I think, we may review the 5 Live Wallpapers Must Try in the not too distant future. Hit me on twitter (@maxrobes2000) or leave a comment if you want that!
The Carousel view, albeit cosmetic, is a step in the right direction. The current Market feels a bit dated and this is precisely what was needed. Very stylish and slick if I do say so myself. And with that, Google does the most obvious thing, create a Related Content to make it easier to find that perfect app. Good show.
The Cures: The 24 hour refund window is reduced to 15 minutes.
What reasoning did Google give for this change?
“Since most users who request a refund do so within minutes of purchase, we will reduce the refund window on Market to 15 minutes. This change will be largely transparent to buyers, but will help developers manage their businesses more effectively.”
I have to say, that maybe true but this is usually for an app that you quickly find out that is crap. However, some apps are good and deserve a full day work through to honestly see if you want to keep it. The consumer shouldn’t be punished for this. I honestly feel this is to throw developers a bone in regards to them being able to reap more compensation for their work. I get that and support these talented creatives in getting their just deserts. However, don’t do it at the expense of paying customers.
Now Google wasn’t finished either:
“To make it easier for developers to distribute and manage their products, we will introduce support for device targeting based on screen sizes and densities, as well as on GL texture compression formats. We are also increasing the maximum size for .apk files on Market to 50MB, to better support richer games.
With this release, we aimed to deliver features that are most requested by users and developers. However, we’re not done yet. We plan to continue to rapidly enhance Android Market for both users and developers and make it the best content distribution service for the Android ecosystem.
Please stay tuned as we continue to deliver new capabilities in the coming weeks and months.”
The Market update should start hitting all Android devices within the next two weeks.
