Google add killer "Download Map Area" feature to Maps on Android

What's the most frustrating thing about having maps and GPS on your smartphone? Not being able to use them in places where you need maps most, such as when you're on holiday, because you don't have a data connection. Well, Google's killer new Download Map Area feature for Android now means that you can use maps offline in future, with a little forward planning of course.

Google update - Google Maps 5.7 - allows you to pre-download and save maps onto your Android phone. When you have a data connection, just browse to the area that you want to visit and then click on more. Within that menu you now have the option to download that map, within up to a 10 mile radius. For now, it's just the basic map and remember that you won't have a data connection when you visit the location, but it's a really useful feature.

Source: Google 

Android's growth in 2010 visualised

Google have posted a video on YouTube which visualises Android's rise to global dominance in 2010. You can see devices activated across the world between October 2008 and January 2011. If you look very very closely, that single red dot in London in February 2009 is me activating my beautiful HTC G1.

Google play clever game with Android Pin Badges

Why do I have to collect all things Android?

Stupidly, for a man whose house is already full of Android collectibles, I've found myself bidding on Android Pin badges this week. At first, I was attracted to the fact that they look pretty cool and were only available at Mobile World Congress, but a little more investigation has revealed that they are actually part of a very smart marketing ploy by Google.

We all know that Google went big with Android at MWC in 2011, the slide at their Android stand proves how big. Of course everyone is going to visit the official Android playground, but how do you get attendees to check out all of the other related Android stands and make those people feel loved as well? According to the Guardian, you give them a game to collect Android 82 badges and a map leading them to participating stands. Genius. 

Sources: The Guardian, Pocket-Lint

A tour of Google's Android Stand at Mobile World Congress

Google seem to have the fun factor edge at Mobile World Congress, as this tour of their Android Stand demonstrates. Giant robots, smoothies, toys and even a slide. Isn't MWC supposed to be all about phones?

 

Source: The Next Web

Google sends Android into space

It was only ever a matter of time before Android colonised space. As part of a project to collect data from the edge of Earth's atmosphere, Google sent a series of Nexus S phones up into sub orbit using helium balloons. All of the footage from space of the little green robot was captured using the Nexus S. Looks like that phone has a pretty good camera. I wonder if anyone found the Android that broke away on re-entry, or whether he's still floating around out there?



Source: Mashable

Android Market updated - publishers and developers rejoice

Google have announced on their Android Developers Blog that they will be adding new features to Android Market, to improve things for both consumers and developers/publishers. In their own words,

"this new Market client introduces important features that improve merchandising of applications, streamline the browse-to-purchase experience, and make it easier for developers to distribute their applications."





Sounds great, so what's new?

• New categories for widgets and live wallpapers.
• Related apps features on individual app pages.
• Single page view on app pages, rather than tabbed.
• Refund window reduced to 15mins.
• App file size limit upped to 50mb.

The reduction of the refund window and the increased file size limit are clearly meant to appeal to games developers, who have voiced their concern about publishing into Android Market before. It's great to see Google improving on some of the known issues within the Market. Let's hope that this is the beginning of lots of updates that address the problems with purchasing and selling apps on Google's platform in 2011.

Source: Android Developers Blog

HTML5 vs Native Apps: Google Debate

I get asked quite often whether HTML5 is going to mean the end to apps. Normally, I respond that this isn't a clear cut answer, because different tech giants want different things for the future. One can imagine Google wanting a browser only future, but apps are so important to Apple that you can't believe they'd abandon a model that is earning so much revenue for them.

What do the experts think? Well, Google's Reto Meier and Michael Mahemoff recently debated HTML5 or Native for Mobile Development? at the Google Developer Day in Prague.

Android Market updates announced by Google - Is a browser-based Market coming soon?

Google have spent Friday 17th November updating the Android Market experience. Here are a list of the new features:

- A “feature” graphic, landscape aspect ratio, 1024 x 500 (required).
- A high-res icon, 512 x 512 (required).. The Android icon design guidelines located at http://developer.android.com/guide/practices/ui_guidelines/icon_design.html apply.
- 2 screen shots, 320w x 480h, 480w x 854h, or 480w x 800h, increasing to 8 screen shots in the future (1 required).
- A link for a promotional video hosted on YouTube (optional).

Does this mean a new browser-based Android Market is on the way?

The additional screen shots, feature graphic and high-res icons suggests that Google is preparing developers for a browser-based version of the Android Market. This will be very welcome news if true, as it will hopefully help to solve some key problems for consumers and developers when it comes to finding great apps.

Android Market isn't searchable on the web. Doesn't this strike you as ironic given that Google has probably done more than any other company in human history to help make information more discoverable? Being able to search and discover apps on your browser would be a big step forward for Android.

Lower the barriers to purchasing apps. People are more comfortable entering their credit card details into a website than their phones at the moment. If Google can integrate Google Checkout efficiently into the browser-based Android Market and create a smooth process for signing-up, they will significantly reduce that first barrier to people actually buying apps. It isn't mobile billing yet, but it would be a good start.

Fingers crossed.

Source: MobileCrunch

How Google can improve Android Market and sell more apps

Android Market is a bohemian dream. I love the chaotic and multi-cultural feel to the Android app store. There's something very cool about not being censored, being able to see Japanese apps that I can't understand and having to work out how to buy apps myself. The early adopter thing was part of my reason for going with this platform in the first place.

However, that freedom comes at a cost. There are elements of Android Market that really annoy me and I think are holding it back. At a time when Android is surging ahead of the competition in terms of phone sales, the app store has some serious flaws that Google needs to address.

1. No one-touch payment
This is a big barrier to selling apps. Google seems to be making it as difficult as possible for consumers to actually buy apps from them. The only option to buy apps is Google Checkout, which requires users to give their credit card details directly to Google in order to be able to make purchases. When will the introduce billing via carriers? No wonder Amazon are starting their own Android app store.

2. Full refund for 24 hours after purchase
This is wonderful for the consumer, but terrible for app developers and content owners. I can understand that Google don't want to police the Android Market. However, forcing developers to refund paid for apps within 24 hours of purchasing is a bad economic model for someone trying to sell apps. Apps with limited lifespans, such as comic book apps that I read once and then forget about, can simply be downloaded by users and then uninstalled at the end of the day, for a free refund.

Why don't Google take a more flexible approach to the refund and allow developers to alter the terms of the refund? Users will of course be more wary of purchasing apps, but then it's up to the developers to establish a good reputation.

3. App discovery
It's very difficult to discover apps within the Android Market. How ridiculous is it that I have to use an app, called AppAware, to find new apps to download. Okay, so iTunes is just as bad, maybe worse, but that's no excuse for not seriously trying to improve user experience within Android Market. There must be a better way of exploring apps other than, popular, featured and new. Google could do worse than take a look at the AppAware approach. Last FM emerged because no one could discover music on iTunes, so I guess similar services will start appearing for apps as well.

4. No moderation
I hate censorship. I don't like the way Apple decides what people can and cannot see on iTunes. However, Apple users do benefit from being protected from exploitation, because Apple cares about the apps that appear in its store. Google's hands off approach to Android Market means that Android phone users can be exploited by phishing apps and other evil applications. Given the recent stories about how unscrupulous developers are collecting personal data from Apple and Android users, Google needs to look at how they can combat these kind of apps, without losing the bohemian appeal of Android.